Plectropomus pessuliferus


Roving coral grouper EMU
Characteristic features:
Colour:

Head body and fins brown to orange-red, with numerous small dark-edged blue spots; some spots on head horizontally elongate; some spots on body usually horizontally elongate. Spots few or absent on ventral surface. Often a blue ring around eye, sometimes broken into segments. Pale bars sometimes visible on body.

Size:

Up to 120 cm TL.

Distribution:

Indo–West Pacific.

Habitat:

Coral reefs, from 25 to 147 m depth.

Indonesian fisheries:

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

Similar species:

Plectropomus areolatus
Squaretail coral trout

Plectropomus areolatus feature

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

Plectropomus laevis
Blacksaddle coral trout

Plectropomus laevis feature

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

Plectropomus leopardus
Leopard coral trout

Plectropomus leopardus feature

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

Plectropomus maculatus
Spotted coral trout

Plectropomus maculatus feature

Plectropomus maculatus differs in having the longest gill raker distinctly longer than longest filament (vs. longest gill rakers shorter than the longest filaments); spots on the body round (vs. spots vertically elongated) and spots absent on the pelvic fin (vs. blue spots present).

Plectropomus oligacanthus
Highfin coral trout

Plectropomus oligacanthus feature

Plectropomus oligacanthus differs in having horizontal to oblique blue lines on head, vertical blue lines or dashes along sides of body (at least in adults) (vs. some spots on head horizontally elongate, and some on the sides of body vertically elongate) and dorsal and anal fins with blue lines and spots (vs. blue spots only).

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).

External links: