Interesting that it should be perfectly at home in the bay...
Size / Weight / Age
Max length : 75.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30874)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 8 - 25 m (Ref. 58652)
Climate / Range
Tropical; 30°N - 24°S
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea to Natal, South Africa (including Madagascar and the Comoro and Reunion islands); Gulf of Aden and the Persian Gulf eastward to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia; Caroline and Mariana islands in Micronesia.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions
Short description
Dorsal spines (total): 14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-16; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 8. Plain grey with dusky margins on fins and gills when adult. Juveniles brown to near black, mimicking leaves floating in surface waters (Ref. 48635).
Biology
Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)
Found in coastal reefs, sandbanks, and near estuaries (Ref. 30573). Enter freshwater (Ref. 7050). Small juveniles occur along sheltered sandy shorelines where they mimic a dead leaf by drifting on their sides (Ref. 37816). Adults mainly in protected inshore reefs to deep offshore, sometimes swims in small groups (Ref. 48635). Excellent food fish (Ref. 2799).