reef squirrelfish
Sargocentron coruscum (Poey, 1860)
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.
Sargocentron coruscum (Poey, 1860)—reef squirrelfish, 81.7 mm SL. Photo by JT Williams.
Williams, J. T.; Carpenter, K. E.; Van Tassell, J. L.; Hoetjes, P.; Toller, W.; Etnoyer, P.; Smith, M. · CC BY 2.5 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Sargocentron coruscum, more commonly known as the reef squirrelfish, is a member of the family Holocentridae native to the western Atlantic Ocean from Florida, USA to northern South America. It lives over sandy and rocky substrates, as well as coral reefs, generally between 1 and 30 metres (3.3 and 98.4 ft) deep. It is a nocturnal predator, feeding primarily on shrimps, but will also eat crabs. It searches for food alone or in small schools. It can reach sizes of up to 15.0 centimetres (5.9 in) TL. When alarmed, it will hide in crevices between corals.
Wikipedia contributors, Sargocentron coruscum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:44:51.550190+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sargocentron coruscum (Poey, 1860)
- Name authority
- (Poey, 1860)
- Common name
- reef squirrelfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Holocentriformes
- Family
- Holocentridae
- Genus
- Sargocentron
- 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
- genusSargocentron Fowler, 1904
- speciesSargocentron coruscum (Poey, 1860)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sargocentron. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| crown squirrelfishSargocentron diadema (Lacepède, 1802) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sargocentron megalops Randall, 1998 | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| threespot squirrelfishSargocentron cornutum (Bleeker, 1854) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sargocentron dorsomaculatum (Shimizu & Yamakawa, 1979) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sargocentron hastatum (Cuvier, 1829) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| brownspot squirrelfishSargocentron praslin (Lacepède, 1802) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sargocentron suborbitale (Gill, 1863) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| violet squirrelfishSargocentron violaceum (Bleeker, 1853) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sargocentron ensifer (Jordan & Evermann, 1903) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sargocentron iota Randall, 1998 | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| silverspot squirrelfishSargocentron caudimaculatum (Rüppell, 1838) | HolocentridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sargocentron hormion Randall, 1998 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Holocentrum coruscum Poey, 1860 Poey, 1860 | synonym |
| Holocentrus coruscum Poey, 1860 Poey, 1860 | synonym |
| Holocentrus puncticulatus Barbour, 1905 Barbour, 1905 | synonym |
| Holocentrus coruscus Poey, 1860 Poey, 1860 | synonym |
| Holocentrus tortugae Jordan & Thompson, 1905 Jordan & Thompson, 1905 | synonym |
| Adioryx coruscus (Poey, 1860) (Poey, 1860) | synonym |
| Sargocentron coruscus (Poey, 1860) (Poey, 1860) | 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=272207 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.
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:79MMR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.