Blackbar Soldierfish

Myripristis jacobus is a soldierfish from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

Description

Body is reddish above, paling to silvery below. Spinous dorsal fin is with red and white markings. Edges of all fins are white. Preopercular spine is not prominent. Lobes of caudal, soft dorsal and anal fins sre pointed. It grows to a size of 25 cm in length.

Distribution

Myripitis jacobus is recorded to be found in the Western Atlantic, Bahamas, Northern Gulf of Mexico, West Indies, the Caribbean Sea, Cape Verde, Principe, Ascension, and St. Helena islands.

Habitat and biology

Myripristis jacobus can be located in a marine environment within a subtropical climate. They live in reef-associated waters. The biology of this species states that they can be found in coral reefs within deep waters. They are a nocturnal species. They mainly eat plankton. This species is occasionally marketed, but it is not popularly bought as a fish to eat. This species is also found swimming upside-down at times.