EPINEPHELUS HEXAGONATUS - (FORSTER, 1801)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Perciformes (Order) > Percoidei (Suborder) > Epinephelidae (Family) > Epinephelus (Genus)
Mérou mélifère, Loche à hexagones, Mérou à dessins hexagonaux, Hexagon rockcod, Hexagon grouper, Sharpspotted grouper, Starspotted grouper, Star-spotted grouper, White-speckled grouper, White speckled rockcod, Wirenetting cod, Wirenet Rockcod, Mero mielero, Garoupa melífera, Weisspunkt-Wabenbarsch, Witspikkel-klipkabeljou, Ishigakihata, イシガキハタ, 六角石斑魚, لُؤز عسَلي,
Synonymes
Ephinephelus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801)
Epinephalus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801)
Epinephelus hexagonathus (Forster, 1801)
Epinephelus stellans (Richardson, 1842)
Holocentrus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801
Serranus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801)
Serranus parkinsonii Valenciennes, 1828)
Serranus stellans (Richardson, 1842)
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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-17 (usually: 16); Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. pectoral-fin rays: 17-19 (usually: 18); Lateral line scales: 61-70; Lateral scale series: 93-114. Body depth: 2.8-3.5 in SL (10-17 cm SL individuals); Head length 2.5-2.6 in SL; Preopercle rounded, ventral serrae slightly enlarged; Upper edge of operculum convex; Midlateral part of lower jaw with 3-5 rows of teeth; Gill rakers of first gill arch: 7-9 + 17-19; Dorsal spines 5th-9th subequal (2.5-2.8 in HL); Second anal spine 2.1-2.5 in HL, distinctly longer than third spine or depth of peduncle; Caudal fin rounded; Pectoral fin length: 1.6-1.9 in HL; Pelvic fins length: 1.8-2.1 in HL. Max. length: 27.5 cm TL. Depth range: 0 - 30 m.
Color
Head and body covered with polygonal (mostly hexagonal) brown spots that tend to merge, leaving only conspicuous triangular white dots at corners of the polygons; Dark spots on belly and ventral part of head more rounded and separated, and often reddish brown; 4-5 brownish black saddle blotches (formed by groups of darker spots) on dorsal part of body and caudal peduncle, the first 4 extending onto base of dorsal fin; Irregular dark bar, formed by darker polygonal spots, on lower part of body below each saddle blotch; Large brown or olive spot just behind eye, often joined to similar spot on opercle; Fins with close-set dark brown or reddish brown spots and white dots, except distal half of pectoral fins with faint dark spots and no white dots; Pelvic and anal fins with pale edge and dark brown submarginal band; Interspinous dorsal-fin membranes with dark brown triangle and short white or pale yellow filament behind tip of each spine.
Etymology
Epinephelus: from prefix Greek, epi = upon, on, over, near, at, before, after + from Greek, Nephos = cloud. Referring to film or membrane eye of most if not all groupers known to Bloch (although modern accounts mention only a transparent cornea protruding slightly through the orbit); Bloch also provided three vernacular names that describe the eyes: Blödaugen, German for “stupid eyes” or “bleary eyes,” depending on the translation, the English “Wall-eye,” and the French Tayes (per Bloch 1797), from taie, an opaque spot on the cornea.
hexagonatus: from Latin, hexagonum = hexagon, a polygon with six sides and six angles. Referring to hexagonal (some pentagonal) brown spots densely covering head and body (which tend to merge on sides, leaving only triangular white dots at corners of the polygons).
Original description: Holocentrus hexagonatus Forster, 1801 - Type locality: Tahiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia, South Pacific.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique), Aldabra (Seychelles), Comoros, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), east to Wake Atoll, northern Line Islands (Kiribati) and Pitcairn Group, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, Queensland (Australia), New Caledonia and Rapa (French Polynesia).
Biology
Common in exposed outer-reef areas in relatively shallow water. Well-camouflaged fish, solitary. Feeds mainly on fishes and crustaceans (stomatopods and brachyuran crabs). This fish is too small to be of commercial importance except as a food fish in artisanal fisheries. It is caught with hook-and-line, traps, spear, and gill nets.
