reef squirrelfish
Neoniphon coruscum · Holocentridae · predator
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
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the reef squirrelfish
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.
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.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: