Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

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Species: Holocentrus adscensionis, Ascension squirrelfish, the squirrelfish

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spiny D yellow, no white spots

Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765)

Squirrelfish

Body oblong, slender, compressed; head pointed; eyes large; bones on head serrated and spiny; mouth large, at front; lower gill rakers 15-18; preopercle with an angular corner bearing a large, long spine; a large spine at top corner of operculum; XI dorsal spines, 14-16 rays, no gap after last spine, front soft rays elongated; anal fin III-IV, 10; pelvics I, 7; tail base long and slender; tail fin deeply forked, with pointed tips, upper lobe distinctly longer than lower lobe; body scales very spiny;47-49 (45-51) pored lateral line scales.

Upper head and body pink, sometimes a white blotch on rear back; lower parts, and tail base white; spiny dorsal yellowish, without white blotches behind spine tips; soft dorsal, tail, anal, pelvic and pectoral fins pinkish white.

Reaches 45 cm.

Reef habitats.

Depth range: 1-240 m.

Both sides of the Atlantic and the central Atlantic; Chesapeake Bay to Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine Only
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Reef only
  • Rocks
  • Corals
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
  • All species.
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends North of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Extends South of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Also in Brazil
  • All species..
  • Island (s)
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 45
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 240