Body pinkish silver dorsally, silvery below, with a dark
reddish black spot on each scale and a reddish stripe along
LL; large reddish black blotch on 1st 3 D membranes; outer
margin of C lobes and anterior soft -rays of D and A reddish;
P pale pink, V white. Attains 30 cm. A common shallowwater species, usually found on patch reefs of branching
corals. Feeds at night, mainly on crustaceans. Tropical
Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Pitcairn
Group, Australia and Japan; south to Durban. J.L.B.
Smith (1964: 295) reported a 195 mm specimen from 405
metres off Durban; this depth is far beyond the usual range
of this species, and we suspect that the specimen was mislabelled.
Genus Sargocentron Fowler, 1904
Early naturalists included species of this genus in
Holocentrus, which is now restricted to 2 Atlantic species.
Recent workers have used the genus Adioryx for these
fishes, but Sargocentron is an older synonym. The genus
comprises about 26 species, of which 5 occur in the Atlantic,
1 in the eastern Pacific, and 5 in our area. Ten other western
Indian Ocean species, at present extralimital to southern
Africa, are included in this book, as they may be found in
our area.
KEY TO SPECIES OF THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN
la Scales above LL to base of middle D spines 3\j;
lower jaw slightly projecting; spinous D uniform
dark red, without dark or pale markings; large,
oval, dark red spot on preopercle behind eye .......... S. spiniferum
Ib Scales above LL to base of middle D spines 2\j; lower
jaw not projecting; colour not as in la .................................. 2
2a One or 2 prominent retrorse spines on nasal bone
between nasal fossa and premaxillary groove;
medioposterior margin of nasal bone (hence edge
of premaxillary groove) with 1 or 2 small retrorse
spines; maximum SL probably less than 80 mm ...................... 3
2b No spines between nasal fossa and premaxillary groove;
no spines on edge of premaxillary groove (except in
S. microstoma); maximum SL 130 mm or more ...................... 4
3a Preopercular serrae irregular in size (especially
on lower \j of vertical limb ) with some spines 3
or 4 times longer than adjacent ones; Prays 14;
upper jaw reaching vertical at centre of eye,
2.6-2.8 in head length ......................................... S. inaequa/is
3b Preopercular serrae regular; P rays usually
(90% of specimens) 15; upper jaw not reaching
past vertical at front edge of pupil, 2.9-3.2
in head length ............................................. S. macrosquamis
4a LL33-39
4b LL38-55
................................................ ......... .. ... ......... 5
9
132: HOLOCENTRIDAE (SQUIRRELFISHES, SOLDIERFISHES)
Sargocentron violaceum: snout of 13.5 em specimen showing nasal fossa with
3 spines.
Sa Margin of nasal fossa with 1 or more spinules (except
some Red Sea specimens of S. melanospilos) ........ ................. 6
5b Margin of nasal fossa usually without spinules ........................ .7
6a Drays 14 (rarely 13); body depth 2.3-2.6 in SL;
spinous D membrane not incised between
the spines; body dark brown to purplish red,
with a silvery white vertical line on each scale
S. violaceum
6b Drays 13; body depth 2.6-3.0 in SL; spinous D
membrane distinctly incised between the spines;
body with alternating stripes of silvery white and
orange-red ................................................... S. meianospilos
7a Upper jaw length 2.3-2.7 in head; LL scales usually
34-36; a large, laterally projecting, slightly retrorse
spine (sometimes 2) at upper edge of preorbital
bone (below front edge of orbit), followed by a
row of much smaller spinules; spinous D membrane
tips white with a submarginal zone ofred .............................. 8
/ / .. ' . ' ,
/~
.·' ~ i· .• ~
, ,
"
Sargoeentron praslin: front of head of 14.5 cm specimen showing large suborbital
spine below front edge of orbit.
7b Upper jaw length 2.2-2.45 in head; LL scales 35-39;
a row of subequal, retrorse spines along upper edge of
preorbital bone, the 1st spine slightly larger than the
others; spinous D membrane tips broadly yellow ... S. seychellense
,
.~/~'
.
/ /
" ·l .. ~, ~~
Sargocentron seychellense: head of 12.5 em specimen showing row of spines
along upper edge of suborbital bones.
