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Squirrel-fish; Candil
This fish frequents rocks and reefs throughout the West Indies and is especially abundant in Cuba. It is common about Porto Rico where it attracts at once by reason of its brilliant colouration and the excessive sharpness and completeness of its armature. It is a beautiful fish, reaching a length of 1 to 2 feet, not much valued as food, but often seen in the markets. It occurs as far north as Florida and has been taken at St. Helena.
Head 3 1/10; depth 3 1/3; eye 2 4/5; snout 4; maxillary 2 1/3; mandible 2; interorbital 2 in eye; D. XI, 15; A. IV, 10; scales 4-48-7, 6 before dorsal; coeca 25; vertebrae 11+16. Body considerably compressed, back moderately elevated. Colour, bright rosy-red, paler below; shining longitudinal streaks along rows of scales; fins light red; spinous dorsal largely golden-olive, the edge scarlet; head very red above, a white bar downward and backward from eye; colours all fading in alcohol.
In the Bahamas is found subspecies rufus, in which the preopercular spine reaches about to root of pectoral.
GENUS FLAMMEO JORDAN & EVERMANN
This genus is distinguished from Holocentrus by the very large mouth and projecting lower jaw which is more than half the head in length. The single known species is the marian, F. marianus, which is found only about Cuba. It is of little importance as a food-fish.
The genus Plectrypops differs from Holocentrus chiefly in having the preopercle armed with 3 strong teeth which are curved forward. The single species (P. retrospinis) is known only from Cuba.
About the coral reefs of the Hawaiian Islands are many different species of squirrel-fishes, all exceedingly brilliant in colouration. In the language of the natives they are called "aleihi." All of the species are more or less red, some being solid red, others red with narrow longitudinal stripes of yellow or white, and others with the fins rich lemon yellow edged more or less with red.