''Epinephelus labriformis'', commonly called starry grouper or flag cabrilla is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the

anthias Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange, and yellow reef fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The name Anthi ...

and sea basses. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Description

''Epinephelus labriformis'' has a robust and compressed body which has a

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

that is 2.7 to 3.1 times its depth. The intraorbital region is flat. The finely serrated preopercle is rounded with the serrations on the lower edge being slightly enlarged. The upper edge of the gill cover is slightly convex. There are 11 spines in the dorsal fin and 16-18 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

contains 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded. This species has an olive green head and body with a scattering of irregular white spots and blotches. The head and anterior part of the body have red-brown blotches and there is a black saddle mark on upper part of caudal peduncle. The outer margins of the dorsal and anal fins, the upper and lower margins of the caudal fin and outer half of the pectoral fin are red. This species attains a maximum total length of .

Distribution and habitat

''Epinephelus labriformis'' is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean from Mexico to Peru including offshore islands Galápagos, Cocos Island, Malpelo and Revillagigedo.

Habitat and biology

''Epinephelus labriformis'' adults are most abundant in shallow water but also occur to a depth of 30 m. They inhabit rocky and

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

of coastal waters within the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

. The starry grouper is a solitary predator that seems to feed on smaller fishes by day and crustaceans after dark. Spawning occurs in late summer.

Taxonomy

''Epinephelus labriformis'' was first formally described as ''Serranus labriformis'' in 1840 by the English clergyman, author and naturalist Leonard Jenyns (1800-1893) with the type locality given as Chatham Island in the Galápagos Islands.

Utilisation

''Epinephelus labriformis'' is one of the preferred target species for artisanal fisheries throughout the Gulf of California and along the Pacific coast of Mexico where it is captured throughout the years using hand lines, spearguns and gill nets. Its importance in these fisheries has increased as the populations of larger bodied groupers have decreased through overfishing. It is also caught in the Galapagos.

References

External links

* * *http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273858 * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3769698 labriformis Fish described in 1840