Habitat and Ecology
In the Red Sea, C. hemistiktos is more often found on patchy open reef areas rather than on well developed coral reefs and occurs at depths ranging from 4 to at least 55 m. In Oman is abundant but patchily distributed on shallow coastal reefs. The greatest abundance is shown in central region (Muscat) with smaller number in the Arabian Gulf. In Oman on rocky reef substrata from 2 to 55 m. Abundant in the upwelling area of the Gulf of Oman despite local fishery.
It is a diurnal, ambush predator feeding throughout the day on fishes (64%, mostly pomacentrids) and crustaceans (36%).
C. hemistiktos is a monogamous species and each pair jointly defends a common territory of up to 62 m² (Shpigel and Fishelson 1991).
Depth range (m): 3 - 12
Depth range (m): 3 - 12
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.
From 4 to 55 meters.
Molecular Biology and Genetics
Barcode data: Cephalopholis hemistiktos
Below is the sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.
See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen.
Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.
-- end --
Download FASTA File
Statistics of barcoding coverage: Cephalopholis hemistiktos
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 4
Species With Barcodes: 1
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
The greatest threats to Cephalopholis hemistiktos are habitat loss and overfishing.
The yellowfin hind is not as heavily fished as larger co-occurring groupers at present, but as these larger species decline and are no longer economically viable to target, it is expected that this species will become more of a focus of the fisheries. It is heavily fished by line and trapping on central Oman coast. Weekly sampling in the Muttrah market from March 2004 to March 2005 revealed C. hemistiktos as the most abundant grouper, accounting for 34% of all grouper that were measured (by numbers). During the same time period, sampling the landings at Dibba in Musandam found that C. hemistiktos accounted for 16% of the total grouper landings. Logbooks filled out by Omani traditional fishermen from Barka (35 km north of Muscat) suggests C. hemistiktos accounts for 7.5% of the total catch (all fish species combined) and 42% of grouper species.
Not necessarily targeted in Musandam, but are caught as by-catch in traps that are set around reefs. This species is not targeted or caught by the Industrial trawl fishery which operates in the Arabian Sea where C. hemistiktos does not occur (J. McIlwain pers. comm.).
Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems