Pomadasys auritus (Cuvier, 1830)
Longhead grunt
Pomadasys auritus
photo by Chua, E.

Family:  Haemulidae (Grunts), subfamily: Haemulinae
Max. size:  52 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; brackish; marine
Distribution:  Western Pacific: China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and New South Wales, Australia.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 12-12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14-14; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-7. Body color silvery to light burnished gold; dorsal fins with well defined blackish spots on interspinous membranes; adults with blackish spot on tip of each scale on back and upper sides. Body depth 3.2 tomes in SL. Head large; upper profile convex; gill cover and angle of preopercle lengthened as convex rounded lobe; gill cover extending to above 1/3 to 1/2 of pectoral fins. Mouth small; maxilla reaching to eye. Pores 2 and a median pit on chin (Ref. 47695).
Biology:  A rare species apparently inhabiting deeper waters of the continental shelf (Ref. 47695).
IUCN Red List Status: Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 15 July 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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