Sealife guideThe blackbar soldierfishMyripristis jacobus
Last updated on 06/10/2024 at 11:44 PM
Taxonomy
- Common name: Blackbar soldierfish
- French name: Marignan mombin ou poisson soldat à barre noire
- Spanish name: Candil colorado,soldado raya negra
- Scientific name: Myripristis jacobus (Cuvier, 1829)
- Family name: Holocentridae
- Order name: Holocentriformes
- Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The blackbar soldierfish has a predominantly red body with a broad, oblique black bar at the back of its head, making it easy to recognize. The red color lightens on its belly.
The edges of its fins, including the tail, are white
The soldierfish is a medium-sized species, averaging around 15 centimeters in length.
Geographic range
The blackbar soldierfish is found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat
The blackbar soldierfish is found in the shallow waters of coral reefs as well as in offshore waters to a depth of around 90 meters.
This species lives mainly in shoals, which can easily number in the hundreds.
Diet
The blackbar soldierfish mainly hunts at night, moving very little during the day, when it takes shelter under rocky overhangs and crevices.
Did you know ?
The blackbar soldierfish is listed as many other marine species within The
IUCN Red List of threatened species. The blackbar soldierfish appears in the
IUCN Red List since 2015 within the category Least Concern !
The blackbar soldierfish lives mainly in shoals whose numbers can easily reach a hundred or so individuals. ©
Tim Gurney |
Dreamstime.comWithin the same genus
Pinecone soldierfish
(Myripristis murdjan)
Scarlet soldierfish
(Myripristis pralinia)
Shadowfin soldierfish
(Myripristis adusta)
Within the same family
Blackspot squirrelfish
(Sargocentron melanospilos)
Clearfin squirrelfish
(Neoniphon argenteus)
Longspine squirrelfish
(Holocentrus rufus)
Redcoat
(Sargocentron rubrum)
Sabre squirrelfish
(Sargocentron spiniferum)
Sammara squirrelfish
(Neoniphon sammara)
Squirrelfish
(Holocentrus adscensionis)
Violet squirrelfish
(Sargocentron violaceum)
Discover also
Bleeker's damsel
(Chrysiptera bleekeri)
Darkfin hind
(Cephalopholis urodeta)
False leopard wrasse
(Macropharyngodon ornatus)
Goldback damselfish
(Pomacentrus nigromanus)
Humbug damselfish
(Dascyllus aruanus)
Northern stargazer
(Astroscopus guttatus)
Red grouper
(Epinephelus morio)
Yellow lemonpeel angelfish
(Pomacanthus navarchus)
The marine species in the Caribbean
Atlantic tarpon
(Megalops atlanticus)
Elkhorn coral
(Acropora palmata)
Giant caribbean anemone
(Condylactis gigantea)
Hawksbill sea turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)
Longspined porcupinefish
(Diodon holocanthus)
Mutton snapper
(Lutjanus analis)
Spotted spiny lobster
(Panulirus guttatus)
Staghorn coral
(Acropora cervicornis)
Dive centers
'Les Ilets' dive center
Noa dive center
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