Spotted Soapfish, Pogonoperca punctata (Valenciennes 1830)
Other Names: Bearded Soapfish, Leaflip Grouper, Soapfish
A Spotted Soapfish, Pogonoperca punctata, at Madang, Papua New Guinea. Source: Jan Messersmith / http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress/. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Summary:
A brown soapfish covered in small white spots, with a black vertical bar through the eye, four black saddles along the back, and a skin flap on the chin. Juveniles are dark brown with many large white spots.
Video of a Spotted Soapfish in an aquarium.
Video of a Spotted Soapfish in an aquarium.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Pogonoperca punctata in Fishes of Australia, accessed 02 Dec 2023, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5114
Spotted Soapfish, Pogonoperca punctata (Valenciennes 1830)
More Info
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Distribution |
South of Evans Shoal, Northern Territory, and the Australian territories of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species occurs in the East-Indo-west-central Pacific: eastern Indonesia, Micronesia, the Line, Marquesan and Society Islands, north to southern Japan and south to New Caledonia. A cryptic species usually found on outer reef slopes and coral heads on slopes prone to moderate currents. Juveniles inhabit shallower lagoons or protected bays. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin VII, 12-13; Anal fin III, 8. |
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Feeding |
Feeds on crustaceans and small fishes. |
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Species Citation |
Grammistes punctata Valenciennes 1830, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 6: 504. Type locality: Vanikoro Island, Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands (as Vanicolo). |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2018 |
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Resources |
Spotted Soapfish, Pogonoperca punctata (Valenciennes 1830)
References
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 2004. Basslets, Hamlets and their relatives. A comprehensive guide to selected Serranidae and Plesiopidae. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 1, 216 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. & Tonozuka, T. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidae - Callionymidae. Australia : Zoonetics pp. 304-622.
Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.
Randall, J.E., Katsumi, A., Hibiya, T., Mitsunra, N., Kamiya, H. & Hashimoto, Y. 1971. Grammistin, the skin toxin of soapfishes, and its significance in the classification of the Grammistidae. Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory 19(2-3): 157-190 PDF available, Open access
Williams, J.T., Carpenter, K.E., Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. 2016. Pogonoperca punctata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69589017A69592492. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69589017A69592492.en. Downloaded on 11 March 2018.
