speckled squirrelfish
Sargocentron punctatissimum (Cuvier, 1829)
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
Sargocentron punctatissimum is a species of fish related to the squirrelfish. It can be found in the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, South Africa and the Hawaiian and Easter Islands. It is commonly referred to as the peppered squirrelfish. It was first discovered and recorded by Georges Cuvier in 1829 as Holocentrum punctatissimum. Cuvier first documented the specimen from Strong Island of the Caroline Islands during his La Coquille expedition from 1822 - 1825.
Wikipedia contributors, Sargocentron punctatissimum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:52:27.061153+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sargocentron punctatissimum (Cuvier, 1829)
- Name authority
- (Cuvier, 1829)
- Common name
- speckled 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 punctatissimum (Cuvier, 1829)
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 |
| reef squirrelfishSargocentron coruscum (Poey, 1860) | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Holocenthrus gracilispinis Fowler, 1904 Fowler, 1904 | synonym |
| Holocentrum lacteoguttatum Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Holocentrum punctatissimum Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Holocentrus laeteoguttatus Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Adioryx lacteoguttatus (Cuvier, 1829) (Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Holocenthrus gladispinis Fowler, 1904 Fowler, 1904 | synonym |
| Sargocentron lacteoguttatum (Cuvier, 1829) (Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Faremusca lacteoguttata termastigma Fowler, 1946 Fowler, 1946 | synonym |
| Holocentrus lacteoguttatus Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Holocentrum diploxiphus Günther, 1872 Günther, 1872 | synonym |
| Holocentrum lacteo-guttatum Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Sargocentron punctatissimus (Cuvier, 1829) (Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Sargocentron lacteoguttatus (Cuvier, 1829) (Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Holocentrus lacteoguttatum (Cuvier, 1829) (Cuvier, 1829) | 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=217941 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:79MPK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.