Damselfish and sergeants are all part of the Pomacentridae family, which comprises 30 genera. Of these, members of two genera, Amphiprion and Premnas, commonly called clownfish or anemonefish, have a dedicated page in this guide.
Widespread throughout warm and temperate seas in the World, damselfish are small and generally colorful fish. They are very easy to observe: they often are the first fish you spot after entering the water.
There are about 250 damselfish species, from which only 14 live in the Caribbean. These swift creatures especially appreciate coral reefs and rocky shores. Some species, especially belonging to Stegastes genera, can be territorial and come “pinch” snorkelers getting too close to their den.
Sergeant majors are amongst the most commonly seen damselfish when snorkeling. Those friendly fish go by in groups of various sizes, sometimes just under the water surface.
The Indo-Pacific sergeant can be seen from Red Sea and East Africa to French Polynesia. The Panamic sergeant-major can be spotted in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, while the Caribbean sergeant-major lives in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
The green chromis is unmissable in both the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It gathers in huge schools of hundreds of fish, often sheltering around Acropora corals.
In the Mediterranean Sea, the damselfish can be seen in many places.
Other common damselfish are the whitetail dascyllus (found in most of the Indo-Pacific area), the beau gregory (endemic to the Caribbean) and the Garibaldi damselfish (commonplace along the Californian coast).
Sergeant major
Abudefduf saxatilis
Night sergeant
Abudefduf taurus
Brown chromis
Chromis multilineata
Caribbean blue chromis
Chromis cyanea
Yellowtail damselfish
Microspathodon chrysurus
Beau gregory
Stegastes leucostictus
Cocoa damselfish
Stegastes xanthurus
Longfin damselfish
Stegastes diencaeus
Indo-Pacific sergeant
Abudefduf vaigiensis
Scissortail sergeant
Abudefduf sexfasciatus
Hawaiian sergeant
Abudefduf abdominalis
Yellowtail sergeant
Abudefduf notatus
Whitley’s sergeant
Abudefduf whitleyi
Bengal sergeant
Abudefduf bengalensis
False-eye sergeant
Abudefduf sparoides
Banded sergeant
Abudefduf septemfasciatus
Blackspot sergeant
Abudefduf sordidus
Staghorn damselfish
Amblyglyphidodon curacao
Whitebelly damsel
Amblyglyphidodon leucogaster
Threespot dascyllus
Dascyllus trimaculatus
Yellowtail dascyllus
Dascyllus flavicaudus
Whitetail dascyllus
Dascyllus aruanus
Sulphur damsel
Pomacentrus sulfureus
Footballer damselfish
Chrysiptera annulata
Blue damselfish
Chrysiptera cyanea
Surge damselfish
Chrysiptera brownriggii
Grey damselfish
Chrysiptera glauca
Twinspot damselfish
Chrysiptera biocellata
Onespot damselfish
Chrysiptera unimaculata
Green chromis
Chromis viridis
Black-axil chromis
Chromis atripectoralis
Doublebar chromis
Chromis opercularis
Black-and-gold chromis
Neoglyphidodon nigroris
Dusky farmerfish
Stegastes nigricans
Blunt snout gregory
Stegastes punctatus
Ebony gregory
Stegastes limbatus
Mauritian gregory
Stegastes pelicieri
Blackbar devil
Plectroglyphidodon dickii
Whitespotted devil
Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus
Black-vent damsel
Dischistodus melanotus
White damsel
Dischistodus perspicillatus
Panamic sergeant major
Abudefduf troschelii
Giant damselfish
Microspathodon dorsalis
Acapulco gregory
Stegastes acapulcoensis
Cortez damselfish
Stegastes rectifraenum
Damselfish
Chromis chromis
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