Lethrinus lentjan, the pink ear emperor, redspot emperor, purple ear emperor or purple-headed emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
| Lethrinus lentjan | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Lethrinidae |
| Genus: | Lethrinus |
| Species: | L. lentjan
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| Binomial name | |
| Lethrinus lentjan | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Taxonomy
editLethrinus lentjan was first formally described as Bodianus lentjan by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède with no type locality given but it is thought to be Java.[4] Some authors place the genus Lethrinus in the monotypic subfamily Lethrininae, with all the other genera of Lethrinidae placed in the Monotaxinae, however, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise the subfamilies traditionally accepted within the family Lethrinidae as valid. The family Lethrinidae is classified by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World as belonging to the order Spariformes.[5]
Etymology
editLethrinus lentjan has the specific name lentjan, this name was not explained by Lacépède but is thought to be a local name for this fish in Indonesia.[6]
Description
editThis is a large species, growing to approximately 50 cm in length.[7][8][9] however specimens in the intertidal zone may be around 15 cm.[8] The body is olive-green, becoming paler toward the belly.[10][11]
The scales are large and in a diamond pattern. There is a blood-red colouration around the margin of gill covers, and often at the base of the pectoral fins as well.[7][8] The dorsal fin is white has a reddish margin. Both the caudal and dorsal fins have orange mottling. The pectoral fin may be pale orange, whitish or yellowish.[10] It has thick, fleshy lips, and a somewhat protractiile snout.[7][11]
Distribution
editLethrinus lentjan is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific and other waters. It is known to live in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef,[10] and the northern half of Australia.,[11] in the lagoon around New Caledonia,[12][13] along the east coast of Africa, and in the waters of Taiwan.[9][11]
Habitat
editLethrinus lentjan lives mainly in coastal areas.[10] It occurs in coral reefs and also inhabits areas with sandy bottoms and grassy seabeds, in mangrove swamps, and deep lagoons. Juveniles are more commonly associated with shallow areas, often in loose aggregations with adult specimens. Adults are usually solitary and may be found in waters up to 84 metres in depth.[10][9][11]
Diet
editLethrinus lentjan is a carnivore and eats mostly crustaceans and mollusks such as snails.[7] It also feeds on echinoderms, polychaetes, bivalves, worms, and various fishes.[8][9]
Human uses
editLethrinus lentjan is commercially and recreationally fished for human consumption.[10][7][8]
Parasites
editLethrinus lentjan, like most fish, is the host of several species of parasites.[14] Monogeneans parasitic on the gills include the diplectanid Calydiscoides difficilis[15] and Calydiscoides duplicostatus,[15] and an ancyrocephalid.[14] The gills also harbour unidentified gnathiid isopod larvae.[14] The digestive tract harbours several species of digeneans,[14] including the opecoelid Orthodena tropica[16] and unidentified anisakid nematode larvae.[14] In New Caledonia, where its parasites were studied, Lethrinus lentjan has a total of seven species of parasites.[14]
References
edit- ^ Carpenter, K.E.; Lawrence, A.; Myers, R. (2016). "Lethrinus lentjan". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T16720036A16722340. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16720036A16722340.en. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ Nicolas Bailly (2007). "Lethrinus letjan". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Lethrinus lentjan". FishBase. October 2023 version.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Lethrinus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 502–506. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
- ^ "Order Spariformes: Families Lethrinidae, Nemipteridae, and Sparidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Lethrinus lentjan". Macau Biodiversity. 2013-12-23. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e "Pink ear emperor (Lethrinus lentjan) on the Shores of Singapore". Wildsingapore.com. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ a b c d "Lethrinus lentjan, Pink ear emperor : fisheries". Fishbase.org. 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e f Dianne J. Bray. "Lethrinus lentjan". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Lethrinus lentjan - Redspot Emperor". Discover Life. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ Laboute, P. & Grandperrin, R. (2000). Poissons de Nouvelle-Calédonie (in French). Nouméa, New Caledonia: Éditions Catherine Ledru.
- ^ Fricke, R.; Kulbicki, M. & Wantiez, L. (2011). "Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces)" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie). 4: 341–463.
- ^ a b c d e f Justine, Jean-Lou; Beveridge, Ian; Boxshall, Geoffrey A.; Bray, Rod A.; Moravec, František & Whittington, Ian D. (2010). "An annotated list of fish parasites (Copepoda, Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda and Nematoda) collected from Emperors and Emperor Bream (Lethrinidae) in New Caledonia further highlights parasite biodiversity estimates on coral reef fish" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2691 (1): 1–40. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2691.1.1.
- ^ a b Rascalou, Guilhem & Justine, Jean-Lou (2007). "Three species of Calydiscoides (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) from five Lethrinus spp. (Lethrinidae: Perciformes) off New Caledonia, with a description of Calydiscoides terpsichore sp. n." Folia Parasitologica. 54 (3): 191–202. doi:10.14411/fp.2007.026. PMID 19245190.
- ^ Bray, Rodney & Justine, Jean-Lou (2007). "Pseudopycnadena tendu sp. nov. (Digenea, Opecoelidae) in the yellow-spotted triggerfish Pseudobalistes fuscus (Perciformes, Balistidae) and additional opecoelids parasitizing fishes from the waters off New Caledonia". Acta Parasitologica. 52 (1): 13–17. doi:10.2478/s11686-006-0051-3.
External links
edit- Photos of Lethrinus lentjan on Sealife Collection