FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72, NO. 4 



Table 40. — Food of Abudefduf sindonis. 



active only during daylight, close to the sub- 

 stratum. After dark it is secreted under rocky 

 cover, alert but relatively inactive. 



All five specimens (147: 129-160 mm) were 

 speared during midday, and their guts were full of 

 the material listed in Table 41, much of it fresh. 

 Gosline and Brock ( 1960) reported that the young 

 of A. sordidus are very prominent tide-pool in- 

 habitants and that the omnivorous adults appar- 

 ently live just outside of the reef edge. 



CONCLUSION.— Abudefduf sordidus is a diur- 

 nal omnivore that takes chiefly algae and small 

 animals from the substratum. 



Abudefduf itnparipennis (Sauvage) 



This pomacentrid is numerous on shallow, 

 surge-swept reefs where exposed basalt is dotted 

 by the coral Pocillopora meandrina. It is a soli- 

 tary, bright-eyed little fish that is active in day- 

 light, and does not swim away from the sub- 

 stratum. Appearing tense and alert, even when 

 hovering motionless at the base of a coral head, its 



movements are short but rapid darts from one spot 

 to another. At night it takes shelter deep within 

 reef crevices. 



All 15 specimens (42: 29-50 mm) were active on 

 the reef during the day when collected, and all 

 contained food, including fresh material, as listed 

 in Table 42. Goshne and Brock (1960) noted that 

 this fish seems to occur over all rocky areas in the 

 surge zone, and that it appears to be entirely car- 

 nivorous, with the predominant food organism 

 being a polychaete annelid. 



CONCLUSION. — Abudefduf imparipennis is a 

 diurnal predator that feeds mainly on small 

 benthic crustaceans and polychaetes. 



Abudefduf abdoniinalis (Quoy and Gaimard) — 

 maomao 



This damselfish is most numerous where basalt 

 boulders lie at the base of a vertical reef face in 

 water 5 to 10 m deep. During daylight it hovers in 

 aggregations high in the water column close to the 



980 