417
reddish black spot on each scale and a reddish stripe along
LL; large reddish black blotch on 1st 3 D membranes; outer
margin of C lobes and anterior soft -rays of D and A reddish;
P pale pink, V white. Attains 30 cm. A common shallowwater species, usually found on patch reefs of branching
corals. Feeds at night, mainly on crustaceans. Tropical
Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Pitcairn
Group, Australia and Japan; south to Durban. J.L.B.
Smith (1964: 295) reported a 195 mm specimen from 405
metres off Durban; this depth is far beyond the usual range
of this species, and we suspect that the specimen was mislabelled.
Genus Sargocentron Fowler, 1904
Early naturalists included species of this genus in
Holocentrus, which is now restricted to 2 Atlantic species.
Recent workers have used the genus Adioryx for these
fishes, but Sargocentron is an older synonym. The genus
comprises about 26 species, of which 5 occur in the Atlantic,
1 in the eastern Pacific, and 5 in our area. Ten other western
Indian Ocean species, at present extralimital to southern
Africa, are included in this book, as they may be found in
our area.
KEY TO SPECIES OF THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN
la Scales above LL to base of middle D spines 3\j;
lower jaw slightly projecting; spinous D uniform
dark red, without dark or pale markings; large,
oval, dark red spot on preopercle behind eye .......... S. spiniferum
Ib Scales above LL to base of middle D spines 2\j; lower
jaw not projecting; colour not as in la .................................. 2
2a One or 2 prominent retrorse spines on nasal bone
between nasal fossa and premaxillary groove;
medioposterior margin of nasal bone (hence edge
of premaxillary groove) with 1 or 2 small retrorse
spines; maximum SL probably less than 80 mm ...................... 3
2b No spines between nasal fossa and premaxillary groove;
no spines on edge of premaxillary groove (except in
S. microstoma); maximum SL 130 mm or more ...................... 4
3a Preopercular serrae irregular in size (especially
on lower \j of vertical limb ) with some spines 3
or 4 times longer than adjacent ones; Prays 14;
upper jaw reaching vertical at centre of eye,
2.6-2.8 in head length ......................................... S. inaequa/is
3b Preopercular serrae regular; P rays usually
(90% of specimens) 15; upper jaw not reaching
past vertical at front edge of pupil, 2.9-3.2
in head length ............................................. S. macrosquamis
4a LL33-39
4b LL38-55
................................................ ......... .. ... ......... 5
9
132: HOLOCENTRIDAE (SQUIRRELFISHES, SOLDIERFISHES)
Sargocentron violaceum: snout of 13.5 em specimen showing nasal fossa with
3 spines.
Sa Margin of nasal fossa with 1 or more spinules (except
some Red Sea specimens of S. melanospilos) ........ ................. 6
5b Margin of nasal fossa usually without spinules ........................ .7
6a Drays 14 (rarely 13); body depth 2.3-2.6 in SL;
spinous D membrane not incised between
the spines; body dark brown to purplish red,
with a silvery white vertical line on each scale
S. violaceum
6b Drays 13; body depth 2.6-3.0 in SL; spinous D
membrane distinctly incised between the spines;
body with alternating stripes of silvery white and
orange-red ................................................... S. meianospilos
7a Upper jaw length 2.3-2.7 in head; LL scales usually
34-36; a large, laterally projecting, slightly retrorse
spine (sometimes 2) at upper edge of preorbital
bone (below front edge of orbit), followed by a
row of much smaller spinules; spinous D membrane
tips white with a submarginal zone ofred .............................. 8
/ / .. ' . ' ,
/~
.·' ~ i· .• ~
, ,
"
Sargoeentron praslin: front of head of 14.5 cm specimen showing large suborbital
spine below front edge of orbit.
7b Upper jaw length 2.2-2.45 in head; LL scales 35-39;
a row of subequal, retrorse spines along upper edge of
preorbital bone, the 1st spine slightly larger than the
others; spinous D membrane tips broadly yellow ... S. seychellense
,
.~/~'
.
/ /
" ·l .. ~, ~~
Sargocentron seychellense: head of 12.5 em specimen showing row of spines
along upper edge of suborbital bones.
417