''Sargocentron'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
squirrelfish (family
Holocentridae) found in tropical parts of the
Indian,
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
and
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
s, with the greatest
species diversity near
reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...
s in the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
.
Being largely or entirely
nocturnal
Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatur ...
, they have relatively large eyes. Red and silvery colours dominate. The
preopercle spines (near the
gill
A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...
-opening) are
venomous and can give painful wounds.
[Debelius, H. 1993. ''Indian Ocean Tropical Fish Guide.'' ] Most have a maximum length of , but ''S. iota'' barely reaches , and ''S. spiniferum'' can reach more than .
[
]
Species
There are currently 33 recognized species in this genus:[
* '' Sargocentron borodinoensis'' Kotlyar, 2017][Kotlyar, A.N. (2017)]
Holocentridae from Borodino Submarine Elevation (Philippine Sea).
''Journal of Ichthyology, 57 (1): 37–44.''
* '' Sargocentron bullisi'' ( Woods, 1955) (Deep-water squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron caudimaculatum'' ( Rüppell, 1838) (Silver-spot squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron cornutum'' ( Bleeker, 1854) (Three-spot squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron coruscum'' ( Poey, 1860) (Reef squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron diadema'' ( Lacépède, 1802) (Crown squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron dorsomaculatum'' ( Shimizu & Yamakawa, 1979) (Spot-fin squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron ensifer'' ( D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1903) (Yellow-striped squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron hastatum'' ( G. Cuvier, 1829) (Red squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron hormion'' J. E. Randall, 1998
* '' Sargocentron inaequalis'' J. E. Randall & Heemstra, 1985 (Lattice squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron iota'' J. E. Randall, 1998 (Dwarf squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron ittodai'' ( D. S. Jordan & Fowler, 1902) (Samurai squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron lepros'' ( G. R. Allen & N. J. Cross, 1983) (Spiny squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron macrosquamis'' Golani, 1984 (Big-scale squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron marisrubri'' J. E. Randall, Golani & Diamant, 1989
* '' Sargocentron megalops'' J. E. Randall, 1998
* '' Sargocentron melanospilos'' ( Bleeker, 1858) (Black-blotch squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron microstoma'' ( Günther, 1859) (Small-mouth squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron poco'' ( Woods, 1965) (Saddle squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron praslin'' ( Lacépède, 1802) (Dark-striped squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron punctatissimum'' ( G. Cuvier, 1829) (Speckled squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron rubrum'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Red-coat squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron seychellense'' ( J. L. B. Smith & M. M. Smith, 1963) (Yellow-tipped squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron shimizui'' J. E. Randall, 1998 (Shimizu's squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron spiniferum'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Sabre squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron spinosissimum'' ( Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) (North Pacific squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron suborbitale'' ( T. N. Gill, 1863) (Tinsel squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron tiere'' ( G. Cuvier, 1829) (Blue-lined squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron tiereoides'' ( Bleeker, 1853) (Pink squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron vexillarium'' ( Poey, 1860) (Dusky squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron violaceum'' ( Bleeker, 1853) (Violet squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron wilhelmi'' ( F. de Buen, 1963) (Wilhelm's squirrelfish)
* '' Sargocentron xantherythrum'' ( D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1903) (Hawaiian squirrelfish)
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q135715
Marine fish genera
Taxa named by Henry Weed Fowler