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These Spangled Emperor were photographed from window of semi-submersible, Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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SPANGLED EMPEROR FACTS |
Description
The Spangled Emperor is the largest of the emperor fish. The scales on the back and upper sides having a blue central mark surrounded with yellow-olive. This gives the spangled appearance. The lower sides are pale with faint yellow lines. The head has silvery blue streaks. The upper parts of the pectoral fins are blue.
Other Names
yellow sweetlip
Size
The Spangled Emperor grows to more than 90cm long and up to 10kg.
Habitat
marine species occurring inshore along the continental shelf. It prefers sandy seabed next to reefs, but can also be found in lagoons of coral reefs
Food
carnivorous bottom feeders and have a very selective diet. They mostly eat bivalve molluscs, followed by gastropod molluscs
Breeding
These fish are sexually mature at 5.5 years of age, and at this time are between 45 and 46cm in length.
Range
the entire Queensland coastline to northern New South Wales. Spangled emperor appear to be more common in outer coastal waters to the west and east of Australia than they are in the north
Classification
| Class: | Actinopterygii | | Order: | Perciformes | | Family: | Lethrinidae | | Genus: | Lethrinus | | Species: | nebulosus | | Common Name: | Spangled Emperor |
Relatives in same Genus
Sweetlip Emperor (L. miniatus)
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