Cephalopholis argus
Peacock groper | Argus Grouper | Blue-spotted Grouper | Peacock Hind | Peacock Rockcod | Worldwide-peacock Rockcod
Cephalopholis argus, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia, Photo: Andrew Green
Cephalopholis argus, Red Sea, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Cephalopholis argus, adult, Coral Sea, Australia, Photo: Graham Edgar
Cephalopholis argus, adult, Bali, Indonesia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Cephalopholis argus, adult, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Olive body with a covering of small dark-edged, bright blue spots, often with light bars on rear half of body and triangular light patch below pectoral fin. C. cyanostigma (Bluespotted Rockcod) lacks pale patch below pectoral fin and many of the blue body spots are surrounded by a colour paler than the rest of the body.
Information
Max Size: 60 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 22.3-31.3°C
Depth: 1-40m
Habitat Generalization Index: 20.64
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Common (31.4% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (2 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields