Striped Sweetip

Description: Adult white, lips yellow, head with horizontal stripes and broken lines greenish black, back with 4-5 stripes brown. abdomen without stripes; pectoral fin base spot black, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins spots brown large (Ref. 48635, 90102). Juvenile with horizontal stripe above eye to soft dorsal fin white, and from head to tail midlateral broad black. Body depth 2.5-2.8 in SL. Caudal fin rounded in juveniles becoming truncate in adult. Dorsal 3rd to 5th spines longest. (Ref. 90102)

Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).

Dorsal spines (total): 12 - 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 18 - 22; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 7 - 8

Inner and outer reef lagoons, usually in caves along steep slopes. Juveniles in shallow lagoons or protected shallow reefs (Ref. 48635). During the day, occurs under coral ledges of channel and outer reef slopes (Ref. 37816). Solitary (Ref. 90102).

Inner and outer reef lagoons, usually in caves along steep slopes. Juveniles in shallow lagoons or protected shallow reefs (Ref. 48635). During the day, occurs under coral ledges of channel and outer reef slopes (Ref. 37816). Solitary (Ref. 90102).

分布於西太平洋區，西起馬來西亞，東至玻里尼西亞，北達日本南部，南迄澳洲北部。台灣除西部海域外皆有產。

漁期全年皆有，多半在礁區手釣或潛水魚槍捕獲，食用方法以煮湯或紅燒皆適宜，為高經濟價值魚類。幼魚可作為水族缸中的觀賞魚。

體延長而側扁，背緣隆起呈弧形，腹緣圓。頭中大，背面隆起。吻短鈍而唇厚，隨著成長而腫大。口小，端位，上頜突出於下頜；頜齒呈多行不規則細小尖錐齒。頤部具6孔，但無縱溝亦無鬚。鰓耙細短，第一鰓弓鰓耙數5-7+1+11-15。體被細小弱櫛鱗，側線完全，側線鱗數54-58。背鰭單一，中間缺刻不明顯，無前向棘，硬棘數XII，軟條數19-22；臀鰭基底短，鰭條數III+7；尾鰭略內凹或幾近截平。體灰白色，體於胸鰭上方之背側具4條由吻端至體後部之暗褐色寬縱帶，而頭部於胸鰭下方有2條由吻端至鰓蓋緣之暗褐色寬縱帶。背鰭、臀鰭和尾鰭，散布有黑褐色之斑點；胸鰭基部具黑褐色斑；腹鰭外側黑褐色，內側淡白色。幼魚期體色淡黃，體側具有3條黑褐色的寬縱帶，延伸至尾鰭。以前所記載之雙帶石鱸(/Plectorhinchus diagrammus/)為本種之誤鑑。

主要棲息於珊瑚礁區及其外圍沙泥地等，在台灣人工魚礁常見。幼魚喜歡躲藏在礁層緣下面，成魚通常單獨行動。屬肉食性，以礁區的底棲無脊椎動物等為主食。