Family SERRANIDAE

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Introduction

Serranids are found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters. The family comprises about 75 genera and close to 579 species (Nelson et al. 2016; Parenti & Randall 2020), about half of which are placed in subfamily Anthiadinae (as Anthiinae in Nelson 2006). In Australia and external territories, 41 genera and 184 species are known. Sixty-nine species are known from external territories, 175 from Australia. At present little is known of species found below depths of 50 m in Australia, and discovery of several additional species can be expected.

Gropers are predatory, typically found around coral and rocky reefs. Some species are trawled over rubble or sand bottoms. Many species are hermaphroditic. Serranids range in size from about 5 cm to about 3 m. General references on their biology can be found in Polovina & Ralston (1987).

The family includes three subfamilies (Nelson 2006, Nelson et al. 2016): Anthiadinae (as Anthiinae), Epinephelinae and Serraninae. Some workers have also elevated various tribes to subfamilies (see Heemstra & Randall 1993). Heemstra & Randall (1999) provided a key to species from the tropical west Pacific; the key includes most of the tropical species from Australia. Relationships are discussed by Kendall (1984) and Johnson (1984). Smith & Craig (2007) proposed that the Serranidae was not monophyletic based on molecular studies. Craig et al. (2011) and Ma & Craig (2018) accepted the changes and have separated the Epinephelinae, as treated here as a distinct family the Epinephelidae, but excluding Niphon. The remaining groups were included in the Serranidae, with the exclusion of Acanthistius. Many of the changes have not yet become widely accepted and we tentatively retain the existing classification for the most part. Parenti & Randall (2020) provided a checklist of world species and moved Caesioscorpis to a separate family.

 

General References

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.

Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. 2006. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [981]

Johnson, G.D. 1984. Percoidei: development and relationships. pp. 464-498 figs 254-264 in Moser, H.G. et al. (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Special Publication 1: 1-760

Kendall, A.W. Jr 1984. Serranidae: development and relationships. pp. 499-510 in Moser, H.G. et al. (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Special Publication 1: 1-760

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

McCulloch, A.R. 1913. Studies in Australian fishes, No. 3. Records of the Australian Museum 9(3): 355-389 figs 54-55 pls 12-20 [pl. 13 (fig. 2)]

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.

Nelson, J.S., Grande, T.C. & Wilson, M.V.H. 2016. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons 5, 752 pp.

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

Polovina, J.J. & Ralston, S. (eds) 1987. Tropical Snappers and Groupers: Biology and Fisheries Management. Boulder : Westview Press Inc. 659 pp.

Smith, W.L. & Craig, M.T. 2007. Casting the percomorph net widely: the importance of broad taxonomic sampling in the search for the placement of serranid and percid fishes. Copeia 2007(1): 35-55

 

Common Name References

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp. [44] (Coral Cods, Gropers)

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. [2443] (FAO) (Groupers, Sea Basses)

Pollard, J. (ed.) 1980. G.P. Whitley's Handbook of Australian Fishes. North Sydney : Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd 629 pp. [103] (Rock Cods)

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. [89] (Groupers, Rockcods)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
03-Mar-2022	SERRANIDAE	17-Aug-2021	MODIFIED	Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (ABRS)
30-Sep-2019	SERRANIDAE	25-Jan-2019	MODIFIED	Dr Doug Hoese Dr Matthew Lockett
03-Dec-2012		03-Dec-2012	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)