''Diploprion bifasciatum'', the barred soapfish, also known as the doublebanded soapfish, two banded grouper, two-banded sea perch, two-banded soapfish, yellow emperor or yellow striped grouper, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, related to the

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is ...

s and included in the subfamily

Epinephelinae Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is ...

which is part of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Serranidae The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae). Although many species are small, in some ca ...

, 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 found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Description

''Diploprion bifasciatum is a species with a compressed, moderately deep body that 3–3.4 times longer than its depth. Its body is almost all covered with small

ctenoid A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scales, which can also provide effective camouflage through the use of reflection and colouration, as ...

scales. The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

has a deep incision between its spined and soft rayed parts. It has long pelvic fins which extend past the spiny portion of the anal fin. The dorsal fin has 8 spines and 13–16 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 12–13 soft rays. The colour of this species normally ranges from pale yellow or greyish-yellow to bright yellow with a dark bar which runs through the eye and another wider dark band on the posterior part of its body with yellow fins. The larger fishes can be nearly all black with yellow fins. The small juveniles are bluish in colour on the anterior part of their bodies and yellow on the posterior part, they also have a spiny part of the dorsal fin coloured black. The juveniles appear to mimic whichever local species of venomous

blennies Blenny (from the Greek and , mucus, slime) is a common name for many types of fish, including several families of percomorph marine, brackish, and some freshwater fish sharing similar morphology and behaviour. Six families are considered "t ...

in the genus ''Meiacanthus'' which are blue or grey in colour. This species attains a maximum

total 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 ...

of .

Distribution

''Diploprion bifasciatum'' has a wide distribution in the Indo-West Pacific. Its range extends from the Maldives and India east to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, north as far as southern Japan south to Australia. In Australia its distribution extends from

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

to the Solitary Islands Marine Park in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, although juveniles may be found further south. They are also found around

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

in the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...

Habitat and biology

''Diploprion bifasciatum'' prefers coastal habitats in semi-silty conditions but also occur in the vicinity of caves and crevices in rocky and coral reefs. It is found at depths of . It is a predatory species that is able to feed on relatively large prey which is captured and swallowed whole with its highly protrusible jaws. Analaysis of stomach contents has shown that it feeds mainly on fishes and crustaceans. When stressed this species secretes the skin toxin grammitsin.

Taxonomy

''Diploprion bifasciatum'' was first formally described in 1828 by the French naturalist and

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

Georges Cuvier (1769-1832). Cuvier based his description on material collected by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

naturalist

Heinrich Kuhl Heinrich Kuhl (17 September 1797 – 14 September 1821) was a German naturalist and zoologist. Kuhl was born in Hanau (Hesse, Germany). Between 1817 and 1820, he was the assistant of professor Th. van Swinderen, docent natural history at the ...

(1797-1821) and the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, botanist and mycologist

Johan Conrad van Hasselt Johan Conrad van Hasselt (occasionally Johan Coenraad van Hasselt; 24 June 1797 in Doesburg – 8 September 1823), was a Dutch physician, zoologist, botanist and mycologist. Conrad van Hasselt studied medicine at the University of Groningen. In ...

(1797-1823) and their unpublished descriptions of those specimens which they collexcted at the type locality of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

. It is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Diploprion ''Diploprion'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and included in the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up ...

''.

Utilisation

''Diploprion bifasciatum'' is uncommon in the aquarium trade but is the most frequently encountered species of soapfish in that trade.

References

External links

*http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=277235 *http://australianmuseum.net.au/Barred-Soapfish-Diploprion-bifasciatum-Kuhl-Hasselt-1828/ * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1873629 Diploprionini Fish of Thailand Fish described in 1828 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier