Common Name: Samurai Squirrelfish

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region: from the Red Sea and Natal, South Africa to the Marquesan Islands, north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, south to New South Wales. In Australia recorded from northern Queensland south to northern New South Wales.

Ecological Notes: Frequents offshore reef slopes, lagoons and rocky outcrops, where it is found in small caves and overhangs. Depth 5 – 70 m, usually below 16 m.

Additional Notes: Bright red with white stripes, the stripes and spaces between approximately equal in width. Dorsal fin red with white tips and white spots on the membrane of the lower part of the fin. The preopercular spine is thought to be venomous. A nocturnal species which feeds on benthic invertebrates. Similar S. diadema has thin silvery stripes and diffuse white patch over the caudal peduncle. Grows to 20 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.61.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=sargocentron+ittodai. Accessed 06/07/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Sargocentron-ittodai.html. Accessed 06/07/18.