Lethrinus obsoletus (Forsskål, 1775)
Orangestripe emperor, 60cm

Lethrinus obsoletus is usually uncommon at Kwajalein, sometimes found on lagoon, pinnacle and seaward reefs. The first two photos below are by Jay Lord from the lagoon side of Kwajalein Island. Occasionally, schools can be encountered, as that at about 35m at the base of a large lagoon pinnacle in the last photo below. Fishbase reports it to about 60cm, which seems a bit large for those we see at Kwaj. They note that 30cm is a more common length.

The two photos below are by Christina Sylvester, the first one showing the species in its mottled color phase. They can change color quickly.

Created 15 April 2017
Updated 7 September 2018

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