Epinephelus bontoides

Osteichthyes Serranidae Genus Epinephelus Epinephelus bontoides

Palemargin grouper

12.4 cm TL. Source: Modified from J. Randall. License: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0).

Characteristic features:

Colour:

Head and body grey-brown, body scattered with reddish-brown to black spots over head, back and sides; fins dark grey with narrow pale margins. Darker brown bars may be present on posterior half of body.

Size:

Up to 30 cm TL.

Distribution:

Western Pacific in tropical waters.

Habitat:

Found over mud, rocky or cobble bottoms, from the surface to 30 m depth.

Indonesian fisheries:

Caught in artisanal and subsistence fisheries, but little information is available.

Similar species:

Epinephelus corallicola
Coral grouper

Epinephelus corallicola differs in having the upper edge of operculum convex (vs. straight) and body colour pale grey (vs. brownish to greenish grey).

to Epinephelus corallicola

Epinephelus longispinis
Longspine grouper

Epinephelus longispinis differs in having the 3^rd or 4^thdorsal-fin spines longer than other dorsal-fin spines (vs. 3^rd to 11^th spine subequal in length) and spots round and widely spaced anteriorly on body, becoming elongate and closer together on posteriorly (vs. spots remaining round and evenly spaced over whole body).

to Epinephelus longispinis

Epinephelus magniscuttis
Spotted grouper

Epinephelus magniscuttis differs in having dark brown to greyish green spots unevenly scattered on the mid and upper parts of head and body (vs. widely spaced, small, dark reddish brown, round spots on head and front half of body, becoming obliquely elongated and closer together posteriorly) and spots absent on anal and paired fins (vs. spots present).

to Epinephelus magniscuttis

External links:

FishBase
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM