Author: (Forsskål, 1775)
FBname: Spangled emperor
Comments: Inhabit coral reefs, coralline lagoons, seagrass beds, mangrove swamps, flat sand bottoms, and coastal rock areas.  Adults solitary or in small schools; juveniles form large schools in shallow, sheltered sandy areas, also harbors where seagrasses, algae or sponge habitats are found at various depths.  Feed on echinoderms, mollusks and crustaceans, and to some extent on polychaetes and fish.  The reproductive nature of spangled emperors is uncertain, although they also may be protogynous hermaphrodites (Ref. 27260, 55367).  However, recent study classified juvenile hermaphroditism for this species wherein transition from ovary to testis occurs before ovarian maturation, hence, no true sex-reversal in the sense of protogynous hermaphroditism is observed (Ref. 107020).  May have a coppery or iodine taste or smell in the Indian Ocean (Ref. 2295, 11888).  It has been shown that this species can survive for long periods in salinities as low as 10 parts per thousand and therefore it is a potential estuarine aquaculture species (Ref. 2295).  Taken by handline, traps, trawls, seines, and gill nets. Marketed mostly fresh. Very important commercial and sport fish in some countries (Ref. 68703).