Blue groper

Achoerodus is a genus of wrasses collectively known as blue gropers. They are found in the coastal waters of southern Australia and distinguished by the bright blue colouring of the adult males.

Not to be confused with blue grouper.

Blue groper
Achoerodus viridis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Achoerodus
T. N. Gill, 1863
Type species
Labrus gouldii
J. Richardson, 1843
Distributions:
Red = eastern blue groper
Dark blue = western blue groper
Synonyms
  • Heterochoerops Steindachner, 1866
  • Platychoerops Klunzinger, 1879

The thick-bodied blue gropers have peg teeth, heavy scales, large tails and thick lips. Juveniles are brown to green brown. Adult females are brown to greenish-yellow. Each scale may have a darker red spot. The adult males have the bright blue colouring that give the fish their name. The blue can range from deep navy to cobalt blue, and there may also be darker or yellow-orange spots or lines around the eyes.

All blue gropers begin life as females. As they mature, they go through an initial phase, in which they may be male or female, before developing their adult colouring and reaching the terminal phase.

Typically you will only find one or two male blue gropers in an area, with a larger number of the female gropers in the same area. Should the dominant male blue groper die, the largest female will grow, change colour and sex, and become the dominant male.

In Australia certain states like New South Wales have granted protection to this species. It's considered the state fish symbol for the territory and it is illegal to spear blue groper. There is also a limitation on fishing for them with a line. They are extremely inquisitive, and while it is now discouraged to feed them by cutting up urchins, they still will approach divers as if expecting to be fed. Their lifespan is said to be up to 35 years according to some sources, longer according to others.

The fish live in a variety of coastal waters, especially exposed reefs.

In 1998, the eastern blue groper was made the state fish emblem of New South Wales.[1]

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:[2]

References
  1. "Symbols & Emblems of NSW". Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Achoerodus in FishBase. August 2013 version.
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