Marine Fishes of South-East Asia. Gerry Allen
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colour, and iridescent blue stripes on lower sides; N. W. Australia, Great Barrier Reef, and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 34 cm.
★★★
14 VIOLET SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron violaceum (Bleeker, 1853)
Inhabits caves and crevices of coral reefs; distinguished by overall dusky appearance; found throughout the region; Indo-W. Pacific; to 23 cm.
★★
PREDATORS OF THE NIGHT
The fishes featured on this plate are members of the family Holocentridae, commonly known as squirrelfishes or soldierfishes. They occur in all tropical seas. Most of the approximately 70 species inhabit the Indo-Pacific region. They are characterised by rough scales, prominent fin spines, a large eye, and red coloration. Another remarkable feature is their ability to produce clearly audible “clicking” sounds, believed to function as a form of communication between members of the school. Squirrelfishes differ from soldierfishes in possessing a sharp spine at the back of each cheek, which can inflict a painful wound if handled carelessly. Therefore caution must be exercised when removing them from a hook. Although most of the species are small, the flesh is considered good eating.
Although very abundant on coral reefs, snorkelers seldom see these fishes. During the day they remain hidden deep in the shadows of caves, cracks, and crevices. They begin to appear in the open shortly after sunset. Because most of the reef’s fish occupants are active during the day, many invertebrates, particularly crustaceans and echinoderms, have evolved a strategy to avoid them by coming out to feed at night. Squirrelfishes have adapted night-time feeding habits to take advantage of this nocturnal food supply. They feed mainly on crustaceans, particularly small crabs and shrimps.
PLATE 15: SQUIRRELFISHES (FAMILY HOLOCENTRIDAE)
1 BIGSCALE SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis berndti (Jordan & Evermann, 1903)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; all Myripristis lack a prominent spine on the lower edge of the cheek that is found in other squirrelfishes; distinguished by 28-31 scales along lateral line, pale body with dark scale edges, yellow dorsal fin, and dark edge on gill cover; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-E. Pacific; to 19 cm.
★★★
2 YELLOWFIN SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis chryseres (Jordan & Evermann, 1903)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges, usually below 30 m depth; distinguished by bright yellow fins; Great Barrier Reef and Indonesia; widely scattered localities in the Indo-C. Pacific; to 25 cm.
★★★
3 SCARLET SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis pralinia Cuvier, 1829
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by dark mark that ends abruptly midway on rear edge of gill cover; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 20 cm.
★★★
4 LATTICE SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis violacea Bleeker, 1851
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by bluish-silver colour and broad dark scale edges that give dusky appearance to upper sides; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 20 cm.
★★★
5 RED SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis vittata Valenciennes, 1831
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges, usually on outer slopes below about 20 m; distinguished by bright red-orange colour and white tips on dorsal spines; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 20 cm.
★★★
6 SMOOTH SQUIRRELFISH
Neoniphon argenteus (Valenciennes, 1831)
Inhabits coral reefs, frequently amongst branching corals; distinguished by mainly silver colour with faint spots forming longitudinal lines on side, and plain dorsal fin; offshore reefs of W.A. and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 25 cm.
★★
7 YELLOW-STRIPED SQUIRRELFISH
Neoniphon aurolineatus (Liénard, 1839)
Inhabits coral reefs, under ledges and amongst corals, usually below 40 m depth; distinguished by prominent yellow stripes on side; Great Barrier Reef; scattered localities in Indo-C. Pacific; to 22 cm.
★★
8 BLACK-FINNED SQUIRRELFISH
Neoniphon opercularis (Valenciennes, 1831)
Inhabits coral reefs, under ledges and amongst corals; distinguished by broad black band through anterior dorsal fin; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 24 cm.
★★
9 ROUGH-SCALED SOLDIERFISH
Plectrypops lima (Valenciennes, 1831)
Inhabits coral reefs, a cryptic species that hides in deep recesses during the day and rarely ventures far from caves at night; differs from other soldierfishes in having 12 instead of 11 dorsal spines; has stocky body shape similar to 14 below, but lacks spine at lower corner of cheek; Great Barrier Reef and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 16 cm.
★★
10 TAILSPOT SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron caudimaculatum (Ruppell, 1838)
Inhabits coral reefs, frequently in caves and under ledges, but often seen in the open; distinguished by silvery-white spot behind dorsal fin base or entire rear part of fish silvery white; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 21 cm.
★★
11 THREESPOT SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron cornutum (Bleeker, 1853)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; similar black marks at base of caudal, dorsal, and anal fins as 15 below, but lacks yellow colour on body and has black submarginal band on dorsal fin; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, and Solomon Islands; to 17 cm.
★★
12 SAMURAI SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron ittodai (Jordan & Fowler, 1903)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges in 5-70 m depth; a red-striped squirrelfish lacking distinguishing marks, but dorsal fin is largely red with white “windows” across the middle; Great Barrier Reef and widely scattered localities in the Indo-W. Pacific; to 17 cm.
★★
13 PINK SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron tiereoides (Bleeker, 1853)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by silvery-pink stripes between red stripes on side of body, dorsal fin red with white tips; Great Barrier Reef and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 16 cm.
14 SANDPAPER SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron lepros (Allen & Cross, 1983)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges in 15-45 m depth; distinguished by stocky body shape, similar to 9 above, but has sharp spine on lower edge of cheek; offshore reefs of W.A. and scattered localities in E. Indian Ocean; to 7 cm.
★★
15 BLACKSPOT SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron melanospilos (Bleeker, 1858)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges;