''Lethrinus olivaceus'', common name longface emperor or long-nosed emperor, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of bony fishes belonging to the family
Lethrinidae
The Lethrinidae are a family of fishes in the order Perciformes commonly known as emperors, emperor breams, and pigface breams.
These fish are found in tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and ''Lethrinus atlanticus'' is also found ...
.
Description
''Lethrinus olivaceus'' can reach a length of about . This large lethrinid has a very long snout, with dark wavy streaks. The basic color of the body is olive-grayish, usually with various irregular darker blotches, but it can have different colour and pattern for a better camouflage. It has 10 dorsal spine, 9 dorsal soft rays, 3 anal spines and 8 anal soft rays. Juveniles show a more forked caudal fin. This species is very similar to ''
Lethrinus microdon
''Lethrinus microdon'' is a species of emperor fish. It is a marine fish, bluish-grey or brown in colour with pale or somewhat orange fins. This species is reef-associated and is often found in small schools, occasionally with '' Lethrinus oliva ...
''.
[
]
Distribution
This species is widespread in Indo-West 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 ...
, from Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
and 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 ...
to Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
and Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...
.[Carpenter, K.E. and G.R. Allen, 1989. [ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/t0242e/T0242E11.pdf FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 9. Emperor fishes and large-eye breams of the world (family Lethrinidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lethrinid species known to date.] FAO Fish. Synop.][WoRMS]
/ref>
Habitat
It is a reef-associated species and it can be found in lagoons, in sandy coastal areas and in reef slopes, at depths of 1 to 185 m.
/ref>[
]
Biology
These very active and fast swimming fishes often occur in large schools, but adults are usually solitary. They are occasionally found in small schools with ''Lethrinus microdon
''Lethrinus microdon'' is a species of emperor fish. It is a marine fish, bluish-grey or brown in colour with pale or somewhat orange fins. This species is reef-associated and is often found in small schools, occasionally with '' Lethrinus oliva ...
''.''Lethrinus microdon'' in Fishbase
/ref> They feed mainly on crustaceans, cephalopods and fishes.[
]
References
External links
*
NCBI
Animal Diversity
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2443860
Lethrinidae
Fish described in 1830