---
title: Pinecone fishes (Monocentridae)
scientific_name: Monocentridae
common_name: Pinecone fishes
rank: Family
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-03T21:08:52.164Z
tags: Pinecone fishes, Monocentridae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/pinecone-fishes
---

# Pinecone fishes (*Monocentridae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Family
- **Scientific name:** Monocentridae
- **Body shape:** Oval - Egg-shaped body, deeper than it is thick - damselfishes, surgeonfishes.
- **Species listed here:** 1

## How to recognise this group

- compact, oval body with a rigid appearance
- body covered in large, stiff, spiny scales
- scales forming a distinctive pinecone-like pattern
- pair of glowing light organs on lower jaw

Pinecone fishes (Monocentridae) are small, compact marine fishes with distinctive heavily armoured bodies, typically growing up to 15 cm (6 in). Their deep, oval-shaped bodies are covered in large, stiff, spiny scales that give them a rugged texture, resembling a pinecone, from which they derive their common name. Most species display yellow to orange-brown colouration, often with dark margins on each scale. A prominent pair of bioluminescent organs is located on their lower jaw.

These organs house symbiotic bacteria that produce a glow, used by the fish to attract prey in dark environments. Pinecone fishes are primarily nocturnal, feeding on small crustaceans. They inhabit deeper reef slopes, caves, and crevices, typically below 20 m (65 ft) and reaching depths of 200 m (650 ft). Generally cryptic, they are infrequently encountered by divers due to their preference for deep, nocturnal habitats.


## Species (1)

- [Pineconefish (Monocentris japonica)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/pinecone-fishes/pineconefish)

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/pinecone-fishes)*
*Updated: August 3, 2026*