Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Epinephelus maculatus

Highfin Grouper

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Highfin Grouper, Trout Cod, Spotted Grouper, High-fin Grouper; German Hochflossen-Zackenbarsch; French Mérou Haute Voile, Loche Uitoe

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Hāloa (TS), Hāroa (TW)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cocos - Samoa - ?Cooks; n. to s.Japan; s. to Lord Howe

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Native, possible fieldsighting Rakahanga lagoon (1980s). PLUS: Rakahanga lagoon (Sims); Marine, near-shore; outer reef-slope 2-100m.

KEY FEATURES: A large "honeycomb grouper" to 45cm SL. Thickset (depth 3 in SL), tail rounded, upper jaw to less than pupil-Ø beyond eye hind-edge. Spinous Dorsal Fin forward half elevated 50%; spinous Dorsal hind section with interspine membrane barely lowered. Upper jaw barely reaching eye hind-margin. Dorsal blotches are white anterior to Dorsal, followed by black, white and black - the white junvenile blotches fade with age, while the black blotches appear in adults (25+cm SL); adults have close-set dark polygons on most of body, fins and tail. Dorsal spines XI, lower mid-side teeth in 2 rows, Gill Rakers 8-10 + 15-17, 2nd Anal-fin spine shorter than 3rd.

SIMILAR SPECIES: For other "honeycomb groupers" see under Hexagon Grouper (Epinephelus hexagonatus). The elevated anterial Dorsal Fin separates this species from all "honeycomb groupers".

Enlarged Image of 'Epinephelus maculatus'

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN

Northern Group: Present
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
P

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Epinephelus maculatus (Bloch, 1790)
SYNONYMS: Holocentrus maculatus

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; SERRANIDAE, Epinephelinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rakahanga: field ID lagoon Sims, this sp. or E. melanostigma (Sims88).

References:
text p.106 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 33c Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.110 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.189 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 27-06 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 26-07 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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