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Updated 10/2/2022

Family Holocentridae

Squirrelfishes & Soldierfishes

Nocturnal fishes that hide in dark areas during the day, emerging at night to feed upon large zooplankton and small fish.  They have large serrated scales (unlike Bigeyes) and sharp venomous fin and head spines capable of delivering painful wounds if handled, and are capable of making a grunting sound.  Larger species are popular food fishes as their delicate white flesh has a high fat content.  Soldierfishes, which are mostly red with big eyes and oval in shape, are known in Hawai'i as Menpachi or Mempachi.  Squirrelfishes are thinner with a pointed snout and horizontal stripes.  Many species are difficult to distinguish at first glance.

 

Hawaii's common Myripristis, L to R:

M. berndti, M. kuntee, M. amaena

 

 

HAWAII- ENDEMIC

Sargocentron xantherythrumendemic.gif (1686 bytes)

HAWAIIAN SQUIRRELFISH

 

  

INDO-PACIFIC / HAWAII

Myripristis amaena

BRICK SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis berndti

 BIGSCALE SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis murdjan

BLOTCHEYE SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis chryseres

YELLOWFIN SOLDIERFISH

 
Myripristis kuntee

PEARLY SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis vittata

WHITETIP SOLDIERFISH

 
Plectrypops lima

ROUGH-SCALE SOLDIERFISH

 

 Pristilepis oligolepis

WHITE-SCALE SQUIRRELFISH

 
Sargocentron spiniferum

LONGJAW SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Sargocentron tiere

BLUESTRIPE SQUIRRELFISH

 

Sargocentron diadema

CROWN SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Sargocentron punctatissimum

PEPPERED SQUIRRELFISH

 
Neoniphon aurolineatus

GOLDLINE SQUIRRELFISH

 Neoniphon sammara

SPOTFIN SQUIRRELFISH

 

Sargocentron ensiferum

YELLOW-STRIPED SQUIRRELFISH

 

 		 

 

INDO-PACIFIC

Neoniphon argenteus

CLEARFIN SQUIRRELFISH

 Neoniphon opercularis

BLACKFIN SQUIRRELFISH

 
Sargocentron ittodai

SAMURAI SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Sargocentron microstoma

SMALLMOUTH SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron caudimaculatum

TAILSPOT SQUIRRELFISH

 Sargocentron violaceum

VIOLET SQUIRRELFISH

 
Myripristis adusta

LATTICE SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis violacea

LATTICE SOLDIERFISH

 
Sargocentron melanospilos

BLACKSPOT SQUIRRELFISH

 Ostichthys kaianus

DEEPWATER SOLDIERFISH

TROPICAL EASTERN PACIFIC

Myripristis leiognathus

PANAMIC SOLDIERFISH

 

TROPICAL WESTERN ATLANTIC

Holocentrus adscensionis

SQUIRRELFISH

 Holocentrus rufus

LONGSPINE SQUIRRELFISH

 
Neoniphon marianus

LONGJAW SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Sargocentron vexillarium

DUSKY SQUIRRELFISH

 
Myripristis jacobus

BLACKBAR SOLDIERFISH