Genus Epinephelus Bloch, 1793

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Epinephelus Bloch, M.E. 1793. Naturgeschichte der ausländischen Fische. Berlin : J. Morino Vol. 7 144 pp. pls 324-360. [11].

  Type species:

   Epinephelus marginalis Bloch, 1793 by designation under Plenary Powers, see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1926. Opinions rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Opinions 91–97. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 73(4): 1-30 (Opinion 93).

 

Introduction

Many of the species of the genus Epinephelus are difficult to identity. The taxonomy of the group became much better known only relatively recently (Randall & Heemstra 1991; Heemstra & Randall 1993). As a result many museum specimens are misidentified and distribution information is often incomplete. Because they are large and of commercial and sport interest few specimens exist in museum collections, and many published records are unreliable. Craig et al. (2011) separated some species into the genus Hyporthodus. Ma & Craig (2018) placed some species in the genus Mycteroperca, a genus normally considered confined to the New World, based on genetic studies. However, no distinct morphological characters uniquely separate the two genera as recognised by that study. That separation makes identification to genus difficult. Tentatively we retain those species in Epinephelus following Parenti & Randall (2020). In addition they treated Anyperodon and Chromoleptes as synonyms of Epinephelus.

 

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

SERRANIDAE: Epinephelus diacanthus Valenciennes, 1827 — Randall, J.E. 1987. A preliminary synopsis of the groupers (Perciformes: Serranidae: Epinephelinae) of the Indo-Pacific region. pp. 89-188 in Polovina, J.J. & Ralston, S. (eds). Tropical Snappers and Groupers: Biology and Fisheries Management. Boulder : Westview Press Inc. 659 pp. (western Indian Ocean endemic)

SERRANIDAE: Epinephelus flavocaeruleus Lacépède, 1802 — Randall, J.E. & Ben Tuvia, A. 1983. A review of the groupers (Pisces : Serranidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species of Cephalopholis. Bulletin of Marine Science 33(2): 373-426 figs 1-27 (western Indian Ocean endemic)

SERRANIDAE: Epinephelus summana Forsskål, 1755 — Randall, J.E. & Whitehead, P.J.P. 1985. Epinephelus cyanopodus (Richardson), a senior synonym of E. hoedtii (Bleeker) and comparison with the related E. flavocaeruleus (Lacépède). Cybium 9(1): 29-39 fig. 1 pls 1-2 (western Indian Ocean endemic)

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Circumglobal.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Timor Transition (1), Lord Howe Province (14), Central Eastern Transition (15), Kenn Transition (16), Kenn Province (17), Northeast Province (18), Northeast Transition (19), Timor Province (2), Cape Province (20), Norfolk Island Province (21), Cocos (Keeling) Island Province (22), Christmas Island Province (23), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Northwest Transition (3), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Southwest Transition (7)

Other Regions

Coral Sea Islands Territory, Territory of Ashmore & Cartier Islands, Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

General References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Craig, M.T., Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y.J. & Heemstra, P.C. 2011. Groupers of the World: a Field and Market Guide. Grahamstown, South Africa : NISC Ltd 356 pp., Appendix 47 pp.

Heemstra, P.C. & Randall, J.E. 1993. Groupers of the World (Family Serranidae, Subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125 Vol. 16. Rome: FAO. pp. 1-382

Heemstra, P.C. & Randall, J.E. 1999. Family Serranidae. pp. 2442-2548 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

Ma, K.Y. & Craig, M.T. 2018. An inconvenient monophyly: an update on the taxonomy of the groupers (Epinephelidae). Copeia 2018(3): 443–456

Parenti, P. & Randall, J.E. 2020. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the family Serranidae of the world with description of two new related families of fishes. FishTaxa [Journal of Fish Taxonomy] 15: 1-170

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E. & Heemstra, P.C. 1991. Revision of Indo-Pacific groupers (Perciformes: Serranidae: Epinephelinae), with descriptions of five new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 20: 1-332

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

Smith, C.L. 1971. A revision of the American groupers : Epinephelus and allied genera. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 146(2): 67-242 figs 1-41

 

Common Name References

Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & Ward, R.D. (eds) 1999. Australian Seafood Handbook. Hobart : CSIRO Marine Research 460 pp. [224] (Rockcod)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
13-Apr-2023	SERRANIDAE	13-Apr-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Matthew Lockett (ABRS)
03-Mar-2022	SERRANIDAE	08-Feb-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (ABRS)
30-Sep-2019	SERRANIDAE	13-Apr-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Doug Hoese Dr Matthew Lockett
03-Dec-2012		13-Apr-2023	MODIFIED
		13-Apr-2023	MODIFIED