Redfin Emperor, Monotaxis heterodon (Bleeker 1854)


A Redfin Emperor, Monotaxis heterodon, at Madang, Papua New Guinea. Source: Jan Messersmith / http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A silvery-grey seabream with narrow white bars on body 1-2 scale rows wide, a large black blotch behind the pectoral-fin base (axil), brownish to reddish lips, a yellowish tail, and usually fins with a yellowish to reddish tinge.
This species is frequently confused with the Monocle Bream, Monotaxis grandoculis, which also occurs in Australian waters.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Monotaxis heterodon in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4899

Redfin Emperor, Monotaxis heterodon (Bleeker 1854)

More Info


Distribution

Recorded in Australia from the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean (images on iNaturalist.org and Allen & Erdmann 2012), and Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific: Seychelles, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands to New Caledonia.
Inhabits sheltered coral reefs in depths to 25 m.

Features

Dorsal fin X, 10; Anal fin III, 9; Pectoral fin 13-14; Lateral line scales 44-47; scale rows between lateral line and anal-fin origin 12.5.

Similar Species

Differs from the similar Bigeye Seabream, Monotaxis grandoculis, in having narrower bars on the upper body (bars 2 scales wide, vs. 3-4 scales in M. grandoculis), and the dark coloration on the back extending more ventrally than in M. grandoculis.

Species Citation

Pagrus heterodon Bleeker, 1854, Natuurk. Tijdsch. Nederland. IndiĆ« 6: 54. Type locality: Sindangole, Halmahera, Indonesia.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2018

Redfin Emperor, Monotaxis heterodon (Bleeker 1854)

References


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. (in part, middle image p. 120 is M. heterodon)

Bleeker, P. 1854, Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Halmaheira (Gilolo). Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch IndiĆ« 6: 49-62. Ref at BHL

Carpenter, K.E., Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. 2016. Monotaxis heterodon. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T16721443A16722455. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16721443A16722455.en. Downloaded on 20 May 2018.

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. (in part, right side image on p. 204 is M. heterodon)

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37351032

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:3-25 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:35 cm TL

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