Neoniphon pencei | |
---|---|
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Beryciformes |
Family: | Holocentridae |
Genus: | Neoniphon |
Species: | N. pencei |
Binomial name | |
Neoniphon pencei | |
Neoniphon pencei, or Pence's squirrelfish, is a species of squirrelfish found in the Pacific Ocean in Rarotonga, Cook Islands and Mo'orea, French Polynesia. [1] It differs from other species of the genus Neoniphon in number of lateral line scales, scales above and below lateral line, elements of life colour, and in COI and cytochrome b DNA sequences. [2]
The fish is named in honor of David F. Pence, the Dive Safety Officer for the University of Hawai‘i, and a member of the deep-diving team that not only discovered this species, but was able to collect the type specimens. [1]