Specklefin grouper from Maldives - Epinephelus ongus
Epinephelus ongus, the white-streaked grouper, specklefin grouper, lace-finned rock-cod, specklefin rockcod, wavy-lined tock-cod, white-speckled grouper or white-spotted rock-cod, is a grouper from the subfamily Epenephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It has a wide Indo-Pcific distribution and it is found in brackish waters as well as marine reefs.
Epinephelus ongus has a body which has a standard lenght that is 2.7 to 3.2 times as long as it is deep. The dorsal profile of the head is moderately convex, while the area between the eyes is flat. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 14-16 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin varies from convex to slightly rounded. cernia maculata delle maldive
The overall colour of this species is brown marked with large white blotches and many smaller pale spots on its head, body and fins which elongate and form streaks in the larger fish. The median fins have a dark submarginal band. The juveniles are dark brown with a pattern of white spots covering their bodies and fins. The spots often form wavy lines and there is a faint dark maxillary streak.
This species attains a maximum published total length of 40 centimetres . Epinephelus ongus has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution. It is found in the east African coast from Somalia to South Africa and Madagascar. It is then found in the Seychelles and the Maldives and southern India and Sri Lanka along the coasts of Thailand and Malaysia east into the Pacific Ocean as far as New Caledonia and Tonga.
They are found as far north as the Ryukyu islands and Ogasawara islands in southern Japan and south to Australia. In Australia it is found around the offshore reefs of Western Australia, off Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland. Epinephelus ongus is found on inner coastal and lagoon reefs, as well as in brackish waters where it can be found in ledges and caves, at depths between 5 and 25 metres. Adults are normally found in deeper water than juveniles.
The main prey of this species are crustaceans and small fishes. Off Okinawa this species is associated with branching corals such as Acropora. It is likelyto be a protogynous hermaphrodite, with half of the fish changing sex at a total length of 27.2 centimetres and 7 years of age.
(extract from Wikipedia)
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