SERRANIDAE


Epinephelus bleekeri, FRLM 30684, 8.7 cm SL

Epinephelus bleekeri (Vaillant, 1877)
Duskytail grouper

D XI, 16 - 18; A III, 8 - 9; P1 17 - 19; LLp 49 - 53; GR 9 - 11 + 15 - 18. Body elongate, its depth 3.0 - 3.5 in SL. Preopercle angle with 2 - 9 enlarged serrae. Caudal fin truncate to slightly convex. Scales on body ctenoid except nape, thorax, and ventrally on abdomen; maxilla with very small scales. Color: brownish to purplish gray with numerous small orange-yellow spots on head, body, dorsal fin, and upper third of caudal fin; lower two-thirds of caudal fin dark purplish gray. Size: maximum length about 76 cm. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf to Taiwan, Indonesia and the northern coast of Australia. Remarks: occurs on shallow banks, but is not known from well-developed coral reefs; depth range reported as 30 - 104 m.