Holocentrus rufus
Longspine squirrelfish
Holocentrus rufus, Florida Keys, USA, Photo: Graham Edgar
Holocentrus rufus, Turks & Caicos, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Holocentrus rufus, San Andres, Colombia, Photo: Graham Edgar
Holocentrus rufus, Bonaire, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean
Description
Slender body, bright red, sometimes with stripes or blotches. Long golden rear dorsal fin, and white blotches near margin of spinous dorsal fin membrane distinguish from similar H. adcensionis. A nocturnal species found near caves and crevices during the day, moving out over sandflats and seagrass beds to feed at night.
Information
Max Size: 35 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 23.1-30.6°C
Depth: 0-32m
Habitat Generalization Index: 15.34
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Common (40.8% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (3 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Ian Shaw