About Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål, 1775)
Description: The blacktip grouper, Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål, 1775), has a body with a standard length that is 2.8 to 3.3 times its depth. The area between its eyes is flat, while the dorsal profile of its head is convex. Its rounded preopercle has a finely serrated rear margin, with the lowest serrations slightly enlarged. The upper edge of its gill cover is straight. The dorsal fin holds 11 spines and 15 to 17 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The membranes between the dorsal fin spines are deeply indented. The caudal fin is moderately rounded. There are 49 to 75 scales along the lateral line. The species' colouration is variable, ranging from pale greenish grey to pale reddish yellow to scarlet. They often have 5 or 6 faint dark bars, with the final bar located on the caudal peduncle. The scales on the upper body have a pale centre and a dark rear margin, which creates an indistinct checked pattern. The outer membrane of the spiny portion of the dorsal fin is black, or dark red in specimens from Western Australia and some specimens from deep water. There is a pale yellow or white spot behind the tip of each dorsal fin spine. This species reaches a maximum total length of 40 centimetres (16 in), with a more common total length around 22 centimetres (8.7 in), and a maximum recorded weight of 2.0 kilograms (4.4 lb). Distribution: The blacktip grouper has a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from the Red Sea east to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, and as far east as the Pitcairn Islands. It reaches north to southern Japan and Korea, and south to New Caledonia and Australia. It is also found in Madagascar, the Mascarenes, the Comoros, and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. In Australia, it occurs from the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia, north along the tropical coastline, and as far south as Port Hacking in New South Wales. It can also be found on reefs in the Coral Sea, at Elizabeth Reef, around Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, and at Christmas Island. A single record of this species was reported in 2012 from the eastern Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Lebanon.
