Blackspot squirrelfish
Sargocentron melanospilos
- Usual depth2–26 m
- Water temperature24–29 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, May, and November
- How commonRare
About this species
Sargocentron melanospilos, the blackbotch squirrelfish, is a species of squirrelfish in the genus of Sargocentron. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region in the Red Sea; Zanzibar, Tanzania; from Aldabra and Seychelles to the Marshall Islands and American Samoa; north to Taiwan, southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, and south to the southern Great Barrier Reef and the Chesterfield Islands. It is a relatively uncommon inhabitant of rocky reefs and coral-rich areas, and is usually seen solitary, but it also forms schools when in deeper water or oceanic areas.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Sargocentron melanospilos”, 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: 5 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 2 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 6 records
- June: 2 records
- July: 4 records
- August: 4 records
- September: 1 records
- October: 3 records
- November: 5 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 2–26 m · Deepest record: 51 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Blackspot squirrelfish, Blackblotch squirrelfish, blackspot squirrelfish, Three-spot Squirrelfish
Names in 2 more languages
- French
- Beauclaire, Beauclaire, Gros oeil, Lanterne, Écureuil à points noirs, Gros Oeil, Lanterne
- Japanese
- Sumitsukikanoko, スミツキカノコ
Other scientific names: Holocentrum melanospilos, Sargocentron melanospilus
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).
- 142 open-data records from 1858 to 2018.
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