Scientific Name
Cephalopholis boenak

Common Name
Chocolate hind

Biology
Mainly a coastal species (Ref. 48635). Inhabits silty dead reefs in protected waters. Secretive (Ref. 37816). Feeds mainly on fish (Ref. 30531) and crustaceans. Courtship and pair spawning were observed by Donaldson (1989, Ref. 6900). Diandric protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 45317).

Classification

Classified By

Bloch, 1790

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets (Serranidae)

Distribution

Region

Indo-West Pacific

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific: Kenya to southern Mozambique eastward to the western Pacific. Reported from the Arafura Sea (Ref. 9819). Not reported from oceanic islands in the Indian Ocean, except for Aldabra, Comoros, Madagascar, and the Andaman and Lakshadweep islands. Unknown from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and from the islands of Micronesia except for Palau. Record from Rodriguez by Heemstra & Randall (1984, Ref. 3153) could not be verified and is probably erroneous (Ref. 33390).

Range

32°N - 32°S, 29°E - 171°E

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

1 m

Depth To - meters

64 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 1 - 64 m, usually 1 - 20 m (Ref. 37816)

Trophic Level

4.2 s.e. 0.74 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

30.0 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial

Vulnerability

Low to moderate vulnerability (31 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=1-2)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Least Concern (LC) , IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group