Whitecheek Monocle Bream

Scolopsis curite, commonly known as the whitecheek monocle bream, is a species within the Nemipteridae family, known for the threadfin breams. This marine ray-finned fish is indigenous to the 🌊 Indian Ocean.

The species was first formally described by French zoologist Georges Cuvier in 1815, based on a depiction by Patrick Russell of a specimen named Kurite from Visakhapatnam, 🇮🇳 India.

Scolopsis curite shares similarities with S. vosmeri but can be distinguished by specific characteristics: a wedge-shaped black spot on the upper pectoral fin base, absence of a white band below the lateral line, and greenish-yellow spots on the body scales instead of black. The coloration of the pelvic and anal fins differs, appearing yellow compared to the reddish brown of its counterpart. Additionally, the caudal peduncle is yellowish rather than white, and the caudal fin is yellow rather than greyish. It bears close resemblance to S. japonica, but S. japonica exhibits a serrated or spiny preoperculum edge, whereas S. curite features a robust, rough preoperculum with a bony margin and short blunt spines along its length.

Scolopsis curite is geographically restricted to the 🌊 Indian Ocean, ranging from the eastern coast of Africa, including regions like KwaZulu-Natal (🇿🇦 South Africa) and 🇲🇬 Madagascar, up to the 🌊 Red Sea and extending to the 🌊 Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and eastwards to the Andaman Sea. Predominantly inhabiting turbid waters at depths of 1 to 45 meters, it thrives near sandy and muddy seabeds adjacent to reefs or in clear sandy areas, often observed alone or in pairs. The species can grow up to a maximum size of 19 cm.