| Plectropomus leopardus (Lacepède, 1802) | ||||
| Family: | Epinephelidae (Groupers) | ( not available ) | ||
| Order: | Perciformes/Serranoidei | |||
| Class: | Teleostei | |||
| English name: | Leopard coralgrouper | |||
| Distribution: | Western Pacific: from Western Australia, eastward to the Caroline Islands and Fiji: from southern Japan to Australia (Queensland); also recently recorded from Tonga (Ref. 53797). Often misidentified as Plectropomus maculatus. | |||
| Adult biology: | Inhabit coral-rich areas of lagoon reefs and mid-shelf reefs (Ref. 6390, 48635). Solitary (Ref. 90102). Inactive at night, hiding under ledges (Ref. 9710). Juveniles have a demersal existence in shallow water in reef habitats, especially around coral rubble (Ref. 27259). Adults feed mainly on fish (Ref. 6390), juveniles feed on small fish and invertebrates such as crustaceans and squid (Ref. 27261). A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367). Form several spawning aggregations on a reef occurring around the new moon (Ref. 27259). Eggs float just below the surface (Ref. 6390). Larvae are pelagic (Ref. 6390). P. leopardus is used in cage culture; P. maculatus in Ref. 3081 was probably a mixture of P. maculatus and P. leopardus; the Plectropomus sp. used for the experiments reported in Capra et al., 1988 (Ref. 4719) consisted predominantly of P. leopardus, with some P. maculatus (M.F. Capra, pers. comm.). On the Great Barrier Reef, its maximum lifespan is 14 years (Ref. 37816). | |||
| Diagnosis: | Conspicuous long 2nd dorsal spine, serrated in late larvae. Pelvics fused to form one long spine.. See also LARVAE table. | |||
| Climate Zone: | tropical; 24; 35°N - 30°S | |||
| Main Ref: | Leis, J.M.. 1986. (Ref. 3147) | |||
| More information: | Collaborators | Common names | Countries | Egg dev. | Eggs | FAO areas | Larvae | Maturity | References | Reproduction | Spawning | Fecundity | Synonyms | | |||
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| Checked by: Froese, Rainer |
Modified by: Luna, Susan M. |
Entered by: Capuli, Estelita Emily |
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