Find a Fish
Slate Sweetlips
Diagramma labiosum Macleay, 1883
A Slate Sweetlips at a depth of 27 m, Yongala Wreck, off Townsville, Queensland, November 2001. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
A Slate Sweetlips at a depth of 14m, Shiprock, Port Hacking, New South Wales. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer. View larger image.
A young Slate Sweetlips at Shiprock, Port Hacking, New South Wales. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer. View larger image.
A 12cm long juvenile Slate Sweetlips at Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales. The photographers stated that the fish had a "serpentine" swimming style. Photo © D. & L. Atkinson.
Adult Slate Sweetlips are uniform grey, sometimes with scattered botches.
Juveniles have a thick, black mid-lateral stripe and a black stripe along the upper back and dorsal fin (see bottom image). As juveniles grow, spots appear between the stripes.
The Slate Sweetlips grows to 1 m in length.
It lives in shallow estuaries and lagoons and is sometimes seen in large schools large schools.
The species occurs in subtropical marine waters of Australia and southern Papua New Guinea.
In Australia it is known from southern Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country, and south to southern New South Wales.
Related links
- Giant sweetlips fact sheet
- Gold-spotted Sweetlips fact sheet
- Goldstriped Sweetlips fact sheet
- Harlequin Sweetlips fact sheet
- Magpie Sweetlips fact sheet
- Oblique-banded Sweetlips fact sheet
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 251. (as D.pictum)
