You can sponsor this page

Lethrinus xanthochilus Klunzinger, 1870

Yellowlip emperor
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Lethrinus xanthochilus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Videos | Google image
Image of Lethrinus xanthochilus (Yellowlip emperor)
Lethrinus xanthochilus
Picture by Randall, J.E.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) > Lethrinidae (Emperors or scavengers) > Lethrininae
Etymology: Lethrinus: Greek, lethrinia, a fish pertaining to genus Pagellus.
More on author: Klunzinger.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 150 m (Ref. 2295). Tropical; 31°N - 28°S, 30°E - 134°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea, East Africa and the central Indian Ocean to the Marquesas Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 70.0 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); common length : 59.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 37816); max. published weight: 5.4 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. This species is distinguished by the following characters: body moderately elongate, its depth 2.8-3.5 times in standard length; head length 1-1.2 times in body depth, 2.6-3 times in SL, dorsal profile near eye convex; snout length about 1.7-2.5 times in HL, measured without the lip the snout is 0.8-0.9 times in cheek height, its dorsal profile nearly straight, snout angle relative to upper jaw between 45° and 60°; interorbital space distinctly concave; posterior nostril a longitudinal or vertical oblong opening, closer to orbit than anterior nostril; eye situated close to dorsal profile, its length 2.8-5.1 times in HL; cheek height 2.3-3.4 times in HL; lateral teeth in jaws conical; outer surface of maxilla smooth; D X, 9 with the third dorsal-fin spine the longest, its length 2-2.8 times in body depth; A III, 8 with the first soft ray usually the longest, its length approximately equal to or shorter than length of base of soft-rayed portion of anal fin and 1.3-1.7 times in length of entire anal-fin base; pectoral-fin rays 13; pelvic-fin membranes between rays closest to body with dense melanophores; cheek without scales; 47-48 lateral-line scales; 4 ½ scale rows between lateral line and base of middle dorsal-fin spines; 15-16 scale rows in transverse series between origin of anal fin and lateral line; usually 15 rows in lower series of scales around caudal peduncle; 5-8 scales in supratemporal patch; inner surface of pectoral fins without scales; posterior angle of operculum fully scaly. Colour of body yellowish grey with scattered irregular dark spots; lips yellowish, upper lip more intense; a red spot at upper base of pectoral fins; fins bluish grey and mottled, bases of fins lighter and edges of dorsal and caudal fins reddish (Ref. 114226).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Occurs in small groups over seagrass beds, sand and rubble areas of coral reefs, deep channels, and lagoons. Usually found in shallow water to depths of 150 m. Usually seen solitary but sometimes swims in small groups. Juveniles in seagrass beds (Ref. 48635). Feeds mainly on crustaceans, fishes, and echinoderms. Caught mostly with handline, traps, and trawl (Ref. 114226). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Carpenter, K.E. and G.R. Allen, 1989. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 9. Emperor fishes and large-eye breams of the world (family Lethrinidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lethrinid species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(9):118 p. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 2295)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 09 March 2015

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 130160)





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.5 - 29, mean 27.9 °C (based on 1520 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01549 (0.01034 - 0.02321), b=2.96 (2.84 - 3.08), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.8   ±0.0 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.14-0.30).
Prior r = 0.33, 95% CL = 0.22 - 0.49, Based on 2 data-limited stock assessments.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High vulnerability (57 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Very high vulnerability (76 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 30.6 [21.9, 41.4] mg/100g; Iron = 0.718 [0.493, 0.992] mg/100g; Protein = 20.2 [17.5, 22.3] %; Omega3 = 0.133 [0.100, 0.174] g/100g; Selenium = 55.2 [30.8, 81.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 28.6 [6.3, 148.6] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.88 [1.47, 2.31] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.