Threespot squirrelfish
Sargocentron cornutum
- Usual depth1–22 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Best monthsApril, May, and July
- How commonRare
Photo credit: no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
About this species
Sargocentron cornutum, the threespot squirrelfish, is a member of the family Holocentridae native to the western Pacific Ocean from Indonesia to the Great Barrier Reef. It lives in coral reefs and drop-offs between depths of 6–40 m (20–131 ft). It is a nocturnal predator, feeding on crabs and shrimps by night and hiding under ledges or in caves by day. It can reach sizes of up to 27.0 cm (10.6 in) TL and has a venomous preopercle.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Sargocentron cornutum”, 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: 9 records
- February: 2 records
- March: 17 records
- April: 21 records
- May: 30 records
- June: 10 records
- July: 23 records
- August: 12 records
- September: 19 records
- October: 10 records
- November: 20 records
- December: 13 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–22 m · Deepest record: 45.7 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C
Photos
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ditch Townsend, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ben Costamagna, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Threespot squirrelfish, Horned Squirrel-fish, Horned Squirrelfish, Red And White Soldierfish, Red-striped Squirrelfish, Tail-spot Squirrelfish, threespot squirrelfish, Three-spot Squirrelfish
Names in 2 more languages
- French
- Ecureuil à taches noires, Écureuil à taches noires
- Simplified Chinese
- 瀾公妾, 角棘鱗魚, 角棘鳞鱼, 金鱗甲, 鐵甲兵, 鐵線婆, 點鰭棘鱗魚
Other scientific names: Holocentrum cornutum, Holocentrus cornutum, Holocentrus cornutus, Sargocentrum cornutum
Similar species
- Silverspot squirrelfish
Sargocentron caudimaculatum
- Crown squirrelfish
Sargocentron diadema
- Japanese soldierfish
Sargocentron ittodai
- Smallmouth squirrelfish
Sargocentron microstoma
- Speckled squirrelfish
Sargocentron punctatissimum
- Redcoat
Sargocentron rubrum
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).
- 228 open-data records from 1854 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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