Reef Fish
Oriental Sweetlips
Plectorhinchus vittatus · Bony fish — family Haemulidae (grunts and sweetlips)
Adult oriental sweetlips have perfected standing still in public. Schools of a few dozen hover in tight formation under table corals and overhangs through the day, thick lips and painted stripes all facing the current, barely finning — an arrangement photographers structure whole dives around, especially in the Maldives. They disperse at night to root crustaceans and worms out of the sand. The juveniles seem like a different animal entirely: blotched brown-and-white clowns that swim in exaggerated, flopping loops, a performance widely interpreted as mimicry of toxic flatworms, advertising unpalatability before the fish has size on its side. Day schools tolerate a slow, level approach to within a body length; rush them and the formation dissolves over the reef edge. The family name is earned — disturbed fish grunt audibly by grinding pharyngeal teeth.
Где и когда увидеть
«Постоянные» — значит, большинство погружений в этом месте позволяет встретить их; «сезонные» — значит, они стабильно присутствуют в указанные месяцы; всё остальное — приятный бонус, а не повод строить планы.
| Направление | Достоверность | Месяцы | Примечания |
|---|---|---|---|
| North & South Malé AtollsMaldives | Resident — seen on most dives | Круглый год | |
| Sipadan & MabulMalaysia | Resident — seen on most dives | Круглый год | |
| Ari AtollMaldives | Resident — seen on most dives | Круглый год | |
| Similan Islands & Richelieu RockThailand | Resident — seen on most dives | Круглый год | |
| Zanzibar & MnembaTanzania | Resident — seen on most dives | Круглый год |
Лучший месяц — коротко
Как их понять
Среда обитания: Clear lagoon and seaward reefs, schooling by day under table corals, overhangs, and bommie shadows.
Ареал: Indian Ocean and western Pacific, from East Africa and the Maldives to Indonesia, Micronesia, and Samoa.
Поведение: Day-resting schools hold tight formation facing the current, dispersing after dark to feed; boldly patterned juveniles swim in exaggerated flopping loops widely read as flatworm mimicry.
Рацион питания: Crustaceans, worms, and other invertebrates rooted from sand and rubble at night.
Размер: как правило, около 0.4 m; задокументировано до 0.6 m (total length).
Как вести себя рядом с ним
Approach a resting school slow and level from down-current; rushing the formation scatters it and costs every diver behind you the sight.
Охрана природы
Taken in local fisheries across parts of the range; day-schooling behavior makes populations easy to deplete where spearfishing is common.
Известные места на карте
Смотреть
Из официальных источников
Best Places to Dive with Whale Sharks
Outrageously Tiny Fish
Sink or Swim? with Monét X Change | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Видео — это встроенные ссылки на каналы их авторов: мы ничего не размещаем у себя и указываем все источники.