Holocentrus adscensionis
Squirrelfish [+]
Description & Behavior
The squirrelfish, aka longjaw squirrelfish, Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) has dorsal spines: 11-11; dorsal softrays: 15-16; anal spines: 4-4; anal soft-rays: 9-10. The tip of the membranes of the spinous dorsal fin is reddish or translucent. Posterior margin of upper jaw reaches posterior margin of pupil. Spiny and soft parts of dorsal fin are nearly separate, but connected by a low membrane. Squirrelfish are dull red or pinkish in color, sometimes blotched. Reaches 20 cm in length.
World Range & Habitat
Squirrelfish, Holocentrus adscensionis, are found from North Carolina to East and West Florida, Bermuda, parts of the Gulf of Mexico, West Indies and Caribbean south to Brazil.
Feeding Behavior (Ecology)
Squirrelfish are a nocturnal species, hiding in deep crevices or under coral ledges during the day. At night squirrelfish usually moves over sand and grass beds to search for crabs and other small crustaceans.
Life History
External fertilization, open water/substratum egg scatterers that do not guard their eggs.
Conservation Status/Additional Comments
Reports of ciguatera poisoning are noted.
References & Further Research
BioOne ~ CITES ~ Discover Life ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList ~ MarineBio Network ~ NCBI ~ SCIRIS ~ SIRIS ~ Tree of Life Web Project ~ Wikipedia
Gray's Reef Fish Guide by Dr. Matthew Gilligan
Search the Web for Squirrelfish » ARKive ~ Ask.com ~ Ask Jeeves ~ bing ~ deviantART ~ dmoz ~ Dogpile ~ Google Images ~ MySpace Images ~ OceanFootage ~ Picsearch ~ StumbleUpon ~ Yahoo! Images ~ YouTube
