Myripristis pralinia Cuvier, 1829
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by dark mark that ends abruptly midway on rear edge of gill cover; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 20 cm.
★★★
4 LATTICE SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis violacea Bleeker, 1851
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by bluish-silver colour and broad dark scale edges that give dusky appearance to upper sides; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 20 cm.
★★★
5 RED SOLDIERFISH
Myripristis vittata Valenciennes, 1831
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges, usually on outer slopes below about 20 m; distinguished by bright red-orange colour and white tips on dorsal spines; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 20 cm.
★★★
6 SMOOTH SQUIRRELFISH
Neoniphon argenteus (Valenciennes, 1831)
Inhabits coral reefs, frequently amongst branching corals; distinguished by mainly silver colour with faint spots forming longitudinal lines on side, and plain dorsal fin; offshore reefs of W.A. and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 25 cm.
★★
7 YELLOW-STRIPED SQUIRRELFISH
Neoniphon aurolineatus (Liénard, 1839)
Inhabits coral reefs, under ledges and amongst corals, usually below 40 m depth; distinguished by prominent yellow stripes on side; Great Barrier Reef; scattered localities in Indo-C. Pacific; to 22 cm.
★★
8 BLACK-FINNED SQUIRRELFISH
Neoniphon opercularis (Valenciennes, 1831)
Inhabits coral reefs, under ledges and amongst corals; distinguished by broad black band through anterior dorsal fin; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 24 cm.
★★
9 ROUGH-SCALED SOLDIERFISH
Plectrypops lima (Valenciennes, 1831)
Inhabits coral reefs, a cryptic species that hides in deep recesses during the day and rarely ventures far from caves at night; differs from other soldierfishes in having 12 instead of 11 dorsal spines; has stocky body shape similar to 14 below, but lacks spine at lower corner of cheek; Great Barrier Reef and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 16 cm.
★★
10 TAILSPOT SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron caudimaculatum (Ruppell, 1838)
Inhabits coral reefs, frequently in caves and under ledges, but often seen in the open; distinguished by silvery-white spot behind dorsal fin base or entire rear part of fish silvery white; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 21 cm.
★★
11 THREESPOT SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron cornutum (Bleeker, 1853)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; similar black marks at base of caudal, dorsal, and anal fins as 15 below, but lacks yellow colour on body and has black submarginal band on dorsal fin; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, and Solomon Islands; to 17 cm.
★★
12 SAMURAI SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron ittodai (Jordan & Fowler, 1903)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges in 5-70 m depth; a red-striped squirrelfish lacking distinguishing marks, but dorsal fin is largely red with white “windows” across the middle; Great Barrier Reef and widely scattered localities in the Indo-W. Pacific; to 17 cm.
★★
13 PINK SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron tiereoides (Bleeker, 1853)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by silvery-pink stripes between red stripes on side of body, dorsal fin red with white tips; Great Barrier Reef and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 16 cm.
14 SANDPAPER SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron lepros (Allen & Cross, 1983)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges in 15-45 m depth; distinguished by stocky body shape, similar to 9 above, but has sharp spine on lower edge of cheek; offshore reefs of W.A. and scattered localities in E. Indian Ocean; to 7 cm.
★★
15 BLACKSPOT SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron melanospilos (Bleeker, 1858)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by yellow coloration and three black spots at bases of soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins; often misidentified as S. cornutum; Great Barrier Reef and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 25 cm.
★★
16 SMALLMOUTH SQUIRRELFISH
Sargocentron microstoma (Gunther, 1859)
Inhabits coral reef caves and ledges; distinguished by slender body, very long third anal spine, and alternating white and red stripes; Great Barrier Reef, offshore reefs of W.A., and throughout S.E. Asia; Indo-C. Pacific; to 19 cm.
★★
NIGHT SHIFT
By day the coral reef is literally a beehive of activity. Fishes of every description swarm over the reef. Keen observers with a mask and snorkel can effortlessly watch the fascinating drama of undersea life as the occupants of the reef engage in their daily activities. But what happens to the fishes at night? Most retire to the safety of a cave or crevice at dusk - but as darkness descends squirrelfishes (Plates 14-15), cardinalfishes (Plates 31-36) and other members of the night shift become active.
PLATE 16: KNIGHT FISHES, DORIES, FLUTEMOUTHS, ETC.
1 KNIGHT FISH
Cleidopus gloriamaris De Vis, 1882
Inhabits coastal reefs, usually in caves or under ledges; similar to 2 below, but has very conspicuous light-producing organ on each side of lower jaw (appearing as orange spot in daylight or a blue-green one at night), and scales are more strongly outlined by dark colouration; also known as Pineapple fish; Australia
