''Hyporthodus septemfasciatus'', the convict grouper, is a large species of

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...

known from the waters of Japan, South Korea and China. Reports from western Australia are treated as misidentifications of ''

Hyporthodus octofasciatus ''Hyporthodus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It contains the following species, most of which were previously place ...

.''(pp 356, appendix pp.47) Craig, M.T.; Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y.J. and Heemstra, P.C. 2011. ''Groupers of the world: A field and market guide.'' NISC Ltd, Grahamstown. This species is unique among the groupers that it can tolerate temperatures of down to 8°C (46.4°F) and can grow up to 155 cm and 62.8 kg (61 inches and 138 lbs). This reef-associated species is found at depths of 5-30 m (16 to 98 ft) and feeds on small

fishes Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

and

crustaceans Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

. In Japan, it is prized as a food fish and commercially cultured. This species is considered by some researchers to be a member of the genus ''

Epinephelus ''Epinephelus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are predatory fish, largely associated with reefs and are found i ...

''.

References

Edible fish Epinephelinae {{Serranidae-stub