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Clown Sweetlips

Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth3–16 m
  • Water temperature24–30 °C
  • Best monthsMay, September, and November
  • How commonOccasional
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About this species

Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides, the harlequin sweetlips, clown sweetlips, spotted sweetlips or many-spotted sweetlips, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sweetlips belonging to the subfamily Plectorhinchinae, one of two subfamilies in the family Haemulidae, the grunts. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region. This species is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can be found in the aquarium trade.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 0 records
  • February: 4 records
  • March: 9 records
  • April: 9 records
  • May: 10 records
  • June: 3 records
  • July: 2 records
  • August: 5 records
  • September: 11 records
  • October: 9 records
  • November: 13 records
  • December: 2 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 3–16 m · Deepest record: 43 m

  • 0–10 m: 35 records
  • 10–20 m: 13 records
  • 20–30 m: 0 records
  • 30–40 m: 1 records
  • 40–50 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C

  • 24–26 °C: 9 records
  • 26–28 °C: 15 records
  • 28–30 °C: 37 records

Names and classification

English
Clown Sweetlips, Harlequin Sweetlip, Harlequin Sweetlips, Harlequin Thicklip, Many-spotted Sweetlips, Spotted Blubber-lips, Spotted sweetlips
Names in 7 more languages
German
Harlekin-Süßlippe
Spanish
Bakoko arlequín
Filipino
Alatan
French
Diagramme arlequin, Gaterin arlequin, Gaterin harlequin
Japanese
Chochokoshodai, チョウチョウコショウダイ
Thai
ปลาสร้อยนกเขาดอกดำ
Simplified Chinese
厚唇石鱸, 小丑石鱸, 打鐵婆, 斑胡椒鯛, 斑胡椒鲷, 燕子花旦, 花臉

Other scientific names: Gaterin chaetodonoides, Plectorhinchus chaetodontoides, Plectorhinchus chaetodontonoides, Plectorhincus chaetodonoides, Plectorhynchus chaetodonoides, Plectorhynchus chaetodontoides, Plectorhynchus chaetonoides, Plectorynchus chaetodonoides

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 875 open-data records from 1906 to 2023.

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