| Parapercis maculata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Labriformes |
| Family: | Pinguipedidae |
| Genus: | Parapercis |
| Species: | P. maculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Parapercis maculata (Cuvier, 1829) [1] | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Parapercis maculata, the harlequin sandperch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Pinguipedidae, found in shallow waters in the tropical western Indo-Pacific Ocean.
The harlequin sandperch grows to a maximum length of 20 cm (8 in). It is cylindrical at the front but somewhat compressed at the back. The head is large with an oblique mouth and the eyes set near the top. There is a spine on the operculum. The dorsal fin has five spines and twenty-one (occasionally twenty-two) soft rays. The fourth spine is the longest. The anal fin has a single spine and eighteen or nineteen soft rays. The general colour is pale reddish or greyish brown, shading to white on the underparts. There are large irregular reddish-brown blotches on the back, with six distinctive reddish-brown, squarish blotches below the lateral line. The dorsal fin has rows of small orange spots on the soft rays, and the anal fin has rows of white spots. The caudal fin is slightly rounded, the second to fourth rays are a little longer than the others, and the lowest quarter is reddish brown. [2]
The harlequin sandperch is native to shallow water in the western Indo-Pacific. Its range includes Zanzibar, India and Sri Lanka. [2] Previously its range extended further east to include Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, but the morphology of the fish in that region was slightly different and they are now recognised as a separate species, Parapercis pulchella . [3] It is found at depths down to about 25 m (82 ft) on sandy bottoms in sheltered bays and estuaries. [4]
The harlequin sandperch is often to be seen resting on the seabed, propped up on its pelvic fins. Like many other members of its genus, it is thought to be a protogynous hermaphrodite, starting adult life as a female and later becoming a male. [2]
The Marquesan grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, and coral reefs.
Cephalopholis spiloparaea, known commonly as the strawberry hindstrawberry rock cod, strawberry cod or orange rock cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. This fish occurs throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Scorpaena papillosa, the red rock cod, Southern red scorpionfish, chained scorpionfish, common red gurnard, Southern red scorpioncod, Southern rockcod or dwarf scorpionfish, is a species of venomous marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes.
Parapercis is a genus of sandperches belonging to the family Pinguipedidae.
The stargazing stonefish is a species of stonefish native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean where it is found on muddy bottoms in estuaries. This venomous species is also a minor component of local commercial fisheries. This species grows to a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) SL. This species is the only known member of the genus Trachicephalus.
Cirrhitus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, hawkfishes from the family Cirrhitidae. The species in this genus are found on tropical reefs worldwide.
Parapercis hexophtalma, the speckled sandperch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Pinguipedidae, found in the western Indo-Pacific Ocean. It was first described by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1829. There are several synonyms, some of which represent misspellings of the original name, and others which were given to female fish, at the time thought to be a separate species.
Parapercis schauinslandii, commonly known as redspotted sandperch, lyretail grubfish or flagfin weever, is a species of marine ray-finned fish native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is a member of the sandperch family Pinguipedidae, form the percomorph order Trachiniformes.
Lutjanus fulvus, the blacktail snapper, flametail snapper, redmargined seaperch, Waigeu snapper or yellowmargined sea perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Indo-West Pacific region. It is an important species for fisheries within its range.
Lutjanus malabaricus, the Malabar blood snapper, saddletail snapper, large-mouthed nannygai, large-mouthed sea-perch, Malabar snapper, nannygai, red bass, red bream, red emperor, red Jew, red snapper, saddletail seaperch, scarlet emperor or scarlet sea-perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, where it is found east to Fiji and Japan.
Arothron reticularis, variously known as the reticulated pufferfish, reticulated blowfish or reticulated toadfish, is a ray-finned fish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is native to the tropical and sub-tropical Indo-Pacific region where its habitats include sandy and muddy seabeds, coral reefs, estuaries and mangrove areas.
Parapercis alboguttata, the bluenose grubfish, known also as the bluenose sandperch and whitespot sandsmelt, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Pinguipedidae, native to the western Indo-Pacific Ocean. It was first described by the German-born, British ichthyologist and zoologist, Albert Günther, in 1872.
Cephalopholis sonnerati, known as the tomato hind, tomato rockcod, or tomato cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is distributed on coral reefs in the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is also sometimes called the orange-spotted cod, red coral cod, red rockcod, tomato grouper, or tomato seabass.
Cirrhitus pinnulatus, the stocky hawkfish, whitespotted hawkfish or marbled hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific region.
Parapercis albipinna is a ray-finned fish species in the sandperch family, Pinguipedidae. It is found in New Caledonia. This species reaches a length of 14.2 cm (5.6 in).
Parapercis compressa is a ray-finned fish species in the sandperch family, Pinguipedidae. It is found in Indonesia. This species reaches a length of 8.7 cm (3.4 in).
Parapercis diagonalis, the diagonal sandperch, is a ray-finned fish species in the sandperch family, Pinguipedidae. It is found in Indonesia. This species reaches a length of 15.0 cm (5.9 in).
Parapercis flavolineata, the yellowline sandperch, is a ray-finned fish species in the sandperch family, Pinguipedidae. It is found in Indonesia. This species reaches a length of 14.0 cm (5.5 in).
Parapercis vittafrons, the bandhead sandperch, is a ray-finned fish species in the sandperch family, Pinguipedidae. It is found in Papua New Guinea. This species reaches a length of 9.0 cm (3.5 in).
Parapercis pulchella, the harlequin sandsmelt, is a ray-finned fish species in the sandperch family, Pinguipedidae. It is found in the north-western Pacific Ocean, including the shores of Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.