scubaseason

Oriental Sweetlips

Plectorhinchus vittatus

Sighting evidence at Nelivaru Haa, Baa Atoll

Oriental Sweetlips

Photo: David R · CC BY-NC

Oriental sweetlips aggregate in dense stationary schools beneath overhangs and around coral bommies during the day, disbanding at night to hunt benthic invertebrates including worms, small crustaceans, and molluscs. Their cleaning station associations with cleaner wrasse and juvenile neon gobies are frequently observed, with whole schools queuing to have parasites removed. As mid-trophic predators they link benthic invertebrate production to the larger reef predator community.

Evidence at this site

No confirmed records on file at this site

Oriental Sweetlips is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Also seen at other sites