Lethrinus laticaudis

Grass Emperor | Blue-lined Emperor | Blue-spotted Emperor | Brown Morwong | Grass Sweet-lip
Lethrinus laticaudis
Lethrinus laticaudis, Dugong Is, Great Barrier Reef, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
Lethrinus laticaudis
Lethrinus laticaudis, Gulf of Carpentaria, QLD, Photo: Rick Stuart-smith
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Lethrinus laticaudis
Lethrinus laticaudis

Distribution

Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

High body with a steep and slightly concave upper head profile, blue lines radiating from each eye across forehead, and blue spots on cheek. Able to 'turn on' brown mottling pattern for camouflage. Head profile and spots on face best distinguish it from the more common L. nebulosus (Spangled Emperor).


Information

Max Size: 56 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 19.9-31.6°C

Depth: 5-35m

Habitat Generalization Index: 3.63

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: Not Evaluated

Occurrence: Infrequent (4.2% 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: RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland