Malacanthus latovittatus
Blue Blanquillo | Blue Tilefish | Sand Tilefish | Striped Blanquillo
Malacanthus latovittatus, adult, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Photo: Andrew Green
Malacanthus latovittatus, adult, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Malacanthus latovittatus, juvenile, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Malacanthus latovittatus, Bali, Indonesia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Similar Species
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Head and forebody blue, colour fading towards tail, broad black lateral stripe extends along the body from pectoral fin base in adults and from snout in juveniles to tail, eye set well back from mouth. Adults with fine maze pattern on upper back. Juveniles similar to juvenile Hologymnosus annulatus (Ringed Slender Wrasse).
Information
Max Size: 45 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 22.9-31.4°C
Depth: 5-30m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
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 (1.3% 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: RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland