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Giant Squirrelfish
Ostichthys japonicus (Cuvier, 1829)
Above and below: A 23 cm long Giant Squirrelfish caught on hook and line by M. Sanders at a depth of 95 m, east of Terrigal, New South Wales, February 2005 (AMS I.43523-001). Photo © H. Dorahy. View larger image.
Head of the fish in the top image. Note the wide gap between the bones of the snout above the upper lip. Photo © H. Dorahy. View larger image.
A 24 cm long Giant Squirrelfish trawled by the FV Imlay at a depth of 100m, Star Banks, off Mallacoota, Victoria (AMS I.40493-001). View larger image.
The Giant Squirrelfish can be recognised by a combination of characters that include its red colouration, deep body, large eyes and robust ctenoid scales. It lacks a strong preopercular spine.
When viewed from above there is a broad V-shaped gap between the bones of the snout. This is the premaxillary groove (see middle image).
The Giant Squirrelfish lives in deep marine waters (90 m to 194 m) and is sometimes caught by anglers and trawlers. It is known from scattered localities around the Indo-West Pacific.
In Australia it is found on the north-west shelf of Western Australian and off central New South Wales to eastern Victoria.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
This species has also been called the Japanese Soldierfish and Japanese Squirrelfish.
A second species of Ostichthys, O. kaianus is also recorded from Australian waters. It can be separated from O. japonicus by the number of scales along a straight line between the lateral line and the middle of the spiny dorsal fin (2.5 versus 3.5 in O. japonicus). O. kaianus also has an Indo-West Pacific distribution, but in Australia is only known from off the north-west shelf of Western Australia.
Further reading
- Gloerfelt-Tarp, T & P.J. Kailola. 1984. Trawled Fishes of southern Indonesia and north-western Australia. Jakarta: Directorate General of Fisheries (Indonesia), German Agency for Technical Cooperation, Australian Development Assistance Bureau. Pp. 406.
- Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen & J.E. Hanley. 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Vol.7 Pisces Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Survey. Pp. i-xii, 1-665.
- Randall, J.E. & D.W. Greenfield. 1999. Holocentridae: Squirrelfishes (soldierfishes). in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (eds) FAO species identification guide for Fishery purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 4. FAO Pp. 2225-2256.
- Randall, J.E., Shimizu, T & T. Yamakawa. 1982. A Revision of the Holocentrid Fish Genus Ostichthys, with Descriptions of Four New Species and a Related New Genus. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology. 29(1): 1-26, pl. 1-2.
