Chocolate hind (Cephalopholis boenak)

Scientific name: Cephalopholis boenak Bloch, 1790

The Chocolate hind (Cephalopholis boenak) is a marine fish of the family Serranidae.

Biology

Mainly a coastal species. Inhabits silty dead reefs in protected waters. Secretive. Feeds mainly on fish and crustaceans. Courtship and pair spawning were observed by Donaldson (1989, ). Diandric protogynous hermaphrodite.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Cephalopholis boenak
Family: Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 30.0
Depth range: 1–64 m (3–210 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 1 - 64 m, usually 1 - 20 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Kenya to southern Mozambique eastward to the western Pacific. Reported from the Arafura Sea. Not reported from oceanic islands in the Indian Ocean, except for Aldabra, Comoros, Madagascar, and the Andaman and Lakshadweep islands. Unknown from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and from the islands of Micronesia except for Palau. Record from Rodriguez by Heemstra & Randall (1984, ) could not be verified and is probably erroneous.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC), IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=1-2)