Neoniphon argenteus (Valenciennes, 1831)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Neoniphon argenteus, the clearfin squirrelfish or silver squirrelfish, is a seldom-seen member of the family Holocentridae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean from East Africa to New Caledonia. It is also found both north and south of Australia and throughout Micronesia. It lives mainly around islands and shallow reefs, and like N. sammara is associated with Acropora corals. Its depth range is 3–20 m (9.8–65.6 ft) and it can reach sizes of up to 24.0 cm (9.4 in) TL. It feeds primarily on benthic invertebrates. It is found in the ornamental trade and can be used as bait in tuna fisheries, but there are currently no known major threats to the species.
Wikipedia contributors, Neoniphon argenteus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:19:43.526417+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neoniphon argenteus (Valenciennes, 1831)
- Name authority
- (Valenciennes, 1831)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Holocentriformes
- Family
- Holocentridae
- Genus
- Neoniphon
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderHolocentriformes
- familyHolocentridae Bonaparte, 1833
- subfamilyHolocentrinae Bonaparte, 1833
- genusNeoniphon Castelnau, 1875
- speciesNeoniphon argenteus (Valenciennes, 1831)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Neoniphon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Neoniphon aurolineatus (Liénard, 1839) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| longjaw squirrelfishNeoniphon marianus (Cuvier, 1829) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| black squirrelfishNeoniphon opercularis (Valenciennes, 1831) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neoniphon pencei Copus, Pyle & Earle, 2015 | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neoniphon coruscus (Poey, 1860) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| sammara squirrelfishNeoniphon sammara (Forsskål, 1775) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Holocentrus laeve Günther, 1859 Günther, 1859 | synonym |
| Holocentrus laevis Günther, 1859 Günther, 1859 | synonym |
| Holocentrum argenteum Valenciennes, 1831 Valenciennes, 1831 | synonym |
| Holocentrum laeve Günther, 1859 Günther, 1859 | synonym |
| Holocentrum stercusmuscarum Valenciennes, 1831 Valenciennes, 1831 | synonym |
| Neoniphon argentius (Valenciennes, 1831) (Valenciennes, 1831) | synonym |
| Flammeo argenteus (Valenciennes, 1831) (Valenciennes, 1831) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=217931 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:46NWF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.