Lethrinus rubrioperculatus

This species grows to and is brown or olive-grey in colour. It has small, scattered blotches that are irregular in chape. The Body depth 2.94 to 3.18 times in standard length. Body color is olive-gray or brown, with scattered irregular small black blotches. There is normally a red spot present on the top edge of the operculum.[4] The lips are normally red. The fins are pinkish or pale in colour.[5]

Lethrinus rubrioperculatus is found in numerous locations, including East African waters, southern Japan and Taiwan, the Marquesas Islands, New Caledonia[6][7] and the northern half of Australia.[4][8]

This species lives over sandy bottoms, in areas where rubble is present, and along the slopes of outer reefs.[4] Although reef-associated, Lethrinus rubrioperculatus also occurs at depths of up to 160 metres, much deeper than most other species in this genus.[9] This species is non-migratory.[5]

Lethrinus rubrioperculatus eats mostly crustaceans, mollusks, echinoderms, and other fishes.[4]

This fish is caught commercially.[4]

Calydiscoides euzeti,[10] a monogenean parasite of L. rubrioperculatus

As most fish, Lethrinus rubrioperculatus is the host of many species of parasites.[11] Monogeneans parasitic on the gills include the diplectanid Calydiscoides euzeti,[10] the ancyrocephalids Lethrinitrema gibbus and Lethrinitrema dossenus[12] and several capsalids.[11] Copepods parasitic on the gills include the caligid Caligus lethrinicola[13] and the lernanthropid Sagum vespertilio.[11] The gills also harbour unidentified gnathiid isopod larvae.[11] The digestive tract harbours an unidentified Acanthocephala,[11] unidentified tetraphyllid cestodes,[11] species of the anisakid nematode Raphidascaris (Ichthyascaris),[14] and a variety of digeneans, including the acanthocolpid Stephanostomum aaravi,[15] the hemiurid Lecithochirium sp. and Tubulovesicula angusticauda,[11] the opecoelid Pseudoplagioporus interruptus[11] and three other opecoelids.[11] The abdominal cavity contains two species of larval tetrarhynch cestodes, the otobothriid Otobothrium parvum[11] and the tentaculariid Nybelinia goreensis.[11] In New Caledonia, where its parasites were particularly studied, Lethrinus rubrioperculatus has a total of twenty species of parasites.[11]