reef squirrelfish
Neoniphon coruscum
A small squirrelfish of shallow reefs, with alternating red and silver stripes and nocturnal habits. Little sought by anglers.
Also called: mariquita-listrada, candil rayado, carajuelo de arrecife, reef squirrelfish
- maximum
- 15 cm
- depth
- 1–30 m
who is the reef squirrelfish
A fish of the family Holocentridae, reaching 15 cm. It occurs in the western Atlantic, from Bermuda and Florida to northern South America, with records from the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. It lives on shallow coral reefs and nearby sand and rock bottoms, 1 to 30 m deep. It is nocturnal and hides at the bottom of crevices among living coral branches. In fishing it has commercial use, but the fish is small and rarely sought.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the reef squirrelfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- When threatened, the species hides in crevices among living coral branches.
identification
A slender body with compressed sides. It has alternating red and silver stripes on the body, with wider dark bands between the pale stripes. The spiny dorsal fin is red, with white tips and a large black spot between the first spines. The snout spines are very obvious. Anyone who knows the squirrelfish (Holocentrus adscensionis) will notice the difference: that one is dull red or pink and has no striped body.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Western Atlantic, from Bermuda and Florida to northern South America, with records from the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela.
Habitat: Shallow coral reefs and nearby sand and rock bottoms, 1 to 30 m deep.
when to fish
best time of day
Nighttime. A nocturnal and secretive species that takes shelter at the bottom of crevices among living coral branches.
rules for the reef squirrelfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It has sharp spines on the snout and dorsal fin, so handle with care. There are reports of ciguatera, so avoid eating specimens of doubtful origin.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01479, b = 2.97; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Neoniphon coruscum (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Neoniphon coruscumNames by country and language.
