Barcheek coral trout
Plectropomus maculatus
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Brick red with blue spots that are round on the body and drawn out into short DASHES across the cheek and snout, which is the one mark that separates it from the common coral trout at a glance. It prefers inshore and turbid reef where its congener does not, and sits on the bottom between short, decisive moves.
how to recognise it
- small blue spots on head, body and fins
- some spots on the head and front of the body are ELONGATE — dashes, not dots
- red, pale grey, olive or dark brown ground colour
don’t confuse with
- Leopard coral trout — the common coral trout's spots are all round, and it has a blue ring round the eye
- Blue-spotted coral trout — the blue-spotted coral trout carries black SADDLES across the back; neither of the spotted trout does
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-13. Our wording, their facts. Max size 125 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~45 cm, to 125 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (125 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 1 at 1 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 38cm · Combined limit: 7 in total of all trout species
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
QLD s 23 — closed season 6 November 2026 to 10 November 2026 (20 windows listed)
as regulated coral reef fin fish = any species in Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019, sch 7 pt 2 (tables 1-9) — table 2 (coral trout)
where: coral reef fin fish waters — tidal waters within the boundary from the northern tip of Cape York along latitude 10º41' south ... to latitude 24º50' south, longitude 154º east ... along latitude 24º50' south to the mainland shore
Whether it applies where you dive depends on the spot — open that spot on the map and press “fish here”.
Fisheries Declaration 2019 · Reprint current from 25 September 2026 to date · read 2026-10-13
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.