Smalltooth Emperor

Lethrinus microdon, commonly referred to as the smalltooth emperor, longface emperor, or pigface bream, is a marine ray-finned fish within the family Lethrinidae. This species is widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific region. Initially described in 1830 by French zoologist Achille Valenciennes as Lethrinella microdon, its type locality was recorded in northeastern Pulau Buru, Maluku Islands, 🇮🇩 Indonesia. Although some authors propose placing the genus Lethrinus in the monotypic subfamily Lethrininae, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognize traditional subfamilies within Lethrinidae. Instead, it classifies the family under the order Spariformes.

The specific name "microdon" refers to its "small toothed" characteristic, as Valenciennes noted the species' "remarkably small and pointed" teeth. Lethrinus microdon exhibits a bluish-grey or brown coloration, often with pale or orange fins, and a moderately long snout. It may display dark, scattered blotches along its sides and sometimes features three dark streaks extending from the eyes towards the snout. This relatively elongated fish can reach a maximum length of approximately 70 cm, commonly observed between 30 and 50 cm in length.

The species occupies a broad range, including the 🌊 Red Sea, 🌊 Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, from East Africa to 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, Ryukyu Islands (🇯🇵 Japan), and Papua 🇵🇬 New Guinea. It is non-migratory, typically found over sandy bottoms near reefs, forming small schools occasionally with Lethrinus olivaceus, and inhabiting depths of approximately 10 to 80 meters.

Lethrinus microdon is an opportunistic feeder, active both day and night, preying on other fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, and polychaetes. It is commercially fished for its high-quality flesh, generally marketed fresh rather than frozen, and caught using methods such as gill nets, trawls, handlines, and fish traps.