Abudefduf, also known as the sergeant-majors, is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae.
The name is from Arabic abu, "the one with"; and def, "side", and the intensive plural ending -duf. The name thus means "the one with prominent sides".[2]
The approximately 20 species of Abudefduf may be divided into planktivores and benthivores and three broadly pantropical clades.[3][4][5] Two of the Abudefduf clades are primarily benthivorous and a third clade is composed of planktivores and is the most species-rich. Most diversification has occurred in the last 10 million years within this genus across all clades.[6][7]
The following 21 species are recognized in the genus Abudefduf:[8]
Abudefduf, also known as the sergeant-majors, is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae.
The name is from Arabic abu, "the one with"; and def, "side", and the intensive plural ending -duf. The name thus means "the one with prominent sides".
