Whitelined Rockcod, Anyperodon leucogrammicus (Valenciennes 1828)

Other Names: Slender Grouper, Whitelined Cod, White-lined Cod, White-lined Rockcod, White-lined Rock-cod

A Whitelined Rockcod, Epinephelus leucogrammicus (formerly Anyperodon leucogrammicus), at Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Source: Paddy Ryan / http://www.ryanphotographic.com/. License: All rights reserved

Summary:

A slender greenish to brownish-grey rockcod with reddish spots, 3-4 irregular pale stripes along the sides, and a pointed snout. The distinctive blue and gold striped juveniles mimic some small lined wrasses of the genus Halichoeres, such as initial phase Hoeven's Wrasse, Halichoeres melanurus.

In a genetic study of epinepheline groupers, Ma & Craig (2018) concluded that this species belongs in the genus Epinephelus.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2018, Anyperodon leucogrammicus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 08 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4408

Whitelined Rockcod, Anyperodon leucogrammicus (Valenciennes 1828)

More Info

Distribution	Recorded in Australia from Coral Bay to Kendrew Island, and Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef, Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, to the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea; also at the Australian territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea south to Mozambique, east to the Phoenix Islands, north to Japan, and south to Australia (southern Queensland and Heron Island) - also at Oman and Aldabra (Seychelles). Inhabits coral rich areas in lagoons and on seaward reefs.
Features	Dorsal fin XI, 14-16; Anal fin III, 8-9. Body elongate, greatest depth 3.1-3.7 in SL; head pointed, 2.3-2.5 times in SL; interorbital region narrow, dorsal head profile almost straight; preorbital narrow, depth 14-17 times in HL; snout distinctly longer than eye; preopercle rounded, finely serrate, lower serrae only slightly enlarged, lower edge fleshy; ventral edge of interopercle with a shallow indentation: opercular spines small, upper edge of operculum distinctly convex; maxilla reaching beyond eye, exposed part covered with tiny cycloid scales; rear end of maxilla without bony process; supramaxilla well-developed; palatines without teeth; canines at front of jaws rudimentary or absent. Caudal fin rounded; pelvic fins short, not reaching anus.
Feeding	Feeds mainly on fishes, and also consumes crustaceans.
Fisheries	Although not commercially targeted, the Whitelined Rockcod occasionally appears in the live fish trade in Hong Kong. The distinctive blue and gold striped juveniles are targeted for the aquarium trade.
Species Citation	Serranus leucogrammicus Valenciennes, 1828, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 2: 347. Type locality: Seychelles.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2018
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Whitelined Rockcod, Anyperodon leucogrammicus (Valenciennes 1828)

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. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 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. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Craig, M.T. & Hastings, P.A. 2007. A molecular phylogeny of the groupers of the subfamily Epinephelinae (Serranidae) with a revised classification of the Epinephelini. Ichthyological Research 54(1): 1-17.

Craig, M.T., Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y.J. & Heemstra, P.C. 2011. Groupers of the World: a Field and Market Guide. Grahamstown, South Africa : NISC Ltd 356 pp., Appendix 47 pp.

Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp.

Heemstra, P.C., Pollard, D., Samoilys, M., Yeeting, B. & Choat, J.H. 2008. Anyperodon leucogrammicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T132787A3451337. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T132787A3451337.en. Downloaded on 31 August 2018.

Heemstra, P.C. & Randall, J.E. 1993. Groupers of the World (Family Serranidae, Subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125 Vol. 16. Rome: FAO. pp. 1-382

Heemstra, P.C. & Randall, J.E. 1999. Family Serranidae. pp. 2442-2548 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 2069-2790 pp.

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Biodiversity of shallow reef fish assemblages in Western Australia using a rapid censusing technique. Records of the Western Australian Museum 20: 247-270.

Hutchins, B. 2004. Fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 66: 343–398.

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293

Lee, C. & Sadovy, Y. 1998. A taste for live fish: Hong Kong's live reef fish market. Naga ICLARM Q. 21(2): 38-42.

Ma, K.Y. & Craig, M.T. 2018. An Inconvenient Monophyly: An Update on the Taxonomy of the Groupers (Epinephelidae). Copeia 106(3): 443–456. https://doi.org/10.1643/CI-18-055

Ma, K.Y., Craig, M.T., Choat, J.H. & van Herwerden, L. 2016. The historical biogeography of groupers: clade diversification patterns and processes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 100: 21–30.

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., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E. & Heemstra, P.C. 1991. Revision of Indo-Pacific groupers (Perciformes: Serranidae: Epinephelinae), with descriptions of five new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 20: 1-332.

Valenciennes, A. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1828. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 2 xxi, 2 + 490 pp., pls 9-40.