Coral Rockcod, Cephalopholis miniata (Forsskal 1755)

Other Names: Coral Cod, Coral Hind, Coral Rock-cod, Coral Trout, Round-tailed Trout, Vermillion Seabass

A Coral Rockcod, Cephalopholis miniata, at Madang, Papua New Guinea. Source: Jan Messersmith / http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress/. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

An orange-red to reddish-brown rockcod covered in bright blue spots that are smaller than pupil-size. Juveniles are orange to yellow with scattered faint blue spots. Coral Rockcod may have irregular oblique paler bars on sides.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2025, Cephalopholis miniata in Fishes of Australia, accessed 23 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4414

Coral Rockcod, Cephalopholis miniata (Forsskal 1755)

More Info

Distribution	Houtmans Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, around the tropical north to Fairy Bower, Sydney, New South Wales; also the Lord Howe Province and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to South Africa and eastward to the Line Islands, including most islands in the Indian and west-central Pacific oceans. Inhabits clear coastal and offshore coral reefs, often in exposed rather than protected areas.
Features	Dorsal fin IX, 14-16; Anal fin III, 8-9; Pectoral fin 17-18; Gill rakers 7-9 + 13-15; Lateral line scales 47-55; Scales in longitudinal series 94-114. Body depth 2.65-3.05 in SL; head length 2.4-2.65 in SL; maxilla extending to or posterior to rear of orbit; ventral margin of preopercle smooth; 5th - 8th dorsal-fin spines longest, 3.0-3.6 in head length; pectoral fins 1.45-1.75 in head length; pelvic fins not reaching anus, 1.9-2.3 in head length.
Colour	Body orange-red to reddish brown with numerous bright blue spots that are smaller than pupil-size covering the head, body and median fins. Coral Rockcod may have irregular oblique paler bars on sides. Juveniles are orange to yellow with scattered faint blue spots.
Feeding	Carnivore - feeds on fishes mostly, and crustaceans.
Biology	A protogynous hermaphrodite, changing sex from female to male. A dominant male may control a small harem of up to 12 females
Fisheries	Although not a target of large-scale commercial fisheries, the species is taken in local artisanal and/or subsistence fisheries by hook and line, spear and traps in many parts of its range. It is a component of the live reef fish trade, but at presumably low levels.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin miniata (= red coloured), in reference to the overall coloration of this species.
Species Citation	Perca miniata Forsskål, 1775, Descriptiones animalium: 41. Type locality: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea; [Lohajæ] Al-Luhayya, Yemen, Red Sea.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Coral Rockcod, Cephalopholis miniata (Forsskal 1755)

References

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