Squaretail Coral Grouper

Scientific Name: Plectropomus areolatus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 80cm
Identification: Whitish to pale gray with numerous small dark-edged blue spots on head, body and fins; frequently with 4-5 dark blotches forming saddles on back.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs, lagoons and outer reefs in 2-20m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - Red Sea to Samoa and Phoenix Is. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Spotted Coral Grouper

Scientific Name: Plectropomus maculatus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 125cm
Identification: Red, pale gray or olive to dark brown with numerous small blue spots on body and fins; elongate blue spots on head, blue margin on tail, blue ring around eye.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Silty coastal reefs in 5-50m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Malaysian Peninsula and Philippines to Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Roving Coral Grouper

Scientific Name: Plectropomus pessuliferus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 120cm
Identification: Brown to orange-red or olive with numerous small dark-edged round and vertically elongate blue spots; may display 5-6 dark bars on upper body.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal, platform and outer reefs in 10-147m.
Location: Indian Ocean - Red Sea and E. Africa to Sumatra in Indonesia, but one individual recorded from Fiji in the Pacific.

Leopard Coral Grouper

Scientific Name: Plectropomus leopardus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 70cm
Identification: Red, pale gray or olive to dark brown with small blue spots on head, body and fins; blue margin on tail, ring around eye, may display bars.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal and lagoon reefs in 3-100m.
Location: West Pacific - South China Sea and S.W. Japan to Australia and Fiji.

Highfin Coral Grouper

Scientific Name: Plectropomus oligacanthus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 75cm
Identification: Red to reddish brown to lavender-brown with blue lines on head; blue spots on body and fins with some that join to form vertical lines on mid-side.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Steep slopes in 5-147m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines and Marshall Is. in Micronesia to Australia.

Blacksaddle Coral Grouper

Scientific Name: Plectropomus laevis
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 125cm
Identification: Pale Variation - Whitish with 4 black saddles on body and black band above eye, fins yellow. Generally smaller than the dark form and is possibly restricted to juveniles and females.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Lagoons and seaward reefs in 4-90m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to Tuamoutus Is. in French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.