Scolopsis margaritifera (Cuvier, 1830)
Pearly monocle bream
Scolopsis margaritifera
photo by Cook, D.C.

Family:  Nemipteridae (Threadfin breams, Whiptail breams)
Max. size:  28 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 25 m
Distribution:  Western Pacific: South China Sea to Vanuatu and northwestern Australia.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 10-10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-7. Head scales reaching to or almost to posterior nostrils. Lower limb of preopercle scaly. Antrorse (forward-directed) suborbital spine absent. Pelvic fins long, reaching almost to or beyond level of origin of anal fin. Color: Upper body olive, white below. 2 pearly white stripes on snout in front of eyes. Lower lobe of caudal fin reddish. Juveniles white, with a narrow black stripe along back (only on some specimens) and black midlateral stripe. Some with a yellowish ventral surface. Presence of a black spot between first four dorsal spines. Some color variation between Indian and Pacific populations: juveniles lack yellow stripe in the Indian Ocean population and adults show a contrasting dark back compared to Pacific form (Ref. 48635).
Biology:  Found on sand bottoms close to reefs. Feed on crustaceans, polychaete worms, mollusks and small fishes (Ref. 3810, 9785). Juveniles may be Batesian mimics of poison-fang blennies, Meiacanthus spp. (M. geminatus and M. vittatus) (Ref. 37816, 90102). It is parasitised by the monogenean Anoplodiscus hutsonae on the pectoral fins and body surface (Ref. 124057).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 03 March 2015 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 


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