Grammistes sexlineatus, like other soapfishes, secretes copious quantities of mucus (grammistin) when disturbed, and was previously recorded under the family Grammistidae.
Details
§ 01
size
Max. 28 cm
color
Body dark brown or black with thin, pale stripes. The number of stripes tends to increase with age, and they also tend to break up into a series of dashes.
This species inhabits coral reefs and rocky surfaces that provide adequate shelter, even in shallow waters. Its diet mainly consists of fish.
distinctive characters
This fish has a dorsal fin with seven spines and thirteen to fourteen rays, an anal fin with two spines and nine to ten rays, a pectoral fin with sixteen to eighteen rays, a body depth of two point three to two point eight in standard length, an oblong body shape, and a small fleshy flap on the tip of its chin. The spinous portion of its dorsal fin is separated from the soft portion by a deep notch, and the margins of its subopercle and inter-opercle are smooth. Its caudal fin is rounded.