Brown-marbled grouper
Tiger grouper | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Serranidae |
Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
Genus: | Epinephelus |
Species: | E. fuscoguttatus
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Binomial name | |
Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Forsskål, 1775)
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Synonyms[2] | |
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The brown-marbled grouper or tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) is a
Description
Epinephelus fuscoguttatus is a medium-sized fish which grows up to 120 cm, but the average size mostly observed is 50 cm.[2] Its body has a stocky and robust aspect, is compressed laterally and has a sharp profile for the head. The mouth is big and has a superior position with many small teeth and canine in front. The background coloration is pale yellowish-brown with many dark brown or grey blotches that are irregular in size and shape. The body is also covered with many small dark brown spots. All the fins are large and round.
The brown-marbled grouper can be easily confused with its close relative
Distribution and habitat
It is widely distributed throughout the
Like many of the groupers, the brown-marbled grouper lives in rich clear waters close to coral or rocky reefs, lagoons and external slopes from the surface until 60 metres (200 ft) depth.[4]
Feeding
The brown-marbled grouper is
Behavior
This grouper is solitary, sedentary, it defends a well defined
It has a quite long life span for a fish, it can expect to live until at least 40 years old.[7]
It is protogynous hermaphrodite, which means the female can evolve to male during its life.
Protection
The brown-marbled grouper is listed "Vulnerable" on the
However, its biological characteristics make this
Brown-marbled groupers can be cultured by hatcheries but these installations' breeding stock are derived from wild caught fish. Wild capture of breeding stock also has a negative effect on the global population because all the groupers catch in any size category are kept and grown until they reach market size.
As
Over the last few years, some protective measures or/and sustainable fishing methods have been introduced by many states where spawning aggregations are known, for example Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Malaysia, Solomon Islands and Palau.[8][1]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Epinephelus fuscoguttatus" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
- ^ Introduction to Monitoring and Management of Spawning Aggregations and Aggregation Sites for Three Indo-Pacific Grouper Species (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, Epinephelus polyphekadion, and Plectropomus areolatus), THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, Indo-Pacific Draft Field Manual, June 2003, http://www.reefresilience.org/pdf/manual_field_practitioners.pdf
- ^ Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
- ISBN 9780691089959
- ISBN 9252034633
- ^ Pears, R.J., J.H. Choat, B.D. Mapstone and G.A. Begg, 2006. Demography of a large grouper, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, from Australia's Great barrier reef: implications for fishery management. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 307:259-272.
- ^ "Facts about Brown-marbled Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) - Encyclopedia of Life". Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
External links
- http://www.fishbase.org/summary/4460
- Sugama, K, Rimmer, M, Ismi, S, Koesharyani, I, Suwirya, K, Giri, N.A, and Alava V.R. 2012. Hatchery management of tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus): a best-practice manual.
- Photos of Brown-marbled grouper on Sealife Collection