Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Scientific name Plectorhinchus polytaenia Higher classification Plectorhinchus Order Perciformes | |
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Similar Plectorhinchus, Rhinopias, Yellow boxfish, Grunts, Spotted trunkfish | ||
Plectorhinchus polytaenia, the ribboned sweetlips, is a species of grunt native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, where they can be found on coral reefs at depths from 5 to 40 m (16 to 131 ft). This species can reach 50 cm (20 in) in TL. It is important commercially as a food fish.
Juveniles have black stripes and live alone on rubble slopes in deep water. As they age, the black is reduced to an outline, and the stripes become more yellow; increasing stripes develop with age. Their bright colors help them blend into the coral in which they live. These fish feed on crabs, shrimps, sea snails, and worms.
References
Ribboned sweetlips Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA