Scientific Name: Pristigenys niphonia
Family: Bigeyes - Priacanthidae
Maximum Size: 35cm
Identification: Bright red rounded body with 5 narrow white bars, white dorsal spines; huge eye.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Rare within safe diving depths; normally on steep outer reef slopes in 70-100m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Papua New Guinea. S. Japan to Australia.
Scientific Name: Sargocentron ensiferum
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: Red with narrow yellow stripes dorsally and white stripes ventrally, yellow spiny dorsal fin with red margin.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Usually on seaward coral reefs or rocky bottoms in 18-50m.
Location: Pacific - Taiwan and S.W. Japan south to New Caledonia and Samoa; west to Hawaii and Pitcaim I. east of French Polynesia.
Scientific Name: Sargocentron violaceum
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: Red head, body purplish to brownish red with vertical bluish streak on each scale; rear margin of gill cover blackish.
Hide-out: Coral-rich clear water lagoons and seaward reefs to 25m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to Vanuatu, Samoa, Line Is. in eastern Central Pacific. S.W. Japan to Australia.
Scientific Name: Sargocentron caudimaculatum
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: Red with varable amount of silvery white on rear body and tail base; silver-white streak above upper edge of gill cover.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas of outer reefs, frequently on steep dropoffs in 6-40m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to French Polynesia. S. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.
Scientific Name: Sargocentron rubrum
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 27cm
Identification: Alternating reddish brown and white stripes; often dark streak on tail base and on bases of rear dorsal and anal fins.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Frequently on silty reefs and wrecks in lagoons, bays and harbors to 84m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to S.W. Japan, south to Australia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Scientific Name: Sargocentron punctatissimum
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 20cm
Identification: Pink gradating to silvery belly with fine spotting and indistinct stripes; spiny dorsal fin with white tips, red border and row of white spots below.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Tide pools, reef flats and sub-tidal reefs to 30m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red sea and E. Africa to Hawaii and Easter I. in southeastern Pacific. S. Japan to Australia.
Scientific Name: Sargocentron iota
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 8cm
Identification: Red without distinctive markings; tail lobes rounded, scales with serrated edges.
Favourite: Solitary and cryptic; lurk in caves and recesses.
Hide-out: Steep outer reef slopes to 34m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - Christmas I. to Indonesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji and Hawaii.
Scientific Name: Sargocentron diadema
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 17cm
Identification: Alternating red and white stripes; dark red to black spiny dorsal fin with white spine tips and white streak through middle.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Tidal flats and deeper areas of lagoon and seaward reefs to 40m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red sea and E. Africa to Hawaii and Pitcaim I. east of French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to Australia.
Scientific Name: Neoniphon aurolineatus
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: Silvery white to pinkish with yellow stripes between scale rows; yellow pectoral fin base, red bar across nape and gill cover.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Steep outer reef slopes in 30-160m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Comoro Is. to Hawaii. S.W. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.
Scientific Name: Myripristis chryseres
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: Red with darkish scale margins; all fins (except pectorals) bright yellow, dark brown rear margin on gill cover.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Seaward reef slopes in 30-200m, rarely to 12m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E.Africa to Hawaii and Samoa, S.W.Japan to Great Barrier Reef.
Scientific Name: Myripristis kuntee
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 20cm
Identification: Orange-red with pearly scale centers; scales small compared with other soldierfishes, red fins with narrow white margins, dusky brown band along rear gill cover.
Favourite: Form loose groups.
Hide-out: Coastal, lagoon and outer reefs in 2-35m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Seychelles to Hawaii and French Polynesia. S.W.Japan to Australia.
Scientific Name: Myripristis trachyacron
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 15cm
Identification: Shades of red; reddish fins with narrow white margins, blackish tips on rear lobes of dorsal, anal and tail fins, only slight dusky margin on gill cover.
Hide-out: Outer reef slopes in 3-50m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Is.
Scientific Name: Myripristis earlei
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 30cm
Identification: Yellow dorsal fin; red margins on whitish body scales, dark margin on rear gill cover.
Favourite: Usually in groups that shelter in caves and under ledges during day.
Hide-out: Seaward reef slopes in 10-20m.
Location: Central Pacific - Phoenix Is. in Central Pacific and Marquesas Is. in French Polynesia.
Scientific Name: Myripristis hexagona
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 20cm
Identification: Red with broad pink scale margins, pale reddish fins have no white margins; broad dark red band on rear margin of gill cover.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs and seaward slopes, often in turbid area in 3-40m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E.Africa to Samoa. Philippines to Australia and New Caledonia.
Scientific Name: Plectrypops lima
Family: Squirrelfishes - Holocentridae
Maximum Size: 16cm
Identification: Bright red with clearish to reddish fins; small scales compared to other soldierfishes; no dark margin on rear gill cover or white margin on fins.
Favourite: Solitary; hide in deep recesses.
Hide-out: Outer reef slopes in 5-40m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E.Africa to Hawaii and Easter I. in southeastern Pacific. S.Japan to E.Australia.
Scientific Name: Labroides rubrolabiatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 9cm
Identification: Variable from yellow to white head and brown body, black tail with blue borders; dark stripe from snout onto body and narrower stripe from head to dorsal fin base.
Favourite: Solitary cleaner; swim with jerky motion to attract clients.
Hide-out: Coral reefs in 2-25m.
Location: Central Pacific - Fiji to Line Is. and Ducie I. east of French Polynesia.
Scientific Name: Labroides dimidiatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 11.5cm
Identification: White to yellowish head and forebody becomes bluish toward tail; stripe from snout becomes progressively wider toward tail.
Favourite: Solitary or in pairs; establish cleaning stations, swim with jerky motion to attract clients.
Hide-out: Coral reefs in 2-40m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E.Africa to Ducie I. east of French Polynesia. S.Japan to Australia.
Scientific Name: Labroides pectoralis
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 8cm
Identification: Yellow head and back, white belly; dark stripe from snout becomes progressively wider toward tail, black spot below pectoral fin.
Favourite: Solitary cleaner; swim with jerky motion to attract clients.
Hide-out: Coral reefs in 2-28m.
Location: East Indo-Pacific - Cocos-Keeling to Line Is. and Pitcairn Is. east of French Polynesia. Bonin Is. in S.Japan to Australia.
