Choerodon schoenleinii
Blackspot Tuskfish | Yellow-bellied Tuskfish
Similar Species
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Grey-green body, rounded head, black spot on upper back, vertical blue streaks on body scales, blue line with orange upper margin extending back from mouth to rear edge of gill cover, blue horizontal streaks on tail fin and base, broken blue lines radiating from a blue eye, and teeth protruding from mouth. Black spot higher, further back and more rounded than C. cauteroma (Bluespotted Tuskfish). Largest of the tuskfishes.
Information
Max Size: 100 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 21.5-32.2°C
Depth: 10-60 m
Habitat Generalization Index: 19.65
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: Near Threatened
Occurrence: Common (26.1% 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 (3 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields