Plectropomus

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Plectropomus
Plectropomus leopardus 1.jpg
Plectropomus leopardus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Epinephelinae
Tribe: Epinephelini
Genus: Plectropomus
Oken, 1817
Type species
Bodianus maculatus
Bloch, 1790 [1]
Synonyms [2]

Plectropomus, commonly known as the coral groupers, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Contents

Habitat and biology

The Plectropomus coral groupers are ecologically similar to the species in the genera Cephalolophis and Mycteroperca , the latter being regarded as the Atlantic and eastern Pacific equivalents of the coral groupers. They are large groupers, with some species attaining total lengths of at least 1 metre (3.3 ft), They prefer shallow tropical and subtropical waters where there are coral reefs and are less sedentary than the groupers in the genera Epinephelus and Cephalopholis. They are predatory species, preying largely on fish. [3]

Distribution

Plectropomus coral groupers are confined to the Indo-Pacific region where they are found from the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa as far south as South Africa and east into the Western Pacific Ocean as far as Polynesia, north to Japan and south to Australia. [3]

Utlisation

Plectropomus coral groupers are very important to artisanal fisheries wherever they are found and they are caught using hook and line by spear fishing and trapping, however they are a frequent cause of Ciguatera poisoning among consumers of their flesh. [3]

Species

The following eight species are classified within the genus Plectropomus: [4]

Species

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
I am guessing this is a Squaretailed Grouper, Plectropomus areolatus - but it could also be another Plectropomus. They look so alike. Any help appreciated. (6536728691).jpg Plectropomus areolatus (Rüppell, 1830)squaretail coral grouperIndo-Pacific: Red Sea to the Phoenix Islands and Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia.
Plectropomus laevis.jpg Plectropomus laevis (Lacepède, 1801)black-saddled coral grouperIndo-Pacific, from East Africa (Kenya, Mozambique) to the central and southern Pacific, eastward to the Tuamotu Island, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia, Indian Ocean and islands of western and central Pacific
Plectropomus leopardus.jpg Plectropomus leopardus (Lacepède, 1802)leopard coral grouperwestern Pacific Ocean
Spotted coralgrouper (Plectropomus maculatus) (40034056924).jpg Plectropomus maculatus (Bloch, 1790)spotted coral grouperWestern Pacific: Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Arafura Sea (Ref. 9819), Solomon Islands, and Australia
Highfin coral grouper (Plectropomus oligacanthus) (39762209563).jpg Plectropomus oligacanthus (Bleeker, 1854)highfin coral grouperIndo-West Pacific: Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, northeastern Australia (Cape York to northern Great Barrier Reef) Belau, Truk, Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, and the Solomon Islands.
Serranidae - Plectropomus pessuliferus marisburi-001.jpg Plectropomus pessuliferus (Fowler, 1904)roving coral grouperIndo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Fiji (Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia (Bali, Java and Sumatra), Israel, Jordan, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Zanzibar, Maldives, Laccadives, St. Brandon's Shoals, Sri Lanka, Chagos, Nazareth Bank, and Fiji)
Plectropomus punctatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)marbled coral grouperWestern Indian Ocean: Kenya to South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Aldabra, Seychelles, Mauritius, St. Brandon's Shoals, Nazareth Bank, and the Chagos Archipelago. Unknown from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and the Asian coast from Arabia to India.

Other authorities recognise Plectropomus marisrubri , which Fishbase treats as a synonym of P. pessuliferus, as a valid species., [5] while others as treat it as a subspecies of P. pessuliferus, P.p. maristrubri. [3]

Related Research Articles

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

The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers. Although many species are small, in some cases less than 10 cm (3.9 in), the giant grouper is one of the largest bony fishes in the world, growing to 2.7 m in length and 400 kg (880 lb) in weight. Representatives of this group live in tropical and subtropical seas worldwide.

<i>Epinephelus</i> Genus of fishes

Epinephelus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are predatory fish, largely associated with reefs and are found in tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world. They are important target species for fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blacktip grouper</span> Species of fish

The blacktip grouper, also known as the redbanded grouper, blacktipped cod, black-tipped rockcod, footballer cod, red-barred cod, red-barred rockcod, scarlet rock-cod or weathered rock-cod, 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 found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. It is the type species of the genus Epinephelus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-edged lyretail</span> Species of fish

The yellow-edged lyretail also known as the yellowedge coronation trout, fairy cod, lunar tail rock cod, lunartailed cod, lyre-tail cod or moontail seabass,, 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 found in the Indo-Pacific region and is more common than the congeneric white-edged lyretail.

<i>Cephalopholis</i> Genus of fishes

Cephalopholis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae in the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. Many of the species have the word "hind" as part of their common name in English.

<i>Dermatolepis</i> Genus of fishes

Dermatolepis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the western Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

<i>Mycteroperca</i> Genus of fishes

Mycteroperca is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are predatory fish, largely associated with reefs and are found in tropical and subtropical seas in the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean. They are important target species for fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sailfin grouper</span> Species of fish

The sailfin grouper, also known as the bacalao grouper, colorado grouper or yellow 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 found off islands in the eastern Pacific.

<i>Variola</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Variola, the lyretails, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific and their distribution extends from the Red Sea to South Africa across the Indian Ocean and east to the islands of the central Pacific.

<i>Plectropomus laevis</i> Species of fish

Plectropomus laevis, known commonly as the black-saddled coral grouper, cluespotted coral trout, blacksaddled coral trout, blue-spot trout, Chinese footballer, footballer cod, footballer coral trout, oceanic coral trout or tiger trout, 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 found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden grouper</span> Species of fish

The golden grouper, also known as the pink grouper or Powell's 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 found in the eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roving coral grouper</span> Species of fish

The roving coral grouper, also known as the spotted coral 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 found in the Indo-Pacific, although the Red Sea taxon, P. marisrubri, is regarded as a separate species by some authorities.

<i>Paranthias</i> Genus of fishes

Paranthias is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Hyporthodus</i> Genus of fishes

Hyporthodus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It contains the following species, most of which were previously placed in Epinephelus:

<i>Epinephelus corallicola</i> Species of fish

Epinephelus corallicola, also known as the black-dotted cod, coral cod, coral rockcod or duskyfin 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 has an Indo-Pacific distribution and is found in marine and brackish waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masked grouper</span> Species of fish

The masked grouper, also known as the thinspine grouper, rededged cod, red-edged grouper, slenderspine grouper, thinspine rockcod, white-margined grouper, white-square cod or white-square 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 found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is the only species in the genus Gracila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epinephelini</span> Tribe of fishes

Epinephelini is one of the five tribes in the subfamily Epinephelinae, the groupers, which is part of the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and the sea basses.

<i>Dermatolepis dermatolepis</i> Species of fish

Dermatolepis dermatolepis, the leather bass 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 a predatory reef fish which is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Diploprion</i> Genus of fishes

Diploprion is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and included in the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Bathyanthias</i> Genus of fishes

Bathyanthias is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and included in the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

References

  1. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Plectrpomus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Epinephelinae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Heemstra, P.C. & J.E. Randall (1993). FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (family Serranidae, subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date (PDF). FAO Fish. Synopsis. Vol. 125. FAO, Rome. pp. 285–286. ISBN   92-5-103125-8.
  4. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). Species of Plectropomus in FishBase . December 2019 version.
  5. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Plectropomus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 31 July 2020.