| Parapercis schauinslandii | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parapercis schauinslandii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Labriformes |
| Family: | Pinguipedidae |
| Genus: | Parapercis |
| Species: | P. schauinslandii |
| Binomial name | |
| Parapercis schauinslandii (Steindachner, 1900) | |
| Synonyms | |
Percis schauinslandiiSteindachner, 1900 | |
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. [2] It is a member of the sandperch family Pinguipedidae, form the percomorph order Trachiniformes.
Contents
Parapercis snyderi is a strikingly coloured fish which has black or reddish to dark brown blotches on its dorsal sides, which alternate with reddish bars on the lower flanks. It has a spiny dorsal fin which is black near its base and is a deep reddish cour towards the tip. There is a second sot rayed dorsal fin with a row of dark spots. The base of the pectoral fin has two thin bright red bars and there are two dark spots on base of the caudal fin. [3] The colour of this species varies geographically, [4] with specimens from the Indian Ocean showing a lined pattern as opposed to a barred pattern. [2]
This species occurs in open areas with sandy and rubble substrates on the deeper seaward and coastal slopes and on deep sandy reef flats, [3] at depths between 9 metres (30 ft) and 170 metres (560 ft). [2] The adults frequently swim up from the sea bed to catch prey. They mainly feed on zooplankton, and are often recorded feeding above the seabed with other fish species, [3] or in small single species shoals of 10–50 fish. [5] They are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific from the coast of East Africa to Pitcairn Island, as far north as Japan and as far south as the Great Barrier Reef. [2]