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Plectropomus areolatus  (Rüppell, 1830)

Squaretail coralgrouper
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Plectropomus areolatus
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Saudi Arabia country information

Common names: Nagil
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Also Ref. 100374
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall, 1993
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets) > Epinephelinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Main reference

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 80.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 90102)

Length at first maturity
Lm ?, range 41 - ? cm

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 20 m (Ref. 9710)

Climate / Range

Tropical, preferred 28°C (Ref. 107945); 31°N - 25°S, 32°E - 169°W (Ref. 5222)

Distribution

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea to the Phoenix Islands and Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia.
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. Distinguished by the following characteristics: Has truncate tail with a narrow white posterior margin (Ref. 37816); further characterized by whitish to pale grey color; head, body and fins with numerous small, dark-edged blue spots; frequently with 4-5 dark blotches forming saddles on back; large canine teeth at front of jaws; 1-4 large canines on side of lower jaw; elongate body, greatest depth 2.9-3.9 in SL; truncate to slightly emarginate caudal fin; pectoral fins 2.0-2.3 in head length; pelvic fins 2.0-2.4 in head length (Ref. 90102); snout length 2.8-3.6 times in head length; suborbital depth 5.6-10 times in HL; flat interorbital area, with small, embedded scales; broadly rounded preopercle, with 3 large , ventrally directed spines along lower half; smooth interopercle and subopercle; 3 flat spines on opercle, upper and lower spines covered by skin; posterior and anterior nostrils subequal in size, set in shallow groove running forward from eye (Ref. 89707).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Adults inhabit lagoon and seaward reefs, in areas with rich coral growth. Most frequently encountered in channels along the reef front (Ref. 9710, 48635). Often a shy fish (Ref. 48635). Feed exclusively on fishes (Ref. 37816). Misidentified as P. leopardus in Ref. 2928 (Johannes, pers. comm.). This study reports of a declining stock in Palau due to fishing. Before actual spawning around full moon, the species aggregates along channels and are responsive to baited hooks, making them vulnerable to fishermen; upward movements of some to take baited hooks presumably mistaken for courtship or spawning behavior. Large individuals may be ciguatoxic in certain areas (Ref. 37816). In the Hong Kong live fish markets (Ref. 27253).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A4d)

Threat to humans

  Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 4690)



Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial

More information

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion
Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

BHL | Check for other websites | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO(fisheries: production; publication : search) | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GOBASE | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | iSpecies | National databases | PubMed | Scirus | Sea Around Us | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | uBio | uBio RSS | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record | Fishtrace

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD50 = 0.5078 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.5   ±0.80 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High vulnerability (57 of 100)
Price category (Ref. 80766)
Very high