Diagramma labiosum

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Eupercaria incertae sedis · Family: Haemulidae · Genus: Diagramma.

Accepted name: Diagramma labiosum · Authority: MacLeay, 1883 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 279261.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Diagramma pictum labiosum Macleay, 1883.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=279261 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Diagramma labiosum. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 90 cm · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 56 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Found in shallow estuaries and lagoons (juveniles) and along slopes, deep lagoons for adults, usually in large schools (Ref. 9002). At about 25 cm TL the body form changes from a long, round, caudal fin to the adult form, being a truncate fin (T. Turner, pers. comm., 2002).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 56923) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Diagramma-labiosum.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

603 georeferenced occurrence records for Diagramma labiosum are published through GBIF from 12 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 75 distinct locations from a sample of 603 records, omitting 25 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (531); China (17); Philippines (12); Indonesia (11); Bangladesh (9); India (9); New Caledonia (3); Chinese Taipei (3); Mayotte (3); Iran (Islamic Republic of) (2); Myanmar (2); Thailand (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5209597) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5209597&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=279261 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Diagramma labiosum Macleay, 1883 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 123439535) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/123439535/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5209597) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5209597/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Diagramma labiosum has fleshy lips that become more swollen as the fish matures. The chin has six pores on it but there is no median pit. The dorsal fin contains 9-10 spines and 22-25 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 7 soft rays. It is slate-grey in colour, the adults and subadults being unmarked unlike the spotted, parapatric painted sweetlips (D. pictum). The juveniles are dark brown to black dorsally, split into 3 or more wide horizontal stripes by narrower whitish-blue stripes; they silvery yellow ventrally. The dorsal and caudal fins are yellow with black blotches and discontinuous stripes which grow with age and fragment into small circular spots before fading away in adults. As the fish matures from a juvenile to an adult the caudal fin form changes from being rounded to truncate. This species attains a maximum recorded total length of 90 cm and a maximum published weight of 6.3 kg.

Diagramma labiosum is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and southwestern Pacific Ocean. Its range encompasses southern New Guinea and northern Australia. In Australia its range extends from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia to Sydney, including Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.

Diagramma labiosum is found at depths between 10 and 20 m over soft substrates within sea grass beds, mangroves and coral reefs. The juveniles are found in estuaries and lagoons. It is found in large schools. It feeds on crustaceans, molluscs, annelids, cephalopods and fishes.

Diagramma labiosum Was first formally described in 1883 by the Scottish-born Australian naturalist William John Maclean with the type locality given as Wide Bay in Queensland. This species is regarded as a subspecies of the painted sweetlips (D. pictum) by some authorities, while others also classify Diagramma melanacrum within the same species as D. labiosum and D. pictum, D. pictum. The specific name labiosum means "thick lipped", referring to the smooth and fleshy lips of this species.

Diagramma labiosum is a common species which is caught using handlines and by spearfishing, the flesh is sold fresh. In Queensland a maximum of 5 per day, in a total reef fish maximum catch of 20 per day, may be taken by recreational fishers.

Source: Wikipedia: Diagramma labiosum — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagramma_labiosum (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.