Cephalopholis leopardus
Redspot Coral Cod
©Nigel Marsh: Cephalopholis leopardus from 10 Ribbon Reef, near Lizard Island. Note dark spot on tail peduncle.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Perciformes
Family
Serranidae
Genus
Cephalopholis
Species
Cephalopholis leopardus
Status
least concern
Colours
Distinguishing features
A small mottled red/brown grouper with many pink/orange spots which are larger on lower head. A large dark spot on the upper side of tail peduncle.
This species stays hidden within the reef so it not often seen. It has been recorded from the outer reefs near Lizard Island but not yet from the Lizard Island Group itself.
Size
- Up to 20 cm (length, Allen et al, 2003)
Depth range
- From 0 m to 35 m (Allen et al, 2003)
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Local abundance
- Lizard Island: Not yet recorded from the Lizard Island Group. There are numerous records from the outer reef including through explosives sampling in the 1970s. (ALA accessed 2 Dec 2017).
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Allen, G., R. Steene, P. Humann and N. Deloach (2003). Reef fish identification: Tropical Pacific New World Publications Inc., Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Other references
- Pears, R.J. (2005). Comparative demography and assemblage structure of serranid fishes: implications for conservation and fisheries management, Ph.D. thesis, James Cook University. LIRS catalog number 968.