Description

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Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 12; Vertebrae: 24. Body pale olive-grey, darker above, belly pale blue; bluish violet band joining eyes across front of snout; lips and cheeks blue; upper 1/3 of pectoral fins bluish white, remainder pale yellow (Ref. 5591). This rare species has the deepest body in the genus and a thicker tail than H. cuniculus and H. starcki (Ref. 37816).

Common Names

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Vurkstert-teëlvis , Afrikaans , South Africa

Blue-saddled tilefish , English , Indonesia

Forktail tilefish , English , South Africa

Pastel tilefish , English , USA

Stocky sand tilefish , English , Micronesia

叉尾似弱棘魚 , Mandarin Chinese , China

叉尾似弱棘鱼 , Mandarin Chinese , China

Taxonomic Hierarchy

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Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Eupercaria/misc

Family: Malacanthidae

Genus: Hoplolatilus

Species: Hoplolatilus fronticinctus (Günther, 1887)

Climate Zone

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Tropical

Location

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Biology

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Inhabits sandy areas at bases of reefs (Ref. 9710). A rare species that schools above huge mounds of rubble that it apparently builds (up to 5.5 m long x 3 m wide over 1 m high). Solitary or in pairs (Ref 90102).

Habitat

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associated