Dr. Gerald (Gerry) Robert Allen, Australien
Info
Lethrinus atkinsoni has a tall body with a steeply sloping head, a yellow tail fin, a yellow marking above the eye, sometimes with a broad yellow stripe along the body.
The proportion of yellow color on the tail root and body is highly variable, as can be clearly seen in the photos provided.
The body is silvery to olive brown with yellow coloring around the eyes and an often diffuse yellow area along the middle of the sides.
Lethrinus atkinsoni inhabits seagrass beds and sandy areas of lagoons and outer reef slopes, where it occurs either singly or in schools.
Since the sizes of males and females overlap and the morphology of the male gonads is typical of secondarily developed testes, this snapper species is assumed to be dioecious.
Lethrinus atkinsoni exhibits juvenile hermaphroditism.
Human use:
The fish is marketed fresh in some regions.
Etymology
The genus name “Lethrinus” comes from the Greek “lethrinia,” a fish of the genus Pagellus (Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758)), a Mediterranean fish similar to the Lethrinidae family.
The species name “atkinsoni” was chosen in honor of William Stephen Atkinson (September 1820 – January 15, 1876, Rome), a British lepidopterist who spent much of his life in India.
Similar species
Lethrinus laticaudis (Alleyne & Macleay, 1877)
Lethrinus mahsena (Fabricius, 1775)
Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskål, 1775)
Synonym: Lethrinus atkinson Seale, 1910 · unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling
The proportion of yellow color on the tail root and body is highly variable, as can be clearly seen in the photos provided.
The body is silvery to olive brown with yellow coloring around the eyes and an often diffuse yellow area along the middle of the sides.
Lethrinus atkinsoni inhabits seagrass beds and sandy areas of lagoons and outer reef slopes, where it occurs either singly or in schools.
Since the sizes of males and females overlap and the morphology of the male gonads is typical of secondarily developed testes, this snapper species is assumed to be dioecious.
Lethrinus atkinsoni exhibits juvenile hermaphroditism.
Human use:
The fish is marketed fresh in some regions.
Etymology
The genus name “Lethrinus” comes from the Greek “lethrinia,” a fish of the genus Pagellus (Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758)), a Mediterranean fish similar to the Lethrinidae family.
The species name “atkinsoni” was chosen in honor of William Stephen Atkinson (September 1820 – January 15, 1876, Rome), a British lepidopterist who spent much of his life in India.
Similar species
Lethrinus laticaudis (Alleyne & Macleay, 1877)
Lethrinus mahsena (Fabricius, 1775)
Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskål, 1775)
Synonym: Lethrinus atkinson Seale, 1910 · unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling
