Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips

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Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Haemulidae
Genus: Plectorhinchus
Species:
P. vittatus
Binomial name
Plectorhinchus vittatus
Synonyms[2]
  • Perca vittata Linnaeus, 1758
  • Anthias orientalis Bloch, 1793
  • Gaterin orientalis (Bloch, 1793)
  • Plectorhinchus orientalis (Bloch, 1793)
  • Bodianus cuvier J. W. Bennett, 1829

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips (Plectorhinchus vittatus), also known as the oriental sweetlips or oriental blubberlips, is a

grunts. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean
.

Description

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips has fleshy lips which become greatly swollen as the fish ages. There are 6 pores on its chin but there is no median pit.

total length of 72 cm (28 in).[2]

Distribution

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips is found in the Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from East Africa from Djibouti to South Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles and Mascarene Islands, the Gulf of Mannar in India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands east to Micronesia, Samoa, the Society Islands and Guam. It can alsdo be found from Western Australia to Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia.[1]

Habitat and biology

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips inhabits shallow, coastal coral reefs, lagoons and seaward reefs at depths of 2 to 25 m (6 ft 7 in to 82 ft 0 in). It is found singly or in small aggregations and is tends to be nocturnal. The juveniles may be found in tidepools and in beds of

sea grass.[1] It forages at night feeding on small invertebrates such crustaceans, gastropods or annelids, as well as smaller fishes.[5] It is an oviparous species which spawns as distinct pairs.[2]

Systematics

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips was first formally

type locality given.[6] The specific name, vittatus means "banded", a reference to the bold striped pattern of adults.[7] Some authorities regard Bloch's Plectorhinchus orientalis'' as a separate species rather than a synonym of P. vittatus.[1]

Utilisation

The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips is caught by fisheries in much of its range, and is caught using hand nets and by

spear fishing and the catch is sold fresh or a small amount of it is preserved as salted fish.[3] It is being trialled for aquaculture.[1] It is an infrequently traded species in the aquarium trade.[5]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plectorhinchus vittatus.
Wikispecies has information related to Plectorhinchus vittatus.
  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T82308861A82308865.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Plectorhinchus vittatus" in FishBase. February 2021 version.
  3. ^ a b c R.J. MacKay (2001). "Haemulidae". In Carpenter, K.E. & Neim, Volker H. (eds.). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific Volume 5: Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae) (PDF). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO Rome. p. 2979.
  4. ^ Dianne J. Bray. "Plectorhinchus vittatus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Plectorhinchus vittatus". Saltcorner!. Bob Goemans. 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Plectorhinchus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (5 January 2021). "Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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