Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis

Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, February 2023. Length: 11 cm (4.3 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis. Fish caught off the beach at  Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, November 2015. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Smaller 5.0 cm (2.0 inch) juveniles are readily available from tidal pools at low tide in the same general area.

Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands  (worldangler.eu).

Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis. Fish caught off the beach at  Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, March 2016. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Noteworthy is the fairly long spine that extends from the gill cover that can been seen in the above photograph; that spine will instantly cut human fingers to shreds while inflicting great pain.

Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis. Fish caught off the beach at  Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, April 2020. Length: 17 cm (6.7 inches).

Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis. Fish caught from coastal waters of San José del Cabo Rió, Baja California Sur, April 2022. Length: 17 cm (6.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Tinsel Squirrelfish, Neoniphon suborbitalis, is a member of the Squirrelfish or Holocentridae Family, and is known in Mexico as candil sol. This species has recently been reclassified from the genus Sargocentron to the genus Neoniphon. Globally, there are twelve species in the genus Neoniphon, of which three are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean.

The Tinsel Squirrelfish have ovate fusiform compressed bodies with a depth that is 35% to 37% of standard length. Their head and upper body are silvery with a violet hue and their scale margins are dark and more prominent dorsally. They have a white line under their eyes and along the front of their gill cover. Their head has a pointed snout, very large eyes, and a small oblique mouth that extends to the front of the eyes. Their gill covers have 2 or 3 spines; 1 being long and stout and located at the lower rear corner and 1 or 2 on the edge. Their anal fin has 4 spines, with the third being long and stout, and 9 rays; their caudal fin is forked; their first dorsal fin has 11 spines; their second dorsal fin has 13 to 14 rays; and, their pelvic fins have 7 rays. They are covered with large rough scales.

The Tinsel Squirrelfish is found in and around shallow coral reefs and rocky structures from the surge zone to depths up to 24 m (80 feet). They reach a maximum 25 cm (10 inches) in length. They are generally solitary and nocturnal, hiding in crevices and caves during the daytime and emerging at night to hunt small crustaceans. Reproduction is believed to involve batch spawning, with each female releasing eggs in open water that are fertilized externally; the pelagic eggs and larvae settle out in several weeks. The Tinsel Squirrelfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Tinsel Squirrelfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found in the lower two-thirds of the Sea of Cortez and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala. They are absent from the Pacific side of the Baja.

The Tinsel Squirrelfish is most likely confused with the Panamic Soldierfish, Myripristis leiognathus (red color; larger eyes; lacking elongated third anal spine).

From a conservation perspective the Tinsel Squirrelfish has not been formally evaluated. The are small in stature, dangerous to handle, and of limited interest to all but subsistence fishermen who retain them for food.

A word of caution! The Tinsel Squirrelfish is perhaps the animal with the best self-protection on the globe. It is armed with razor sharp dorsal fins which most anglers are not prepared for. It also has a massive spike as its third anal ray and truly lethal spines on its gill covers and on the lower rear corner of its cheeks. If you get gaffed by this fish the blood will immediately gush from the wound and the pain will be intense and last for perhaps six hours.