Home > Fishes > Holocentridae

Family Holocentridae

Squirrelfishes & Soldierfishes

Holocentrids are nocturnal fishes that are normally seen hiding in caverns and under large coral heads by day.  They emerge at night to feed upon large zooplankton and small fishes.  They have large scales (unlike Bigeyes) and sharp venomous fin and head spines.  Soldierfishes and the Saber Squirrelfish are popular food fishes with rich oily flesh.  Soldierfishes are known as Menpachi/Mempachi in Hawaii.
Soldierfishes are deep-bodied with large eyes and scales.  Species can be difficult to separate for the untrained observer.  

Most squirrelfishes have a tapering body and protruding lower jaw.  Except for a few large species they are too small to be worth eating.  There are several spines on the gill cover that can inflict painful wounds.

Hawaii's common Myripristis, L to R:

M. berndti, M. kuntee, M. amaena

Kewalo Pipe, Oahu, 60 feet

 

Click on images below for information & photos

 

HAWAII

Myripristis amaena

BRICK or REDFIN SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis berndti

         'U'U         Aka-matsukasa
Myripristis murdjan

BLOTCHEYE SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis chryseres

YELLOWFIN SOLDIERFISH

 
Myripristis kuntee

EPAULET SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis vittata

WHITETIP SOLDIERFISH

 
Pristilepis oligolepis

WHITESCALE SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Plectrypops lima

PRICKLY SQUIRRELFISH

 
Sargocentron spiniferum

SABER SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Sargocentron tiere

TAHITIAN SQUIRRELFISH

 
 

Sargocentron diadema

CROWN or DIADEM SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Sargocentron xantherythrumendemic.gif (1686 bytes)

HAWAIIAN SQUIRRELFISH

 
Sargocentron punctatissimum

PEPPERED SQUIRRELFISH

 

 Neoniphon sammara

SPOTFIN SQUIRRELFISH

 
Neoniphon aurolineatus

GOLDLINED SQUIRRELFISH

 

INDO-PACIFIC

Neoniphon argenteus

CLEARFIN SQUIRRELFISH

 Neoniphon opercularis

BLACKFIN SQUIRRELFISH

 
Ostichthys kaianus

DEEPWATER SOLDIERFISH

 

 Myripristis violacea

LATTICE SOLDIERFISH

 

TROPICAL EASTERN PACIFIC

Myripristis leiognathus

PANAMIC SOLDIERFISH

 

TROPICAL WESTERN ATLANTIC

Holocentrus rufus

CARIBBEAN SQUIRRELFISH

 Neoniphon marianus

LONGSPINE SQUIRRELFISH