Harlequin sweetlips
Harlequin sweetlips | |
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Conservation status | |
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Haemulidae |
Genus: | Plectorhinchus |
Species: | P. chaetodonoides |
Binomial name | |
Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides Lacépède, 1801 | |
Synonyms | |
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Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides, the harlequin sweetlips, is a species of grunt native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It is a denizen of coral reefs found at depths of from 1 to 30 m (3.3 to 98.4 ft). It can reach 72 cm (28 in) in TL. The heaviest known individual weighed 7 kg (15 lb). This species is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can be found in the aquarium trade.[1]
Juvenile harlequin sweetlips mimic the movement of poisonous flatworms.
Juveniles are brown with large white blotches and mimic the movement of a poisonous flatworm for defence against predators. They gain more spots and the spots reverse from white to black as they age.
References
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides" in FishBase. August 2013 version.
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