Plectropomus leopardus

Osteichthyes Serranidae Genus Plectropomus Plectropomus leopardus
Leopard coral trout EMO
26.6 cm TL
Characteristic features:
Colour:

Head and body reddish or dark greenish brown, dark-edged blue spots that are generally smaller, spots on head about the size of nostril; blue ring around the eye; no spots ventrally.

Size:

Up to 75 cm TL.

Distribution:

Indo–West Pacific in tropical waters.

Habitat:

Coral reefs, to 100 m depth.

Indonesian fisheries:

Caught with hook-and-line, spear, traps, and trawls.

Similar species:

Plectropomus areolatus
Squaretail coral trout

Plectropomus areolatus feature

Plectropomus areolatus differs in having no blue ring around the eye (vs. blue ring) and spots ventrally (vs. no spots ventrally).

to Plectropomus areolatus

Plectropomus laevis
Blacksaddle coral trout

Plectropomus laevis feature

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

to Plectropomus laevis

Plectropomus maculatus
Spotted coral trout

Plectropomus maculatus feature

Plectropomus maculatus differs in having spots ventrally (vs. no spots ventrally) and numerous spots on head and cheek (below and behind the eye to rear edge of preopercle) (vs. fewer spots on head with 3–7 on cheek).

to Plectropomus maculatus

Plectropomus oligacanthus
Highfin coral trout

Plectropomus oligacanthus feature

Plectropomus oligacanthus differs in having no blue ring around eye (vs. a blue ring); horizontal to oblique blue lines on head, vertical blue lines or dashes along sides of body (at least in adults) and spots elsewhere) (vs. small, round blue spots over head and body and spots ventrally (vs. no spots ventrally).

to Plectropomus oligacanthus

Plectropomus pessuliferus
Roving coral grouper

Plectropomus pessuliferus feature

Plectropomus pessuliferus differs in having some spots on head horizontally elongate and some on the sides of body vertically elongate (vs. uniformly sized round to oval blue spots over head and body).

to Plectropomus pessuliferus

Variola spp.
Lyretail

Variola albimarginata feature
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.
External links:

FishBase
The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM