''Cephalopholis formosa'', the Bluelined hind or bluelined rockcod 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 ...

, a

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 ...

from 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 in 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 c ...

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 An ...

and sea basses. It is found in the

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 ...

where it is associated with reefs. It is sometimes found in the aquarium trade.

Description

''Cephalopholis formosa'' has a body which is between two and a half to just under three times as long as it is deep. It has a rounded, finely serrated preopercle rounded which has a fleshy lower edge. There are 47 to 51 in the lateral line There are 9 spines and 15-17 soft rays in 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 ...

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 s ...

has 3 spines and 7-8 soft rays. The

caudal 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 s ...

is rounded. The scales on the body, including the abdomen, are

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 w ...

. The body is dark brown to yellowish brown in color with thin blue stripes. There are small black and blue spots on the lips, snout, lower part of the head and the chest. They attain 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

''Cephalopholis formosa'' is found in the shallow, coastal waters of the continent and continental islands of the eastern Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean, the only oceanic islands where it is found are the

Lakshadweep Islands Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Laccadive Islands in the middle with the Amindivi Islands in the north separated roughly by the 11th parallel north and ...

. It is found from the Lakshadweeps and Sri Lanka east to the Philippines. It extends as far north as

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island ...

in Japan and south to Australia, where it has been recorded only from the

Northwest Shelf The Northwest Shelf Province, also known as Exmouth to Broome, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf. Geography The Northwest Shelf Province includes the coastal waters and continental shelf of north-western Western Australi ...

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 ...

. Records from the

Mascarenes The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Thei ...

are probably misidentifications of '' Cephalolophis polleni'' while those from the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

probably refer to '' C. boenak''. It has also been recorded in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

Habitat and biology

''Cephalopholis formosa'' is found in shallow waters over silty or dead reefs. It is a solitary species. It is found at depths between . It is a predatory species which feeds on other fishes and

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...

Taxonomy

''Cephalopholis formosa'' was first formally described as ''Sciaena formosa'' in 1812 by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

naturalist George Shaw (1751-1813) with the book he wrote with the illustrator

Frederick Polydore Nodder Frederick Polydore Nodder ( fl. 1770 – 1801) was an English illustrator, engraver and painter. Nodder illustrated George Shaw's periodical ''The Naturalist's Miscellany''. He also helped Joseph Banks prepare the '' Banks' Florilegium'' and ...

, ''The Naturalist's Miscellany, or coloured figures of natural objects; drawn and described from nature'' with the

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

given as Vizagapatam in India.

Utilisation

''Cephalopholis formosa'' is relatively small species of grouper is not normally a target for commercial fisheries. Local artisanal and subsistence fisheries take these fish as a

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juven ...

using by hook and line, traps and trawls. In India it is exploited for food but it is also prized as an aquarium fish and fishing effort for this purpose is expected to increase. It may have been introduced outside of its range due to escapes or releases from aquaria.

References

External links

* https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jai.12636 * http://www.fishbase.org/summary/6446 {{Taxonbar, from=Q1046988

formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...

Fish of Thailand Fish described in 1812