Beautiful fish!!!
The REDCOAT's scientific name is Sargocentron rubrum (Forssk??l, 1775).
Also called as Red-line Squirrelfish or Redcoat Squirrel Fish.
FAMILY: HOLOCENTRIDAE (soldierfishes, squirrelfishes)
Sargocentron rubrum (Forssk??l, 1775)
Relevant synonyms
Adioryx ruber
Adioryx rubrum
Holocentrus rubrum
Holocentrus ruber
Sargocentron ruber
Misidentification
None
Meristic formula
D, XI + 12-14; A, IV + 8-10; P, 13-15; V, I + 5-6; L.L., 34-40; GR, 6-8 + 9-12.
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Body oblong and moderately compressed. Head profile slightly convex; its bones with grooves, ridges and spinules. A strong spine at the lower corner of preoperculum subequal to eye diameter. 1-2 spines on the posterior edge of operculum at eye level. Large eye, 2.5-2.7 times in head length. Terminal mouth with villiform teeth. Coarsely ctenoid scales.
color : body with alternating longitudinal red and whitish yellow stripes of about the same width.
size : common 12-22 cm (max. 27 cm).
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The color pattern and the strong spine at the lower angle of preoperculum distinguishes this fish from all other Mediterranean species.
BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY
A nocturnal species. During daytime inhabits caves and crevices at depths of 10-40 m. Feeds mainly on decapods and to a lesser extent, on polychaetes, isopods, molluscs and fish. Spawning season from July to August. Pelagic eggs and larvae. Early stage (until 30 mm) characterized by a long rostral preopercular and supraocipital spines. Settles in rocky habitat when reach 30-35 mm.
habitat : rocky.
1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD
Israel, 1947.
DISTRIBUTION
Worldwide : Red Sea, eastern Africa to Durban, wide Indian-Pacific to Samoa and Japan. Mediterranean : recorded first in Israel (Haas and Steinitz, 1947); successively recorded in Rhodes (Lakaridis, 1948b), Cyprus (Demetropoulos and Neocleous, 1969) and Libya (Stirn, 1970).
ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS
Very common.
speculated reasons for success :
paucity of nocturnal competitors might facilitate its population growth.
MODE OF INTRODUCTION
Via the Suez Canal.
IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS
Caught in small quantities mainly by trammel net, occasionally by hook and line.
Reference: http://www.ciesm.org/atlas/Sargocentronrubrum.html |
