Indo-Pacific sergeant
Abudefduf vaigiensis
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A hand-sized damselfish, blue-green over the back and silvery white below, crossed by five broad black bars and washed yellow over the head and shoulders. It hangs in loose groups just off the rock or coral, drops into a crevice when something big arrives, and is back out within seconds.
how to recognise it
- bluish-green above, becoming silvery white below
- five relatively broad bluish-black bars along the side
- a yellowish wash, usually on the upper head and the upper side
- a forked tail
don’t confuse with
- Bengal sergeant — the Bengal sergeant has six or seven NARROW black bars, no yellow anywhere, and rounded tail lobes
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-16. Our wording, their facts. Max size 18 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~14 cm, to 18 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (18 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 89 at 4 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
no QLD rule listed — check before you dive
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.