Common Name: Sweetlip Emporer

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the tropical West Pacific region: from the Ryuku Islands and the Philippines, to northern Australia and New Caledonia. In Australia recorded from around Shark Bay in Western Australia, across the tropical north, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to northern New South Wales.

Ecological Notes: Adults frequent areas of coral reef feeding in sandy rubble. Juveniles live in shallow inshore areas of seagrass and mangroves, moving into deeper water as they age. Depth to 30 m.

Additional Notes: Base of pectoral fins bright orange, long snout and may display pale bars, but can change colour rapidly. Feeds on small fish and invertebrates, predominantly crabs and sea urchins. Grows to 90 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.180.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=lethrinus+miniatus. Accessed 04/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Lethrinus-miniatus.html. Accessed 04/03/18.