Pareques viola
Gungo highhat | Rock Croaker
Pareques viola, adult, Machalilla, Ecuador, Photo: Graham Edgar
Pareques viola, juvenile, Machalilla, Ecuador, Photo: Graham Edgar
Same Genus
Distribution
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Description
Adults silver-grey with a reflective purple tinge, a high, arched dorsal profile, spiny first dorsal fin, high and banner-like. Juveniles similar body shape but pale with black stripes along body, with narrow stripes in between, yellow tinge on head, and fins, spiny first dorsal fin tall with a dark bar in centre. Adults secretive and nocturnal, often forming large inactive aggregations in caves. Juveniles school in the summer.
Information
Max Size: 25 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 22.8-29.8°C
Depth: 3-35m
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: Least Concern
Occurrence: Frequent (11.4% 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