Sargocentron melanospilos
A rare reef find in Okinawa's Ryukyu Islands, this red squirrelfish hides in crevices in 25-29C water year-round.
A reddish body striped with thin silver-white lines gives this squirrelfish the classic look of its family, but the giveaway mark is the black blotch sitting at the base of the soft dorsal fin. Large, dark, glassy eyes take up a good portion of the head, an adaptation for its nocturnal habits. At around 18 cm it is a compact, spiny-finned fish, usually spotted hovering near a hole or overhang rather than out in the open.
Expect to find this one wedged into a crevice, under a ledge, or hovering in the shadow of an overhang rather than cruising open water, consistent with its nocturnal, shelter-loving habits. Divers report it as a rare find even at the one site where it has been logged, so a slow look into holes and cracks improves your odds. It tends to hold its position rather than bolt, giving a patient diver a decent look before it retreats deeper into cover.
Like other squirrelfish, its oversized eyes are built for low-light foraging, meaning most of its active feeding happens at night while it shelters by day, which is exactly when divers tend to spot it tucked away rather than out hunting.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the sighting data, and the observed water temperature range of 24.8 to 28.9C spans most of the year on Okinawan reefs, so it is reasonable to treat this as a year-round sighting rather than a seasonal one.
Logged sightings currently trace back to Japan, specifically the Okinawa & Ryukyu Islands, where it turns up on reef sites tucked into crevices and ledges. Data coverage is thin so far, but this region is the confirmed place to look for it.
Mapping where Blackspot Squirrelfish is logged…
The strongest confirmed sightings come from Japan's Okinawa & Ryukyu Islands, where it has been logged on reef sites with crevices and ledges to hide in. Data outside this region is currently limited.
There is no detected seasonal spike in sightings, and its comfortable water temperature range of roughly 25 to 29C holds through most of the year in Okinawa, so it is best treated as a year-round possibility rather than a seasonal target.
Look for a reddish body with thin silver stripes, big dark eyes, and a distinct black spot at the base of the soft dorsal fin. It is usually seen peering out from a crevice or ledge rather than swimming in open water.
They typically reach around 18 cm, a compact size that fits neatly into small reef crevices and overhangs where they shelter during the day.
Yes, current sighting data marks it as rare even at the one known site where it has been recorded, so spotting one is a matter of checking crevices and ledges closely rather than expecting an easy find.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Soldierfish
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