Author: (Lacepède, 1802)
FBname: Leopard coralgrouper
Comments: Inhabit coral-rich areas of lagoon reefs and mid-shelf reefs (Ref. 6390, 48635).  Solitary (Ref. 90102). Inactive at night, hiding under ledges (Ref. 9710).  Juveniles have a demersal existence in shallow water in reef habitats, especially around coral rubble (Ref. 27259).  Adults feed mainly on fish (Ref. 6390), juveniles feed on small fish and invertebrates such as crustaceans and squid (Ref. 27261).  A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367).  Form several spawning aggregations on a reef occurring around the new moon (Ref. 27259).  Eggs float just below the surface (Ref. 6390).  Larvae are pelagic (Ref. 6390).  <i>P. leopardus</i> is used in cage culture; <i>P. maculatus</i> in Ref. 3081 was probably a mixture of <i>P. maculatus</i> and <i>P. leopardus</i>; the <i>Plectropomus</i> sp. used for the experiments reported in Capra et al., 1988 (Ref. 4719) consisted predominantly of <i>P. leopardus</i>, with some <i>P. maculatus</i> (M.F. Capra, pers. comm.).  On the Great Barrier Reef, its maximum lifespan is 14 years (Ref. 37816).