Doubletooth Soldierfish, Myripristis hexagona (Lacépède 1802)


Other Names: Red-fin Squirrelfish

A Doubletooth Soldierfish, Myripristis hexagona, at Magnetic Island, Queensland. Source: Andy A. Lewis / Lizard Island Research Station. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A light red to yellowish squirrelfish with red fins and white leading edges on the soft dorsal, anal, caudal and pelvic fins.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Myripristis hexagona in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4440

Doubletooth Soldierfish, Myripristis hexagona (Lacépède 1802)

More Info


Distribution

Shark Bay and Rowley Shoals, Western Australia, to Byron Bay, New South Wales. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical, Indo-west Pacific.
Inhabits sheltered coastal and offshore reefs, often in turbid areas, hiding in caves and beneath ledges during the day.

Feeding

Feeds on plankton such as crab larvae at night. 

Etymology

[stated to resemble an elongate hexagon, implying a noun, with derivation possibly from the Greek hexa = six + gonia = corner or angle; alternately Latinization of the French hexagone, again a noun]

Species Citation

Lutjanus hexagonus Lacépède 1802, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons Vol. 4: 213. Type locality unknown.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Doubletooth Soldierfish, Myripristis hexagona (Lacépède 1802)

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. (as Myripristis hexagonatus)

Hutchins, J.B. 2003. Checklist of marine fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. pp. 453-478 in Wells, F.E., Walker, D.I., & Jones, D.S. (eds). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Marine Biological Workshop: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Dampier, Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum. 

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls. 

Lacépède, B.G. 1802. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 4 728 pp. 16 pls. See ref at BHL

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 

Ogilby, J.D. 1908. New or little known fishes in the Queensland Museum. Annals of the Queensland Museum 9(1): 3-41 (described as Ostichthys spiniceps, type locality Great Barrier Reef)

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E. & Greenfield, D.W. 1996. Revision of the Indo-Pacific holocentrid fishes of the genus Myripristis, with descriptions of three new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 25: 1-61 figs 1-12 pls 1-9 

Randall, J.E. & Greenfield, D.W. 1999. Family Holocentridae. pp. 2225-2256 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. 

Taylor, W.R. 1964. Fishes of Arnhem Land. Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land 4: 44-307 figs 1-68

Williams, I. & Greenfield, D. 2016. Myripristis hexagona (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T67870015A115435358. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T67870015A67871825.en. Accessed on 24 June 2022.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37261010

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:3-40 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:30 cm TL

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map