Plectropomus leopardus (Lacepède, 1802)

Leopard coralgrouper

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Perciformes \| Serranidae \| Epinephelinae
Synonyms	Holocentrus leopardus, Paracanthistius suji, Plectropoma leopardinus, ... more
Common names	Saumonée léopard, Mero celestial, Coral trout, ... more

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Image of Plectropomus leopardus (Leopard coralgrouper)

Picture by Randall, J.E.

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This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.

AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall. 1993. (Ref. 5222)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Heemstra, Phillip C. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 120 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6390); common length : 35.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. ); max. published weight: 23.6 kg (Ref. 6390); max. reported age: 26 years (Ref. 3639)

Environment

Reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine; depth range 3 - 100 m (Ref. 9710)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 24°C - ? (Ref. 2160); 35°N - 30°S, 99°E - 178°W (Ref. 5222)

Western Pacific: southern Japan to Australia (Queensland and Western Australia) and eastward to the Caroline Islands and Fiji. Recently recorded from Tonga (Ref. 53797). Often misidentified as Plectropomus maculatus.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 7 - 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. Color in life olivaceous to reddish brown (some are orange-red), paler ventrally with numerous minute round, dark-edged blue spots on head and body (except lower thorax and abdomen), median fins and pectoral fin base; largest spots on body with 3 times or more in greater pupil diameter; with more than 10 spots on cheek (in the region below and behind center of eye to preopercular margin); only Plectropomus with a nearly complete blue ring (dark brown in preservative) around the eye (sometimes broken into segments); whitish margin very narrow and usually present along middle or posterior margin of caudal fin, often preceded by an indistinct dark band; pectoral rays 14-17 (modally 16); 89-99 lateral line scales; 112-127 scales in longitudinal series; interorbital space no embedded scales; gill rakers on first gill arch developed 1-3 + 6-10; gill raker at right angle of first arch longer than longest gill filaments at angle; enlarged posterior nostril on individuals > 40 cm SL; dorsal soft ray 3rd or 4th longest, 2.2-2.75 in head; anal soft ray longest 2nd or 3rd, 2.05-2.45 in head; outer margin of anal fin from 4th -8th soft ray straight to slightly convex; emarginate caudal fin, caudal concavity 5.0-12.0 in head, fin length 1.3-1.55 in head; pectoral fins 1.9-2.2in head; pelvic fins 1.9-2.2 in head (Ref. 4787).

Inhabit coral-rich areas of lagoon reefs and mid-shelf reefs (Ref. 6390, 48635). Inactive at night, hiding under ledges (Ref. 9710). Juveniles have a demersal existence in shallow water in reef habitats, especially around coral rubble (Ref. 27259). Adults feed mainly on fish (Ref. 6390). Juveniles feed on small fish and invertebrates such as crustaceans and squid (Ref. 27261). A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367). Form several spawning aggregations on a reef occurring around the new moon (Ref. 27259). Eggs float just below the surface (Ref. 6390). Larvae are pelagic (Ref. 6390). P. leopardus is used in cage culture; P. maculatus in Ref. 3081 was probably a mixture of P. maculatus and P. leopardus; the Plectropomus sp. used for the experiments reported in Ref. 4719 consisted predominantly of P. leopardus, with some P. maculatus (M.F. Capra, pers. comm.). On the Great Barrier Reef, its maximum lifespan is 14 years (Ref. 37816).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Near Threatened (NT) , IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group	Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 4821)

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-4; tmax=26; Fec=457,900)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate to high vulnerability (51 of 100)	Very high

Entered by Binohlan, Crispina B.

Modified by Luna, Susan M.

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