Diagramma pictum
Bulky reef grunt logged across the Philippines and West Papua, often hovering solo under ledges in 24-29C water year-round.
Bulky, deep-bodied fish reaching around 70cm, with a grey to brownish body covered in dark spots or mottled blotches that fade with age and thick, fleshy lips that give the family its name. Adults often show a paler head and a faint dark band running through the eye, and they hold a hump-backed profile compared to slimmer reef fish nearby. Juveniles are more strikingly patterned with bold black and white or brown stripes and blotches, looking almost like a different species until they mature.
Usually spotted alone or in small loose groups, hanging motionless under ledges, in cave mouths or beside coral bommies during the day rather than actively cruising the reef. It tends to be unbothered by divers who keep a bit of distance, drifting off slowly rather than bolting if approached too fast. Feeding activity picks up after dark, when it moves out over sand and rubble to hunt for invertebrates.
Juveniles look so different from the blotchy grey adults, with bold contrasting stripes, that many divers log them as a separate species until they learn the transformation.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the data, and with a comfortable range of 24 to 29C it turns up on tropical reefs across the Philippines and Indonesia all year round.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most reliably logged in the Philippines, especially around the Visayas and Luzon, and a strong second stronghold in Indonesia, particularly West Papua and Sulawesi. Divers also log it regularly in Sai Kung in Hong Kong and Sabah in Malaysia, with smaller but consistent numbers around Nouméa in New Caledonia and Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea.
Mapping where Painted Sweetlips is logged…
The Philippines is the strongest spot, especially the Visayas and Luzon, with Indonesia's West Papua and Sulawesi close behind. Hong Kong's Sai Kung and Sabah in Malaysia also produce steady sightings.
There's no strong seasonal signal in the data, and its comfort range of 24 to 29C means it's present on tropical reefs throughout the year.
Look for a deep-bodied grey to brown fish around 70cm with dark mottled blotches, thick fleshy lips, and a hump-backed profile, usually resting still under a ledge rather than swimming in the open.
They typically reach around 70cm, making them one of the bulkier grunts you'll see resting under reef ledges.
Juveniles are so boldly striped in black and white that they look almost nothing like the mottled grey adults, tricking plenty of divers into thinking they're a different species entirely.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Plectorhinchus vittatus
Bluestriped Grunt
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