Species: Holocentrus rufus, Longspine Squirrelfish

Holocentrus rufus (Walbaum, 1792)

Longspine 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; 51-54 (50-57) pored lateral line scales.

Head and body red; tail base and tail fin yellowish white; spiny dorsal reddish, with a prominent white triangular blotch behind each spine tip; soft dorsal, anal, pelvic and pectoral fins reddish.

Reaches 44 cm.

Reef habitats.

Depth range: 1-330 m.

N Carolina to the S Caribbean, also in Brazil.