HOLOCENTRIDAE


Sargocentron melanospilos
(photo by Ukkrit Satapoomin)


Sargocentron melanospilos
(Bleeker, 1858)
Blackblotch Squirrelfish

D XI, 12-14; A IV, 8-10; P1 14; LLp 33-36; GR 6-8 + 10-12.

Body moderately deep. Corner of preopercle with a sharp spine. Maxilla extending from below center of eye to a vertical at rear edge of pupil; premaxillary groove ending above or slightly posterior to a vertical at the front edge of orbit; front of upper lip thickened and slightly protruding; anterior end of nasal bone ending with a small spine; surface or medial edge of nasal bone spineless; nasal fossa with 1-4 spinules on posterior edge. 5 oblique scale rows on cheek; uniformly small ctenii on posterior margin of scales of body. Slender caudal peduncle. Color: body orangered to orange-yellow with silvery white stripes; black blotch at base of soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, but may be faint or absent in caudal and anal fins. Size: maximum length about 25 cm. Distribution: Indo-Pacific, from Zanzibar, Aldabra and Seychelles to Marshall Islands and American Samoa. Replaced by S. marisrubri in the Red Sea. Remarks: inhabits rocky reefs and coral-rich areas to 90 m depth.