Parapercis schauinslandii

Parapercis schauinslandii, commonly known as redspotted sandperch, lyretail grubfish or flagfin weever, is a species of marine fish native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.[1] It is a member of the sandperch family Pinguipedidae, form the percomorph order Trachiniformes.

Parapercis schauinslandii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Trachiniformes
Family:	Pinguipedidae
Genus:	Parapercis
Species:	P. schauinslandii
Binomial name
Parapercis schauinslandii (Steindachner, 1900)
Synonyms
Percis schauinslandii Steindachner, 1900

Parapercis snyderi is a strikingly coloured fish which has black or reddish to dark brown blotches on its dorsal sides, which alternate with reddish bars on the lower flanks. It has a spiny dorsal fin which is black near its base and is a deep reddish cour towards the tip. There is a second sot rayed dorsal fin with a row of dark spots. The base of the pectoral fin has two thin bright red bars and there are two dark spots on base of the caudal fin.[2] The colour of this species varies geographically,[3] with specimens from the Indian Ocean showing a lined pattern as opposed to a barred pattern.[1]

This species occurs in open areas with sandy and rubble substrates on the deeper seaward and coastal slopes and on deep sandy reef flats,[2] at depths between 9 metres (30 ft) and 170 metres (560 ft).[1] The adults frequently swim up from the sea bed to catch prey. They mainly feed on zooplankton, and are often recorded feeding above the seabed with other fish species,[2] or in small single species shoals of 10–50 fish.[4] They are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific from the coast of East Africa to Pitcairn Island, as far north as Japan and as far south as the Great Barrier Reef.[1]

The specific name honours the German zoologist and director of the Ubersee-Museum, Bremen, Hugo Schauinsland (1857–1937) who collected in New Zealand in 1896–1897.[5][6] This species is found in the aquarium trade.[7]