Striptailed damselfish
The scissortail sergeant or striptailed damselfish (Abudefduf sexfasciatus) is a large damselfish. 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.
This fish is white. They have 5 vertical bands that are black. Two horizontal bands are present on the lobes of their tail. This fish can grow up to 22 centimetres (8.7 in) at maximum length.
Scissortail sergeants are found in the Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea. Areas scissortail sergeants can be found in around the Indian Ocean include the Red Sea, eastern Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, the Persian Gulf, India, Sri Lanka, the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea, Indonesia, and Australia. Pacific Ocean populations are found in the Great Barrier Reef around Australia, the Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and various Pacific islands all the way to Hawaii. A single record was reported recently (2017) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea near Athens, Greece, likely a result of aquarium release.
Adults live in coral reefs while younger individuals live in the open sea. They are found at depths of 1 to 20 metres (3.3 to 65.6 ft).
This fish aggregates in large groups above coral.
This species fish feeds on algae, zooplankton, and sometimes its own eggs.
Like some other fish species, male scissortail sergeants are in charge of parental care. Males are polygamous and will collect eggs from up to 12 females while females spawn with a male and then abandon their eggs. Male parental care is more common than female- or bi-parental care in fish because territorial males are able to guard several clutches of eggs while simultaneously attracting new mates.
Male scissortail sergeants undergo brood cycling, in which they alternate between a mating phase and a parental phase. During the mating phase, males become gold in color and put on displays to attract egg-laying females. After two to three days in the mating phase, male scissortail sergeants will lose their gold color and transition into a four- to five-day parental phase. During the parental phase, males guard their eggs until they hatch. Filial cannibalism occurs during the parental phase.
This fish is popular in the aquarium trade. It is very aggressive and difficult to stay peaceful with other similar size fishes.
