Sabre Squirrelfish, Sargocentron spiniferum (Forsskål 1775)
Other Names: Giant Squirrelfish, Spiny Squirrelfish, Spiny Squirrel-fish
A Sabre Squirrelfish, Sargocentron spiniferum, at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Source: Andy A. Lewis / Lizard Island Research Station. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Summary:
A red squirrelfish becoming paler ventrally, with silvery-white scales edges, a large red vertically oblong spot behind the eye, and a deep red spinous dorsal fin and the other fins yellowish-orange in colour.This is the largest squirrelfish species.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Sargocentron spiniferum in Fishes of Australia, accessed 16 May 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3157
Sabre Squirrelfish, Sargocentron spiniferum (Forsskål 1775)
More Info
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Distribution |
Dampier Archipelago and offshore reefs of Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, to the Arafura Sea, Northern Territory (absent from the Gulf of Carpentaria), and the far northern Great Barrier Reef, and reefs in the Coral Sea, to the Capricorn Group, Queensland; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in the Indo-west-central Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and Pitcairn Islands, north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, south to New Caledonia. Inhabits reef flats to lagoon and seaward reefs, usually seen sheltering in caves and beneath ledges during the day. Juveniles prefer shallow protected reefs. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin XI, 14-16; Anal fin IV, 9-10; Oblique scale rows on cheek 5. Body depth 2.4-2.6 in SL; head length (HL) 2.55-2.85 in SL; lower jaw when closed slightly to moderately projecting; snout length 3.0-3.8 in HL, larger than orbit diameter in adults; interorbital width 6.3-8.7 in HL; maxilla extending posteriorly to a vertical at front edge of the orbit; anterior end of nasal bone often with 2 close-set, short spines; medioposterior margin of nasal bone spineless; large nasal fossa spineless on margin; slight ridge of upper edge of suborbital bones weakly serrate; 2 subequal opercular spines; long preopercular spine, usually greater than orbit diameter in specimens at least 20 cm SL; 3rd or 4th dorsal spine longest, 1.7-2.3 in HL; 3rd anal spine 1.7-2.3 in HL. |
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Colour |
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Feeding |
Feeds on crabs, shrimps and small fishes at night. |
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Species Citation |
Sciaena spinifera Forsskål 1775. Descriptiones Animalium Avium, Amphibiorum, Piscium, Insectorum, Vermium...: 49. Type locality: Djedda [= Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea]. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Sabre Squirrelfish, Sargocentron spiniferum (Forsskål 1775)
References
Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
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Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21
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Cuvier, G.L. 1829. Le Règne Animal Distribué d'après son Organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Poissons. Paris : Fortin, Masson et Co. Vol. 2 Nouvelle édition, pp. 122-406.
Forsskål, P. 1775. Descriptiones Animalium Avium, Amphibiorum, Piscium, Insectorum, Vermium; quæ in Itinere Orientali observavit Petrus Forskål. Post Mortem Auctoris edidit Carsten Niebuhr. Adjuncta est Materia Medica Kakirina atque Tabula Maris Rubri Geographica. Hauniæ : Mölleri 1-19, i-xxxiv, 164 pp., 1 map.
Hobbs, J.-P.A., Ayling, A.M., Choat, J.H., Gilligan, J.J., McDonald, C.A., Neilson, J. & Newman, S.J. 2010. New records of marine fishes illustrate the biogeographic importance of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Zootaxa 2422: 63–68
Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202
Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219
Hutchins, J.B. 1994. A survey of the nearshore reef fish fauna of Western Australia's west and south coasts — The Leeuwin Province. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 46: 1-66 figs 1-6
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. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.
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
Randall, J.E. 1998. Revision of the Indo-Pacific squirrelfishes (Beryciformes: Holocentridae: Holocentrinae) of the genus Sargocentron, with descriptions of four new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 27: 1-105 pls 1-11
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.
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. 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.
Russell, B.C. 1983. Annotated checklist of the coral reef fishes in the Capricorn-Bunker group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Special Publication Series 1: 1-184 figs 1-2
Siebeck, U.E. & Marshall, N.J. 2001. Ocular media transmission of coral reef fish - can coral reef fish see ultraviolet light? Vision Research 41: 133-149.
Williams, I. & Greenfield, D. 2016. Sargocentron spiniferum (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T67903042A115445408. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T67903042A67906355.en. Accessed on 02 March 2025.
