Beardedsoapfish :

EnglishName: Beardedsoapfish
Local Name : Saiboani faana
Size : Max. 33 cm
Family: Order : Specimen
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 8 spines and 12 or 13 rays. Anal fin with 3 spines and 8 rays. Pectoral rays 17 or 18. Body depth 2.2-2.7 is standard length. A large, flat, fleshy help oriented transversely on tip of chin. Caudal fin rounded.
Colour: Brown, somewhat blotched, with numerous dark edged small white spots on head, body and basally on fins. 4 triangular black saddles on back, the first on nape and the last on caudal peduncle.
Habitat and Biology: Occurs on coral reefs. Tends to hide in caves or beneath ledges by day but emerges at dusk. Carnivorous.
Distribution: Western Indian Ocean.
Remarks: Pogonoperca ocellata, like other soap fishes, secretes copious quantities of mucus (grammistin) specially when disturbed. Previously recorded under the family Grammistidae. This species is more often referred to as P. punctata, and name now reserved for the Pacific species.

Search