Silverspot squirrelfish
Sargocentron caudimaculatum
- Usual depth6–24 m
- Water temperature23–30 °C
- Best monthsApril, May, and June
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Sargocentron caudimaculatum, the silverspot squirrelfish or whitetail squirrelfish, is a reef-associated member of the family Holocentridae. It is native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans from East Africa to Japan and northern Australia and as far east as the Marshall Islands. It lives near reefs, but can also be found in lagoons and drop-offs at depths between 2 and 40 metres. It is a nocturnal predator, feeding primarily on crabs and shrimps. It can reach sizes of up to 25.0 centimetres (9.8 in) TL. Although it is caught commercially and can be found in the aquarium trade, there are no known major threats to this species.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Sargocentron caudimaculatum”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 164 records
- February: 212 records
- March: 253 records
- April: 497 records
- May: 409 records
- June: 376 records
- July: 231 records
- August: 194 records
- September: 251 records
- October: 292 records
- November: 210 records
- December: 116 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 6–24 m · Deepest record: 878 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C
Photos
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) libby hepburn, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ben Costamagna, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Thibaud Aronson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Jono, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Silverspot squirrelfish, Fanfin Soldier, silverspot squirrelfish, spottailed soldierfish, Tail-spot Squirrelfish, White-tail Squirrelfish, Whitetail Squirrelfish, Silverspot squirrelfish
Names in 4 more languages
- Spanish
- Candil Platero
- French
- Écureuil Tahitien, Marignan Rouge et Argent, Marignan rouge et argent, Écureuil tahitien, Poisson écureuil à queue blanche, Soldat à Queue Blanche
- Japanese
- Kurakakeebisu, クラカケエビス
- Simplified Chinese
- 尾斑棘鱗魚, 尾斑棘鳞鱼, 瀾公妾, 金鱗甲, 鐵甲兵, 鐵線婆
Other scientific names: Adioryx andamanensis, Adioryx caudimaculatus, Holocentrum andamanense, Holocentrum leonoides, Holocentrus andamanensis, Holocentrus caudimaculatus, Holocentrus rubellio, Sargocentron caudimaculatus, Sargocentron caudomaculatum, Sargocentron caudomaculatus
Similar species
Crown squirrelfishSargocentron diadema
Japanese soldierfishSargocentron ittodai
Smallmouth squirrelfishSargocentron microstoma
Speckled squirrelfishSargocentron punctatissimum
RedcoatSargocentron rubrum
Sabre squirrelfishSargocentron spiniferum
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 2,986 open-data records from 1838 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 30, 2026.
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