The scissortail sergeant or striptailed damselfish (Abudefduf sexfasciatus) is a large damselfish. It earns its name from the black-striped tail and sides, which are reminiscent of the insignia of a military Sergeant, being similar to those of the sergeant major damselfish. Scissortail sergeants are found in the Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea. Areas scissortail sergeants can be found in around the Indian Ocean include the Red Sea, eastern Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, the Persian Gulf, India, Sri Lanka, the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea, Indonesia, and Australia. Pacific Ocean populations are found in the Great Barrier Reef around Australia, the Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and various Pacific islands all the way to Hawaii. A single record was reported recently (2017) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea near Athens, Greece, likely a result of aquarium release. Adults live in coral reefs while younger individuals live in the open sea.[2] They are found at depths of 1 to 20 metres (3.3 to 65.6 ft). This fish is white. They have 5 vertical bands that are black. Two horizontal bands are present on the lobes of their tail. This fish can grow up to 22 centimetres (8.7 in) at maximum length.
