Lethrinus variegatus

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Lethrinus variegatus
Lethrinus variegatus JNC2077.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Spariformes
Family: Lethrinidae
Genus: Lethrinus
Species:
L. variegatus
Binomial name
Lethrinus variegatus
Synonyms [2]
  • Lethrinella variegata (Valenciennes, 1830)
  • Lethrinella variegatus (Valenciennes, 1830)
  • Lethrinus latifrons Rüppell, 1838

Lethrinus variegatus, the slender emperor or variegated emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This fish has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

Contents

Taxonomy

Lethrinus variegatus was first formally described in 1830 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with its type locality given as Massawa in Eritrea. [3] Some authors place the genus Lethrinus in the monotypic subfamily Lethrininae, with all the other genera of Lethrinidae placed in the Monotaxinae, however, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise the subfamilies traditionally accepted within the family Lethrinidae as valid. The family Lethrinidae is classified by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World as belonging to the order Spariformes. [4]

Etymology

Lethrinus variegatus has the specific name vatiegatus which means "vaiegated", Valenciennes did not explains this but it may be an allusion to the varied pattern of black spots on the flanks. [5]

Description

Lethrinus variegatus has 10 spines and 9 soft rays supporting its dorsal fin while its anal fin is supported by 2 spines and 8 soft rays. [2] The depth of its body its into its standard length 3.9 times. The area between the eyes is either flat or slightly humped. There are no scales on the inner surface of the axilla of the pectoral fins. [6] The overall colour of the body is brown and grey, paler on the lower body, with a scattering of irregular dark spots. There are frequently two dark bars underneath the eye, one extending to the leower margin of the preoperculum and the other to the corner of the mouth. A further dark band runs across the space between the eyes. The fins, other then the caudal fin which has light and dark stripes, are pale or transluscent. [7] This species has a maximum published total length of 20 cm (7.9 in). [2]

Distribution and habitat

Lethrinus variegatus has a wide distribution in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. It is found along the eastern coast of Africa from the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba south to Sodwana Bay in South Africa, in the Comoro Islands, Syechelles, Madagascar, the Chagos Islands, southern India and Sri Lanka, east around the Malay Archipelago into the Pacific Ocean where it is found as far north as the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia and New Caledonia and east to Tonga. [1] The slender emperors lives in sandy and weedy areas close to coral reefs, singly or in small schools. The juveniles can be very numerous in shallow weedy areas. [2]

Biology

Lethrinus variegatus uses its camouflage to hide within its habitat. It preys on small benthic invertebrates. The variegated emperor is a protogynous hermaphrodite. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lethrinidae</span> Family of fishes

Lethrinidae are a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes commonly known as emperors, emperor breams, and pigface breams.

<i>Lethrinus miniatus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus miniatus, the trumpet emperor, redthroat emperor, sweetlip emperor, island snapper, yellowmouth perch, yellowmouth snapper, lipper or nannygal, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found the eastern Indo-West Pacific region.

<i>Lethrinus laticaudis</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus laticaudis, the grass emperor, blue-lined emperor, blue-spotted emperor, brown kelp-fish, brown morwong, brown sweetlip, coral bream, grass sweetlip, grey sweetlip, piggy, red throat, red-finned emperor, snapper bream, squire, sweet-lips or tricky snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This fish is found in the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

<i>Monotaxis grandoculis</i> Species of fish

Monotaxis grandoculis, the humpnose big-eye bream, bigeye barenose, bigeye bream, bigeye emperor, grand-eyed porgy fish, humpnose sea-bream, large-eye bream,mu and roundtooth large-eye bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean.

<i>Gymnocranius audleyi</i> Species of fish

Gymnocranius audleyi, the collared large-eye bream, collar bream, bastard bream, coral bream, iodine bream, pale-faced bream or sand snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Gnathodentex</i> Genus of fishes

Gnathodentex is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors or emperor breams. It is a monotypic genus, containing a single species, the goldspot seabream, also known as the striped large-eye bream. This taxon has a wide distribution in Indo-West Pacific region.

<i>Gymnocranius</i> Genus of fishes

Gymnocranius is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. These fishes are found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Lethrinus</i> Genus of fishes

Lethrinus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. These fishes are mostly found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, with a single species in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Wattsia is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the familyLethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. The only species in the genus is Wattsa mossambica, the Mozambique large-eye bream or Mozambique sea bream of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

<i>Lethrinus olivaceus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus olivaceus, common name longface emperor or long-nosed emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors or emperor breams. This species has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

<i>Lethrinus obsoletus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus obsoletus, the orange-striped emperor, yellow-banded emperor or yellowstripe emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors or emperor breams. This species has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

<i>Lethrinus erythracanthus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus erythracanthus, the orange-spotted emperor, orangefin emperor, and yellow-spotted emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family Lethrinidae. the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Lethrinus harak</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus harak, the thumbprint emperorblackblotch emperor or blackspot emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family Lethrinidae. the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Lethrinus microdon</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus microdon, the smalltooth emperor, longface emperor or pigface bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species has a widespread distribution in the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Lethrinus atlanticus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus atlanticus, the Atlantic emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of western Africa.

<i>Gymnocranius griseus</i> Species of fish

Gymnocranius griseus, the grey large-eye bream, barred large-eye bream, grey emperor, grey seabream and naked-head seabream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Gymnocranius grandoculis</i>

Gymnocranius grandoculis, the blue-lined large-eye bream, iodine bream, Maori sea bream or Robinson's sea bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emeprors and emperor breams. This fish has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

<i>Lethrinus crocineus</i> Species of marine fish

Lethrinus crocineus, the yellowtail emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This fish is found in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Lethrinus amboinensis</i>

Lethrinus amboinensis, the Ambon emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Lethrinus borbonicus</i>

Lethrinus borbonicus, the snubnose emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperor breams and emperors. This species is found in the Western Indian Ocean and is of some importance to commercial fisheries in that region.

References

  1. 1 2 Carpenter, K.E.; Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. (2016). "Lethrinus variegatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T16720568A16722385. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16720568A16722385.en . Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Lethrinus variegatus" in FishBase. October 2023 version.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Lethrinus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 502–506. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN   2015037522. OCLC   951899884. OL   25909650M.
  5. ↑ "Order SPARIFORMES: Families LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Kent E. Carpenter (2022). "Family Lethrinidae". In Phillip C Heemstra; Elaine Heemstra; David A Ebert; Wouter Holleman; John E Randall (eds.). Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean (PDF). Vol. 3. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. pp. 316–327. ISBN   978-1-990951-32-9.
  7. ↑ Kent E. Carpenter; Gerald R. Allen (1989). Emperor fishes and large-eye breams of the world (Family Lethrinidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lethrinid species known to date (PDF). FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 9. FAO, Rome. pp. 77–78.
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