Animal Species:Blue-spotted Rockcod, Cephalopholis cyanostigma (Valenciennes, 1828)

Identification

The Blue-spotted Rockcod is brown to orange-brown with numerous small blue spots on the head, body and fins. Each spot has a black margin and is surrounded by a white "halo".

Size range

The species grows to 35 cm in length.

Distribution

It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Western Pacific.

In Australia it is recorded from the offshore reefs of north-western Western Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

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

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Blue-spotted Rockcod specimens in the Australian Museums.

What does this mean?

Classification

Species:

cyanostigma

Genus:

Cephalopholis

Family:

Serranidae

Class:

Actinopterygii

Subphylum:

Vertebrata

Phylum:

Chordata

Kingdom:

Animalia

What does this mean?

References

1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
2. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
3. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.

Last Updated: 15 September 2012

Tags fish, ichthyology, Blue-spotted Rockcod, Cephalopholis cyanostigma, brown, orange-brown, blue spots, dots/spots, halo, 30 cm - 1 m, tropical water, marine, Great Barrier Reef,