Smalltooth emperor (Lethrinus microdon)

Scientific name: Lethrinus microdon Valenciennes, 1830

The Smalltooth emperor (Lethrinus microdon) is a marine fish of the family Lethrinidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. The snout is moderately long, its dorsal profile slightly concave. Body color is bluish gray or brown often with scattered irregular dark blotches on sides; sometimes three dark streaks radiate forward from the eye. The fins are pale or orangish.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Lethrinus microdon
Family: Lethrinidae (Emperors or scavengers)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 80.0
Common length: 40.0
Depth range: 80 m (262 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range ? - 80 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: widespread, including the Red Sea, Arabian (Persian) Gulf, East Africa to Sri Lanka, to the Ryukyu Islands and Papua New Guinea. Also recorded from Micronesia and French Polynesia but these are probably misidentifications of Lethrinus olivaceus.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Reports of ciguatera poisoning
Uses: Fisheries: commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.20)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026