Leopard coralgrouper (Plectropomus leopardus)

Scientific name: Plectropomus leopardus Lacep?de, 1802

The Leopard coralgrouper (Plectropomus leopardus) is a marine fish of the family Serranidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 24°C (75°F).

Leopard coralgrouper care at a glance

Temperature: 24°C (75°F)

Biology

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

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Plectropomus leopardus
Family: Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 120
Common length: 35.0
Depth range: 3–100 m (10–328 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; oceanodromous; depth range 3 - 100 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Western Pacific: southern Japan to Australia (Queensland and Western Australia) and eastward to the Caroline Islands and Fiji. Recently recorded from Tonga. Often misidentified as Plectropomus maculatus.
Conservation status (IUCN): Near Threatened (NT), IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group
Threat to humans: Reports of ciguatera poisoning
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-4; tmax=26; Fec=457,900)