Plectropomus laevis

Characteristic features:

Colour:

Two colour forms: a "pale form" with head and body pale and yellowish with 5 dark brown to black irregular saddles forming over the dorsal part of the head and body; small dark edged blue spots may be visible on the body, usually at the posterior; fins yellow often with black areas or blotches. The "dark form" is reddish brown to nearly black often with dark, faint irregular saddles similar to the pattern of the "pale form"; numerous dark edged blue spots on head and body (except ventrally) and most fins; pectoral fins darker with white rear margin.

Size:

Up to 125 cm TL.

Distribution:

Indo–West Pacific in tropical waters.

Habitat:

Coral reefs, 4–90 m depth.

Indonesian fisheries:

Caught with hook-and-line, spear, and in fish traps.

Similar species:

Plectropomus areolatus
Squaretail coral trout

Plectropomus areolatus differs in having pectoral-fin rays 15–16 (vs. 16–18); interorbital area with embedded scales (vs. scaleless) and 2–7 developed gill rakers on lower limb (vs. 4–10).

to Plectropomus areolatus

Plectropomus leopardus
Leopard coral trout

Plectropomus leopardus differs in having a blue ring around the eye (vs. no blue ring); pectoral-fin rays 15–17 (vs. 16–18) and gill rakers at angle longer than filaments at angle (vs. gill raker at angle shorter than gill filaments at angle).

to Plectropomus leopardus

Plectropomus maculatus
Spotted coral trout

Plectropomus maculatus differs in having pectoral-fin rays 15–17 (vs. 16–18) and gill rakers at angle distinctly longer than gill filaments at angle (vs. gill raker at angle shorter than gill filaments at angle).

to Plectropomus maculatus

Plectropomus oligacanthus
Highfin coral trout

Plectropomus oligacanthus differs in having pectoral-fin rays 14–16 (vs. 16–18); head with vertical blue lines (vs. head pale white and yellowish with a black saddle over eye if “pale" form, or round to oval spots uniform in size if “dark” form) and dorsal and anal fins with blue lines and spots (vs. yellow, sometimes with black if “pale” form, or blue spots if “dark” form).

to Plectropomus oligacanthus

Plectropomus pessuliferus
Roving coral grouper

Plectropomus pessuliferus differs in having spots, with some spots on head horizontally elongate and some on the sides of body vertically elongate (vs. black saddles if “pale" form, or round to oval spots uniform in size if “dark” form); pectoral-fin rays 15–16 (vs. 16–18); in having a blue ring around the eye, often broken into segments (vs. no blue ring around the eye).

to Plectropomus pessuliferus

Variola spp.
Lyretail

Variola albimarginata

Variola spp. differ in having 9 dorsal-fin spines (vs. 7–8); lower edge of preopercle smooth (vs. lower edge of preopercle with 1 to 3 enlarged spines) and caudal fin lunate (vs. emarginate).

to Variola spp.

FishBase
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM