About Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskål, 1775)
Sargocentron rubrum, commonly called the redcoat, belongs to the family Holocentridae in the order Beryciformes. As a type of squirrelfish, it shares the group’s general traits: squirrelfish are typically large, active, nocturnal fish that are usually red in color. This species occurs across the wide Indo-Pacific region, stretching from the Red Sea to the West Pacific. In the West Pacific, its range extends from southern Japan to New Caledonia, New South Wales (Australia), and has recently been recorded in Tonga. It has been observed in the Levantine waters of the Mediterranean Sea since the mid-20th century, after entering through the Suez Canal, and is now very common throughout the entire eastern Mediterranean Basin.
