''Sargocentron violaceum'', the violet squirrelfish, is a nocturnal species of

squirrelfish Holocentrinae is a subfamily of Holocentridae containing 40 recognized species and one proposed species. Its members are typically known as squirrelfish and all are nocturnal. All three genera in the subfamily are found in the Atlantic and ''Hol ...

in the genus ''

Sargocentron ''Sargocentron'' is a genus of squirrelfish (family Holocentridae) found in tropical parts of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, with the greatest species diversity near reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Being largely or entirely nocturnal, they ...

''. It can be found in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean from

Aldabra Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 k ...

and the

Laccadive Islands The Laccadive or Cannanore Islands are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the central subgroup of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Amindivi Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel ...

to the Society Islands, north to Ryukyu,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, and from Palau to the eastern

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People * Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

and Marshall Islands in Micronesia. It is an uncommon inhabitant atoll reef flats, lagoon patch reefs, and steep outer reef slopes. It is a solitary and secretive species and can occasionally be seen in small crevices in clear water habitats. It is usually among rich coral growth and it mainly feeds on benthic crabs and shrimps.

References

violaceum Fish of the Pacific Ocean Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Fish of the Indian Ocean Fish described in 1853 {{Beryciformes-stub