Sweetlip emperor
Encyclopedia
The sweetlip emperor also referred to as the trumpet emperor, is a fish of the Emperor
family. It can be found on coral reef
s and moderately warm waters in the Western Pacific Ocean
, although its primary habitat is the Great Barrier Reef
. It can also be found in the coastal regions in the centre of Western Australia
.
Growing up to 90cm in length, its light grey colour has small black scale centres dotted around its body. Its first dorsal (on the back or top of the fish) fin is red, before changing towards the tail to a darker colour. The area around the base of its pectoral fins
(on the chest behind the head) is red or orange. The area around its eyes, the corner of its mouth and on parts of the fins on the bottom can also be red or orange.
Sweetlip emperors are carnivorous predators in the reef; however, their main prey are small crustacean
s such as crab
s as well as sand-dollars and small fish. They also eat most other organisms that live near the bottom of the reef.
Even though sweetlip emperors live at the bottom of the reef, they are found only on the continental shelf where the bottom is sandy and light. They also choose a home near a reef for protection from other predators.
Today, species of emperor in the reef (including the sweetlip emperor) are threatened because they are desired by both commercial fishing
operations and also for pleasure fishers, due to their lovely colour and nice taste.
Sweetlip Emperors have a strange breeding and development pattern. Off the coast of Cairns the babies are spawned almost all the time. Off the coast of Townville they mate in June and August and off the coast October and November in more southern waters. These different breeding times are due to different water temperatures. Sweetlip Emperors can spawn (like eggs that hatch eventually) only in warmer water.
The babies and children live near the shore in seagrass
beds and mangrove swamps, where the water is shallow. As they grow older, they begin to move out towards the ocean like the adults. As they grow and get older, their sex changes from female to male.
Lethrinidae
The emperor breams or simply emperors also known as pigface breams are a family, Lethrinidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes....
family. It can be found on coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s and moderately warm waters in the Western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, although its primary habitat is the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
. It can also be found in the coastal regions in the centre of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Growing up to 90cm in length, its light grey colour has small black scale centres dotted around its body. Its first dorsal (on the back or top of the fish) fin is red, before changing towards the tail to a darker colour. The area around the base of its pectoral fins
Fish anatomy
Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs more light than air does.- Body :...
(on the chest behind the head) is red or orange. The area around its eyes, the corner of its mouth and on parts of the fins on the bottom can also be red or orange.
Sweetlip emperors are carnivorous predators in the reef; however, their main prey are small crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s such as crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s as well as sand-dollars and small fish. They also eat most other organisms that live near the bottom of the reef.
Even though sweetlip emperors live at the bottom of the reef, they are found only on the continental shelf where the bottom is sandy and light. They also choose a home near a reef for protection from other predators.
Today, species of emperor in the reef (including the sweetlip emperor) are threatened because they are desired by both commercial fishing
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
operations and also for pleasure fishers, due to their lovely colour and nice taste.
Sweetlip Emperors have a strange breeding and development pattern. Off the coast of Cairns the babies are spawned almost all the time. Off the coast of Townville they mate in June and August and off the coast October and November in more southern waters. These different breeding times are due to different water temperatures. Sweetlip Emperors can spawn (like eggs that hatch eventually) only in warmer water.
The babies and children live near the shore in seagrass
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
beds and mangrove swamps, where the water is shallow. As they grow older, they begin to move out towards the ocean like the adults. As they grow and get older, their sex changes from female to male.