19 photos - 11 species
Introduction
There are 3 genera and almost 40 species.
They are nocturnal hunters and prey
on various small animals in the reef
and neighbouring sand flats.
They are often strikingly coloured with a white
and yellow base and fins and yellow
with black longitudinal stripes and dots.
The juveniles of many species
are completely different in colour.
Depending on the species, they can grow to between 35 cm
and over 1 metre in length.
Diagramma pictum
Painted sweetlips, Australian slately, Blackall, Bluey, Moke,
Morwong, Grey sweetlips, Mother-in-law fish, Painted blubber-lips,
Slate sweetlips, Smokey bream, Thicklip or Yelowdot sweetlips
Maximum adult length: 90 cm
Depth: 3 - 40 m
Juvelins have a black and white longitudinal stripe pattern.
Sub-adults are creamy yellow, their stripes begin to dissolve into patches.
Adults are silver-light grey and are usually found in lagoons
and outer reefs, mostly over patch reefs with sandy areas.
Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi
Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides
Harlequin sweetlips, Clown sweetlips, Spotted sweetlips
or Max-spotted sweetlips
Maximum length: 60 cm
Depth: 8 - 35 m
Often seen in small schools.
Photo 1: Bangka island North Sulawesi
Photo 2: Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi
Photo 3: Embudu Maldives
Plectorhinchus flavomaculatus
Lemonfish
Maximum length: 60 cm
Depth: 1 - 100 m
Juveline sweetlips are found in inlets and even harbours,
adults live in muddy reefs at moderate depths.
Bangka Island North Sulawesi
Plectorhinchus gibbosus
Harry hotlips, Black sweetlips, Brown sweetlips, Dusky sweetlips,
Gibbous sweetlips, Hairy hotlips or Humpback sweetlips
Maximum length: 45 cm
Depth: 3 - 35 m
Most of the common sweetlips of the Red Sea hide under corals during the day.
As the name suggests: black spots on the body.
Hurghada Egypt
Plectorhinchus lessonii
Lesson's thicklip, Striped sweetlips
Maximum length: 40 cm
Depth: 1 - 35 m
The photo shows a juvenile.
Four broad dark stripes from the snout to the tail,
with further stripes on the head, pale, unmarked belly,
yellow dorsal, anal and caudal fins with large black spots
and yellow snout.
Bangka island North Sulawesi
Plectorhinchus lineatus
Yellowbanded sweetlips, Oblique-banded sweetlips, Diagonal -
banded sweetlips, Goldman's sweetlips, Lined blubber-lips, Lined sweetlips, Many-lined sweetlips or Yellowband sweetlips
Maximum length: 60 cm
Depth: 3 - 35 m
In some areas they form large schools along drop-offs.
Photo 1: Bangka Island North Sulawesi
Photo 1: Bali Indonesia
Plectorhinchus obscurus
Giant sweetlips
Maximum length: 1 m
Depth: 8 - 50 m
Adult fish usually hover over the reefs in small groups during the day.
Bali Indonesia
Plectorhinchus picus
Painted sweetlip, Blackspotted sweetlip, Magpie sweetlip,
Spotted Sweetlip
Maximum length: 84 cm
Depth: 3 - 50 m
The photos show a juvenile fish that prefers to live in sheltered lagoons.
White surface with a multitude of small black dots,
distributed over the whole body.
In the sea, the sweetlip seeks out seaward reefs and lagoons,
where it lives near large corals or in caves.
Banga island North Sulawesi
Plectorhinchus polytaenia
Ribboned sweetlips, Tesone di mare or Yellow-ribbon sweetlips
Maximum length: 50 cm
Depth: 5 - 30 m
Also together with similar species in groups.
The number of stripes increases with age.
Photos 1 - 2 ( juveniles ): Bangka Island North Sulawesi
Photo 3: Bali Indonesia
Plectorhinchus sordidus
Sordid rubberlip
Maximum length: 30 cm
Depth: 2 - 25 m
Silver-grey, yellowish eye.
At home near seagrass meadows in rock and coral reefs.
Juvenile, yellow with white lines.
Hurghada Egypt
Plectorhinchus vittatus
Indian ocean oriental sweetlips, Oriental sweetlips
or Oriental blubberlips
Maximum length: 50 cm
Depth: 2 - 40 m
Often travelling in schools on coastal and inner reefs.
Juveniles singly between boulders at shallow depths.
Embudu Maldives