Whitley's Sergeant, Abudefduf whitleyi Allen & Robertson, 1974

Scientific name: Abudefduf whitleyi
  • Author(s)
    Mark McGrouther
  • Updated
    22/02/19
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Whitley's Sergeant, Abudefduf whitleyi Click to enlarge image
A young Whitley's Sergeant in Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly, Sydney, New South Wales. Image: John Sear
© John Sear

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Abudefduf
    Species
    whitleyi
    Family
    Pomacentridae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    It grows to 17 cm in length.

Introduction

Whitley's Sergeant can be distinguished from other species of Abudefduf by its narrow dark bars and dark tail fin.

Identification

It is green to bluish above, paler below and often has a yellowish tinge. There are 4 or 5 narrow dark bars on the body.

Habitat

Whitley's Sergeant lives in shallow (1 m - 5 m) coral reef and inshore waters.

Distribution

The species occurs in tropical and some warm temperate waters of the south-west Pacific.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

References

  1. Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
  2. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.