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Lesson's sweetlips (Plectorhinchus lessonii) — Haemulidae

Lesson's sweetlips

Plectorhinchus lessonii
Family: Haemulidae

The Lesson's sweetlips (Plectorhinchus lessonii) is a saltwater fish of the family Haemulidae that grows up to 40 cm.

Length
40 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
1.0–35.0 m
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Flat / disc-shaped
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
Harmless

Description

The Lesson's sweetlips is a grunt or sweetlips (Haemulidae) from the Indo-Pacific. The species grows to about 40 cm and has a deep, silver-grey body with fleshy lips. The white-yellow body bears black longitudinal stripes and yellow fins with black spots. As a bottom-oriented predator it shelters by day around coral and rocky reefs and hunts small crustaceans, worms and small fish at night. It is a food fish. The fish is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Lesson's sweetlips?

The Lesson's sweetlips has a flattened, disc-shaped body and is mainly silver-grey.

Where does the Lesson's sweetlips live?

The Lesson's sweetlips lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground.

How big does the Lesson's sweetlips get?

The Lesson's sweetlips grows to a maximum of about 40 cm.

Is the Lesson's sweetlips dangerous to humans?

No, the Lesson's sweetlips is harmless to humans.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Lessons zoetlip sourced
English name
Lesson's sweetlips sourced
Scientific name
Plectorhinchus lessonii
Family
Haemulidae
Other names
Lesson's thicklip; Lined sweetlips; Striped sweetlips verified

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
40.0 verified
Body shape
Flat / disc-shaped sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Lips
Thick / fleshy sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Stone or rock sourced
Min depth (m)
1.0 verified
Max depth (m)
35.0 verified
Origin
Native inferred

Behaviour & biology

Territorial
No inferred
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes inferred
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred

For anglers

Fishing method
Vissen met natuurlijk aas (vis, garnaal, worm) of kunstaas dicht bij rif- en rotsstructuren. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless verified

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Plectorhinchus

More from the family Haemulidae

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