Similar species
Last update: 29, May 2024
Mérou mélifère, Loche à hexagones, Mérou à dessins hexagonaux, Hexagon rockcod, Hexagon grouper, Sharpspotted grouper, Starspotted grouper, Star-spotted grouper, White-speckled grouper, White speckled rockcod, Wirenetting cod, Wirenet Rockcod, Mero mielero, Garoupa melífera, Weisspunkt-Wabenbarsch, Witspikkel-klipkabeljou, Ishigakihata, イシガキハタ, 六角石斑魚, لُؤز عسَلي,
Synonymes
Ephinephelus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801)
Epinephalus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801)
Epinephelus hexagonathus (Forster, 1801)
Epinephelus stellans (Richardson, 1842)
Holocentrus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801
Serranus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801)
Serranus parkinsonii Valenciennes, 1828)
Serranus stellans (Richardson, 1842)
------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-17 (usually: 16); Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. pectoral-fin rays: 17-19 (usually: 18); Lateral line scales: 61-70; Lateral scale series: 93-114. Body depth: 2.8-3.5 in SL (10-17 cm SL individuals); Head length 2.5-2.6 in SL; Preopercle rounded, ventral serrae slightly enlarged; Upper edge of operculum convex; Midlateral part of lower jaw with 3-5 rows of teeth; Gill rakers of first gill arch: 7-9 + 17-19; Dorsal spines 5th-9th subequal (2.5-2.8 in HL); Second anal spine 2.1-2.5 in HL, distinctly longer than third spine or depth of peduncle; Caudal fin rounded; Pectoral fin length: 1.6-1.9 in HL; Pelvic fins length: 1.8-2.1 in HL. Max. length: 27.5 cm TL. Depth range: 0 - 30 m.
Color
Head and body covered with polygonal (mostly hexagonal) brown spots that tend to merge, leaving only conspicuous triangular white dots at corners of the polygons; Dark spots on belly and ventral part of head more rounded and separated, and often reddish brown; 4-5 brownish black saddle blotches (formed by groups of darker spots) on dorsal part of body and caudal peduncle, the first 4 extending onto base of dorsal fin; Irregular dark bar, formed by darker polygonal spots, on lower part of body below each saddle blotch; Large brown or olive spot just behind eye, often joined to similar spot on opercle; Fins with close-set dark brown or reddish brown spots and white dots, except distal half of pectoral fins with faint dark spots and no white dots; Pelvic and anal fins with pale edge and dark brown submarginal band; Interspinous dorsal-fin membranes with dark brown triangle and short white or pale yellow filament behind tip of each spine.
Etymology
Epinephelus: from prefix Greek, epi = upon, on, over, near, at, before, after + from Greek, Nephos = cloud. Referring to film or membrane eye of most if not all groupers known to Bloch (although modern accounts mention only a transparent cornea protruding slightly through the orbit); Bloch also provided three vernacular names that describe the eyes: Blödaugen, German for “stupid eyes” or “bleary eyes,” depending on the translation, the English “Wall-eye,” and the French Tayes (per Bloch 1797), from taie, an opaque spot on the cornea.
hexagonatus: from Latin, hexagonum = hexagon, a polygon with six sides and six angles. Referring to hexagonal (some pentagonal) brown spots densely covering head and body (which tend to merge on sides, leaving only triangular white dots at corners of the polygons).
Original description: Holocentrus hexagonatus Forster, 1801 - Type locality: Tahiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia, South Pacific.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique), Aldabra (Seychelles), Comoros, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), east to Wake Atoll, northern Line Islands (Kiribati) and Pitcairn Group, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, Queensland (Australia), New Caledonia and Rapa (French Polynesia).
Biology
Common in exposed outer-reef areas in relatively shallow water. Well-camouflaged fish, solitary. Feeds mainly on fishes and crustaceans (stomatopods and brachyuran crabs). This fish is too small to be of commercial importance except as a food fish in artisanal fisheries. It is caught with hook-and-line, traps, spear, and gill nets.
Similar species
- Epinephelus maculatus (Bloch, 1790) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here). Has anterior section of spinous dorsal fin elevated about 50% (vs not elevated).
- Epinephelus melanostigma (Schultz, 1953) - Reported from Indo-West Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa (Mozambique), Comoros, Madagascar, western Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius) and Chagos Archipelago, east to Line Islands (Kiribati) and Cook Islands, north to Taiwan and southern Japan, south to Western Australia. Has only one dark dorsal blotch at base last 4 dorsal fin spines.
- Epinephelus merra (Bloch, 1793) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here). Polygons relatively large, interspaces narrow pale lines, polygons often fuse to form short stripes; Without any dorsal dark blotches; Pectoral spots very small.
- Epinephelus quoyanus (Valenciennes, 1830) - Reported from Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: ?Lakshadweep (India), Myanmar, Andaman Sea and Indonesia, east to Philippines and New Guinea, north to Korea and southern Japan, south to Western Australia and New South Wales (Australia).
- Epinephelus spilotoceps (Schultz, 1953) - Reported from New Caledonia. Interspaces form fine pale lines, without white spots at corners (vs white dots); Without unbroken botch behind eye (vs unbroken blotch).
- Epinephelus tauvina (Fabricius, 1775) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here). Upper jaw reaches eye-width behind eye (vs. max. of any other "honeycomb" to 50 % eye-width behind); Spot interspace usually wide, sometimes narrow; 3-4 dorsal blotches, faint wide diagonal bands.
Last update: 29, May 2024