Lethrinus lentjan
species of fish
Lethrinus lentjan, the pink ear emperor, redspot emperor, purple ear emperor or purple-headed emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Taxonomy
Lethrinus lentjan was first formally described as Bodianus lentjan by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède with no type locality given but it is thought to be Java. Some authors place the genus Lethrinus in the monotypic subfamily Lethrininae, with all the other genera of Lethrinidae placed in the Monotaxinae, however, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise the subfamilies traditionally accepted within the family Lethrinidae as valid. The family Lethrinidae is classified by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World as belonging to the order Spariformes.
Etymology
Lethrinus lentjan has the specific name lentjan, this name was not explained by Lacépède but is thought to be a local name for this fish in Indonesia.
Description
This is a large species, growing to approximately 50 cm in length. however specimens in the intertidal zone may be around 15 cm. The body is olive-green, becoming paler toward the belly.
The scales are large and in a diamond pattern.
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