Polkadot Cod
Plectropomus areolatus
- Usual depth3–17 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Best monthsJuly and August
- How commonOccasional
About this species
The squaretail coral grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish. It is a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae, which is part of the family Serranidae. This family also includes anthias and sea basses. The squaretail coral grouper is also known as the spotted coral trout or the squaretail coral trout, and is fast-growing, short-lived, and early-maturing. However, due to the continued decrease in its population, it is now classified as vulnerable, as it continues to face threats from human activity.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Squaretail coral grouper”, 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: 2 records
- February: 8 records
- March: 7 records
- April: 12 records
- May: 16 records
- June: 12 records
- July: 18 records
- August: 27 records
- September: 6 records
- October: 6 records
- November: 2 records
- December: 3 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 3–17 m · Deepest record: 46 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Polkadot Cod, Spotted Coral Trout, Squaretail coralgrouper, squaretail coraltrout, Square-tail Coral Trout, Squaretail Coral Trout, squaretail grouper, Squaretail Leopardgrouper
Names in 3 more languages
- Spanish
- Mero Troncón
- French
- Mérou queue carrée, Saumonée Ocellée
- Japanese
- Oaonomeara, オオアオノメアラ
Other scientific names: Plectropoma areolatum, Plectropomus areolatum, Plectropomus trancatus, Plectropomus truncatus
Similar species
- Blacksaddled coralgrouper
Plectropomus laevis
- bluedotted coraltrout
Plectropomus leopardus
- Roving grouper
Plectropomus maculatus
- Blue-lined Coralgrouper
Plectropomus oligacanthus
Peacock grouperCephalopholis argus
Coral grouperCephalopholis miniata
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).
- 327 open-data records from 1830 to 2023.
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