Orange-striped emperor

Lethrinus obsoletus, the orange-striped emperor, yellow-banded emperor or yellowstripe emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors or emperor breams. This species has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

Distribution

Lethrinus obsoletus has a wide distribution in the Indian and Western Pacific oceans. It is found along the coast of eastern Africa from the Red Sea south to Sodwana Bay in South Africa. It is found across the Indian Ocean into the Pacific as far as the Ryukyu Islands, Tonga and Samoa. In Australian waters it is found at Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Hibernia Reef off Western Australia, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea and along the northern Great Barrier Reef off Queensland. The orange-striped emperor is typically found in seagrass beds, as well as over sand and rubble areas in lagoons and in reefs. The juveniles prefer seagrass beds; as they grow, they begin to live in reefs. They are found as deep as 30 m (98 ft).