Plectropomus laevis

Serranidae
Bluespotted Coral Trout, Blacksaddled Coral Trout, Blacksaddled Coralgrouper, Blacksaddled Leopard Grouper, Chinese Footballer, Footballer Cod, Footballer Coral Trout, Giant Coral Trout, Oceanic Coral Trout, Saddleback Coralgrouper, Tiger Trout
  • Plectropomus laevis, Coral Sea, Australia, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Plectropomus laevis, Coral Sea, Australia, Photo: Graham Edgar
  • Plectropomus laevis, Adult, Footballer variation. Maldives, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Plectropomus laevis, Adult, Footballer variation. Maldives, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Plectropomus laevis, Cook Islands, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Plectropomus laevis, Cook Islands, Photo: Graham Edgar
  • Plectropomus laevis, Adult, Coral Sea, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Plectropomus laevis, Adult, Coral Sea, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Plectropomus laevis, Juvenile, QLD, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Plectropomus laevis, Juvenile, QLD, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Plectropomus laevis, Footballer variation. Maldives, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Plectropomus laevis, Footballer variation. Maldives, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Plectropomus laevis, Adult, Coral Sea, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
    Plectropomus laevis, Adult, Coral Sea, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Two distinct colour forms. Dark form similar to P. areolatus (Passionfruit Coral Trout) but with smaller blue spots on body, dark head, and five dark grey saddles on back. “Chinese footballer” form is white with black saddles and yellow fins. Length to 125cm.
Information
  • Max Size: 125 cm
  • Sea Temperature Range: 22.9-30.7°C
  • Depth: 4-100m
  • Habitat: Coral Reef
  • Habitat Generalisation Index: 19.2
    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
Rarity
  • Threats: Exploitation
  • IUCN Threat Status: Vulnerable
  • Occurrence: Common (30% 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
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