Anyperodon
Spitzkopf grouper ( Anyperodon leucogrammicus )
The red-tailed grouper ( Anyperodon leucogrammicus ) comes in the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific from Mozambique until after Japan, Australia and the Phoenix Islands. He prefers coral -rich areas in lagoons outer reefs at depths of one to 50 meters and often hides in caves and crevices. The 65 inches long expectant fish feeds mainly on small fish and possibly of larger crustaceans.
Features
The pointed head - grouper has an elongated, laterally compressed body. The mouth is always much longer than the diameter of the eyes. The usual groupers " dog teeth " in the front part of both jaws are rudimentary or absent. The teeth on the sides of the lower jaw are of different lengths. In contrast to all other groupers, the palatine bone the pointed head - grouper is toothless.
The dorsal fin has eleven hard - and 14 to 16 soft rays, the anal fin has three hard - and eight to nine soft rays. The weichstrahlige part of the dorsal fin and the anal fin are rounded. Breast, and pelvic fins are small and only about half as long as the length of the head, the pelvic fins do not reach the anus. The caudal fin is rounded.
Full-grown red-tailed grouper are bright greenish or gray-brown with a variety rotorangener points on the head, body, back and tail fin. On the sides you can see four white longitudinal bands which are becoming weaker with age. The pectoral fins, and the rear areas of the back, anus and tail fin are transparent.
Young fish that are smaller than eight inches, show a Farbmimikry of wrasses of the genus Halichoeres. They are golden yellow color and bluish- gray stripes. On the tail fin root and in the dorsal fin ever sit an eyespot.
System
The pointed head - grouper has the elongated most and most compressed body of all groupers. He is also the only one whose palatine bone is toothless. He stands alone in the genus Anyperodon. Its closest relatives are probably the groupers of the genus Epinephelus, with whom he has eleven spines in the dorsal fin, and other features in common.