Description: A large, robust grouper; its body depth less than the head length. Has a single continuous dorsal fin composed of spines followed by soft rays. Pectoral fins rounded; larger than pelvic fins. Caudal peduncle rather deep. Caudal fin rounded in juveniles; truncate with rounded corners in large adults. Body covered in small scales, embedded in thick skin. Dark reddish-brown or greyish dorsally; usually yellowish ventrally; scattered white or yellow irregular blotches usually visible on the body and head and mostly arranged in vertical series. Dark brown fins; distal edge of anal, caudal, and sometimes pectoral fins white; margin of spinous part of dorsal fin and base of paired fins often yellow; pelvic fins distally black.
Global Distribution: East and Southwest Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Western Indian Ocean. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 150 cm (total length); maximum published weight 60.0 kg (Brazil).
von Bertallanfy growth parameters: L∞=114.49, k=0.093 year-1, t0=0.075
Reproduction: A protogynous hermaphrodite. Mature individuals form spawning aggregations.
Maturity: 47.0 cm. Females 38-58 cm (TL), 6 - 8 years old; sex change between ages 9 and 16 (TL 68 - 90 cm); smallest male 85 cm (TL), 16 years old.
Behavioural ecology: Adults are solitary and territorial. Swims slowly, hiding in caves if threatened. Sometimes several individuals are found together.
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 8 - 300 m, usually ? - 50 m.
Canary Islands (Brito et al. 2002): 0 - 200 m.
Habitat: Adults prefer rocky bottoms. Juveniles are found closer to shore in rocky tidal pools.
Feeding habits: Feeds mainly on crabs and octopi; larger individuals feed on a greater proportion of fishes, the majority of which are reef-associated species.
Brito A., Pascual P.J., Falcón J.M., Sancho A., González G. (2002). Peces de las islas Canarias. Catálogo comentado e ilustrado. Francisco Lemos Editor, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, 418 pp.
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
Fischer W., Bianchi G., Scott W.B., eds. (1981). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic; fishing areas 34, 47 (in part). Canada Funds-in-Trust. Ottawa, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, by arrangement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 4, 316 pp.
González J., Hernández C., Marrero P., Rapp E. (2000). Peces de Canarias: GuÃa Submarina (5th edition). Francisco Lemus Editor, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias, Spain, 235 pp.
Heemstra P.C., Randall J.E. (1993). FAO Species Catalogue Vol. 16. Groupers of the World (Family Serranidae, Subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, Vol. 16, FAO, Rome, 382 pp.
Hureau J.-C., ed. (1984-1985). Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO. Accessed through: Marine Species Identification Portal. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://species-identification.org (2014).
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
