Bengal Sergeant
Abudefduf bengalensis
- Usual depth0–31 m
- Water temperature20–30 °C
- Best monthsApril, May, and October
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Ditch Townsend, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
Abudefduf bengalensis, known as the Bengal sergeant or the narrow-banded sergeant major, is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae. It is a marine species native to the tropical Indo-Pacific, where it ranges from the eastern Indian Ocean to Australia and Japan in the Pacific Ocean. Despite its wide range in the Indian Ocean, the Bengal sergeant is not known to occur in the Red Sea. Adults of this species are typically found in coral reef and lagoon environments at a depth of 1 to 6 m, where they typically occur singly or in small groups.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Abudefduf bengalensis”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 211 records
- February: 166 records
- March: 224 records
- April: 303 records
- May: 306 records
- June: 260 records
- July: 274 records
- August: 213 records
- September: 239 records
- October: 321 records
- November: 230 records
- December: 182 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–31 m · Deepest record: 72 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 20–30 °C
Photos
(c) Ditch Townsend, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Pierre Pericard, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Rolf Lawrenz, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Shaunak Modi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Bengal Sergeant, Bengal Sergeant-major, Bengal's Sergeant, Narrow-banded Sergeant Major, Palmer's Damsel-fish, Sergeant-major, Sergeants
Names in 7 more languages
- German
- Schmalband-Riffbarsch
- Spanish
- Sargento Mayor de Bengala
- French
- Sergent-major du Bengale
- Japanese
- Tenjikusuzumedai, テンジクスズメダイ
- Korean
- 흑줄돔
- Thai
- ปลาตะกรับเจ็ดแถบ
- Simplified Chinese
- 厚殼仔, 孟加拉豆娘魚, 孟加拉雀鯛
Other scientific names: Chaetodon bengalensis, Glyphidodon affinis, Glyphidodon bengalensis, Glyphisodon bengalensis, Glyphisodon palmeri, Labrus macrogaster
Similar species
Cow pilotAbudefduf saxatilis
Scissortail sergeantAbudefduf sexfasciatus
Indo-Pacific sergeantAbudefduf vaigiensis
Banded sergeantAbudefduf septemfasciatus
Blackspot sergeantAbudefduf sordidus
- Banded Damselfish
Abudefduf abdominalis
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 1,824 open-data records from 1787 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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