''Cephalopholis sonnerati'', known as the tomato hind, tomato rockcod, or tomato cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the

anthias Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange, and yellow reef fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The name Anthi ...

and sea basses. It is distributed on coral reefs in the tropical

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

. It is also sometimes called the orange-spotted cod, red coral cod, red rockcod, tomato grouper, or tomato seabass.

Description

''Cephalopholis sonnerati'' has a body which is 2.3 to 2.8 times as long as it is deep using

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. The dorsal profile of the head in adults is straight to concave, although the nape is markedly convex. The preopercle is rounded and has fine serrations along its margins, with a shallow incision immediately above its angle, the lower edge has irregular serration and some of these are enlarged into small, exposed spines. The dorsal fin contains 9 spines and 14-16 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 3 spines and 9 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded. It is a light reddish-brown grouper with a dense covering of rusty spots on its body and a rounded tail with a white margin. The body profile is deep and stout with a dark blotch on the upper region of the gill cover. This species can grow up a maximum length of . Pacific Ocean specimens have a generally pale reddish brown to yellowish brown body color , with numerous small dense brownish spots on the head, fins and the body.

Distribution

''Cephalopholis sonnerati'' has an Indo-Pacific distribution which extends from the coast of

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

from the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

south to Durban in South Africa; east in to the Pacific Ocean as far as the

Line Islands The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands (in Gilbertese, ''Aono Raina'') are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawa ...

, north as far as southern Japan and south to Australia. In Australia it is found from the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia to the vicinity of

Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...

and from the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland to the

South West Rocks, New South Wales South West Rocks is a town located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby. The population of South West Rocks is 5,313 peo ...

, as well as Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It is not found in the Chagos Islands, the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf.

Habitat and biology

''Cephalopholis sonnerati'' occurs on deep lagoon reefs, outer reef slopes and in coastal areas with rocky substrate. The juveniles are usually found near sponge or coral heads. It is a solitary species with adults usually being accompanied by cleaner shrimps. They live in moderate depths of 30 to 100 m (98 to 332 ft). It feeds on small fishes and crustaceans. Maturity for males is reached at 34 cm (13 inches ) and 28 cm (11 inches) for females.

Taxonomy

''Cephalopholis sonnerati'' was first formally described as ''Serranus sonnerati'' in 1828 by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

zoologist Achille Valenciennes (1794–1864) with the type locality give as Puducherry in India.

Utilisation

This species is of commercial importance and usually sold fresh throughout its range. The tomato hind is caught using hook and line, spear, and in

traps TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPSsubscription needed) is a periodic fever syndrome associated with mutations in a receptor (biochemistry), receptor for the molecule tumor necrosis factors, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) that is inheri ...

. It is found in Hong Kong live reef fish markets.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2070540 sonnerati Fish of the Pacific Ocean