Crown Squirrelfish
Sargocentron diadema
Longjaw Squirrelfish
Holocentrus adscensionis
About
This dull red fish hides in reef ledges by day and comes out to hunt at night. The longjaw squirrelfish grows to a common length of about 25 cm, with the largest reaching 61 cm.
Also known as: holocentrus adscensionis, common squirrelfish, cook, hardback soldier, maryanne, rotten finger, squirrel fish, squirrelfish, striped squirrelfish, welchman, welshman, wenchman
- Length
- 25 cm · max 61 cm
- Depth
- 8–30 m
How to tell it apart
Several squirrelfish share this red colour and spiny dorsal fin. The long upper jaw is the fastest check: on other local squirrelfish it falls well short of the eye, while here it reaches almost to the back of the pupil.
Appearance
The body is dull red to pinkish, sometimes with blotches. The dorsal fin has a spiny front section and a soft rear section that are almost separate, joined only by a low strip of membrane, and the tips of the spiny section are reddish or clear rather than white. Its upper jaw is long, reaching back to the rear edge of the pupil.
Is it dangerous?
reports of ciguatera poisoning
Did you know?
This warm-water Atlantic fish has twice turned up far outside its normal range, in the Mediterranean Sea off Malta in 2016 and near Northern Cyprus in 2023.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
