Brown Sweetlips, Plectorhinchus gibbosus (Lacépède, 1802)

Scientific name: Plectorhinchus gibbosus
Alternative name/s:
Black Sweetlip, Blubber-lip Bream, Brown Blubber-lips, Dusky Sweetlips, Hairy Hotlips, Rubber-lip Bream
Brown Sweetlips, Plectorhinchus gibbosus Click to enlarge image
A Brown Sweetlips, Plectorhinchus gibbosus, caught with a cast net in the Calliope River, near Gladstone, Queensland, 14 October 2015. Image: Michael Blundell
© Michael Blundell

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Plectorhinchus
    Species
    gibbosus
    Family
    Haemulidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to about 75 cm in length.

Introduction

The Brown Sweetlips has very large fleshy lips. It occurs in coral reef, estuarine and inshore waters.

Identification

The Brown Sweetlips has very large fleshy lips and ctenoid scales. It is brown to dark grey, with dark scale margins. The margins of the operculum and preoperculum are dark brown to black.

Habitat

The species occurs in coral reef, estuarine and inshore waters. It tends to move up estuaries more than other members of the genus (pers. comm. J. Johnson, Queensland Museum).

Distribution

It occurs in tropical waters of the Indo-west and Central Pacific. In Australia it occurs from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and south to the central coast of New South Wales.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

References

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
  3. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  5. McKay, R.K. 2001.Haemulidae. in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae). FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-iv, 2791-3379.
  6. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.