Redmouth Grouper

Scientific Name: Aethaloperca rogaa
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 60cm
Identification: Dark brown to black, occasionally with orangish cast; frequently with pale bar across abdomen; inside mouth red.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Usually inside or near caves or under ledges in coral-rich areas of seaward reefs in 3-50m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Fiji. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Wavy-Lined Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus undulosus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 50cm
Identification: Pale gray to reddish gray; small dark spots on head, dark wavy lines and spots on body, fins bluish on smaller fish.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs, usually on open sand bottoms near low coral or rock outcroppings in 15-90m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - E. Africa and Arabian Sea to Papua New Guinea, north to Taiwan.

Twinspot Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus bilobatus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 33cm
Identification: Light gray undercolor with polygonal spots in varying shades of brown; brilliant white strip on back, pair of blackish bi-lobed spots at base of dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs with weed bottoms and scattered coral patches in 4-50m.
Location: Asian Pacific - N.W. Australia and islands just west of Irian Jaya in Indonesia.

Speckled-Fin Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus ongus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 35cm
Identification: Brown with large white blotches; numerous small pale spots on head, body and fins, the spots join to form wavy stripes on larger individuals.
Favourite: Solitary and cryptic.
Hide-out: Near caves and ledges of coastal and lagoon reefs in 5-25m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa to Fiji. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Speckled Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus cyanopodus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 120cm
Identification: Pale bluish gray; profuse small black spots on head, body and fins. Juveniles and sub-adults have black margin on tail and black ventral fin tips.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Lagoons and outer reefs over sand bottoms near patch reefs to 150m.
Location: West Pacific - S. China Sea and Marshall Is. in Micronesia to Fiji. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Potato Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus tukula
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 200cm
Identification: Huge; pale grayish with large round to ovate dark gray or blackish blotches on body; dark gray bands and blotches on head, spoke-like markings radiating from eye.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal, lagoon and seaward reefs in 5-150m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Great Barrier Reef, north to S.W. Japan.

Palemargin Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus bontoides
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 30cm
Identification: Gray-brown with scattered reddish brown to black spots; fins dark gray with narrow pale margins.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Sheltered coastal reefs over mud, rock or cobble bottoms in 2-30m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Taiwan, Indonesia and Philippines to New Britain east of Papua New Guinea.

One-Blotch Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus melanostigma
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 33cm
Identification: Bluish white undercolor with closely packed polygonal spots in varying shades of brown; merging spots on back form dark saddle under mid-dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Lagoons, reef flats and seaward slopes to 10m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa to Samoa, north to S.W. Japan.

Netfin Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus miliaris
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 53cm
Identification: Undercolor white with irregular gray blotches and covered with closely packed polygonal brown spots.
Favourite: Solitary; young inhabit mangroves and seagrass beds, adults in deeper water.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs and outer slopes in 1-180m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa to Samoa, north to S.W. Japan.

Malabar Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus malabaricus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 234cm
Identification: Large; barred or mottled shades of gray to brown to olive with small whitish spots and blotches; covered with numerous small dark spots.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Protected areas of reefs, lagoons and estuaries to 100m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - Red Sea to Fiji and Tonga. S.W. Japan to Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.

Indonesian Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus waandersi
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 60cm
Identification: Whitish to bright white body, grayish head and yellowish gray fins covered with small brown spots (frequently obscured by bright white areas); large dark blotches form broken bars.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs in 3-25m.
Location: Indonesia.

Honeycomb Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus merra
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 32cm
Identification: White undercolor with polygonal spots in varying shades of brown; no distinctive markings.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal, lagoon and sheltered outer reefs in 1-50m, but usually less than 20m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to Tuamotu Is. in French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Highfin Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus maculatus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 60cm
Identification: Brownish gray to brown covered with dark brown polygonal spots; pair of prominent white saddles on forehead and middle of back.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Often on open sand at base of reefs in coastal, lagoon and outer reefs in 2-100m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa to Samoa, north to S.W. Japan.

Greasy Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus tauvina
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 75cm
Identification: Blotchy dirty white to pale brown with reddish brown spots on head, body and fins; darkish saddles on back, series of black spots form dark margin on rear dorsal, anal and tail fins.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal, lagoon and outer reefs in 1-20m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.

Giant Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus lanceolatus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 234cm
Identification: Huge; mottled shades of dark gray to dark brown with small whitish spots and blotches. Largest Indo-Pacific grouper attaining a weight of at least 288kg.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs, lagoons and outer slopes in 3-100m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - S. Red Sea and E. Africa to Pitcaim Is. east of French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Coral Rock Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus corallicola
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 49cm
Identification: Blotchy dirty white to pale brown with small widely spaced black spots on head, body and fins; darkish saddles on back, no distinct margin on rear dorsal, anal and tail fins.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Silty coastal reefs and estuaries in 5-20m.
Location: Asian Pacific - W. Malaysian Peninsula to Solomon Is. Taiwan to Australia.

Cloudy Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus erythrurus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 43cm
Identification: Dark gray with irregular pale spots and blotches randomly joined to form maze-like pattern.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Turbid harbours and estuaries with muddy or silty-sand bottoms in 1-20m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Pakistan, Laccadive Is. off India to Malaysian Peninsula and W. Indonesia.

Blacktip Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus fasciatus
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 40cm
Identification: Highly variable from pale to medium greenish gray, reddish yellow or brown and scarlet; often with 5-6 dark bars of variable intensity, black tips on spinous dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coastal, lagoon and seaward reefs in 3-160m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Pitcaim Is. east of French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Blacksaddle Grouper

Scientific Name: Epinephelus howlandi
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 44cm
Identification: Blotched pale gray and brownish gray with brownish black spots on head, body and fins; dark saddles on back and upper tail base, white margin on dorsal, anal and tail fins.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Lagoon and outer reefs in 1-37m.
Location: West Pacific - S. China Sea to Samoa. S.W. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.

Tomato Grouper

Scientific Name: Cephalopholis sonnerati
Family: Groupers - Serranidae
Maximum Size: 57cm
Identification: Orange-red to reddish brown with dense network of red spots on head; more loosely scattered, fainter spots on body and fins.
Favourite: Solitary; frequent shrimp cleaning stations.
Hide-out: Lagoon and outer reefs in 10-150m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to Line Is. in eastern Central Pacific. S.W. Japan to Australia.