scissortail sergeant
Abudefduf sexfasciatus (Lacepède, 1801)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The scissortail sergeant or striptailed damselfish (Abudefduf sexfasciatus) is a large damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. It earns its name from the black-striped tail and sides, which are reminiscent of the insignia of a military Sergeant, being similar to those of the sergeant major damselfish. It grows to a length of about 16 centimetres (6.3 in). Scissortail sergeants live on coral reefs at depths of up to 15 metres (50 ft) in tropical reaches, often living in a group surrounding a single head of coral. They are found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea.
The fish feed upon the larvae of invertebrates, zooplankton, smaller fishes, crustaceans, and various species of algae. They are preyed upon by some members of the Labridae and Serranidae families. They lay their eggs in patches on a firm substrate and guard them vigorously till they hatch.
Wikipedia contributors, Scissortail sergeant; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:47:15.336251+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Abudefduf sexfasciatus (Lacepède, 1801)
- Name authority
- (Lacepède, 1801)
- Common name
- scissortail sergeant
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Pomacentridae
- Genus
- Abudefduf
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyPomacentridae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusAbudefduf Forsskål, 1775
- speciesAbudefduf sexfasciatus (Lacepède, 1801)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Abudefduf. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Abudefduf abdominalis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Abudefduf conformis Randall & Earle, 1999 | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican night sergeantAbudefduf declivifrons (Gill, 1862) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Abudefduf lorenzi Hensley & Allen, 1977 | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| pearly sergeantAbudefduf margariteus (Cuvier, 1830) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Natal sergeantAbudefduf natalensis Hensley & Randall, 1983 | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| night sergeantAbudefduf taurus (Müller & Troschel, 1848) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Panamic sergeant majorAbudefduf troschelii (Gill, 1862) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| cow pilotAbudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) | PomacentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Glyphidodon caelestinus Cuvier, 1830 Cuvier, 1830 | synonym |
| Labrus sexfasciatus Lacepède, 1801 Lacepède, 1801 | synonym |
| Abudefduf coelestinus (Cuvier, 1830) (Cuvier, 1830) | synonym |
| Glyphisodon coelestinus Cuvier, 1830 Cuvier, 1830 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159289 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:8MSN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.