''Epinephelus spilotoceps'', the foursaddle grouper or spotty cod, 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

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region.

Description

''Epinephelus spilotoceps'' 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 ...

which is 3.1 to 3.6 times its depth. It has a flat region between the eyes and the dorsal profile of the head is convex. The preopercle is rounded and has a shallow incision, with the serrations on the margin below the incision enlarged. The gill cover has a straight upper margin. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 14-16 soft rays and 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 ...

has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded. The colour of the head and body is pale and they are largely covered in many dark olive-brown to reddish-brown polygonal spots which are set close together with pale spaces between them and forming a reticulated pattern. There are four dark saddle-like blotches, three along the base of the dorsal fin and one on the caudal peduncle. The outer part of the pectoral fins are yellowish-green. This species attains a maximum total length of .

Distribution

''Epinephelus spilotoceps'' is widespread in

Indo-West-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

. It is found along the eastern coast of Africa from Kenya and Zanzibar to Ponta Zavora in Mozambique and on the Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius, Comoros, Seychelles, Chagos, Maldives, Laccadives,

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

and

Nicobar islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...

. It then extends eastwards into the

Malayan Archipelago The Malay Archipelago (Indonesian/ Malay: , tgl, Kapuluang Malay) is the archipelago between mainland Indochina and Australia. It has also been called the " Malay world," " Nusantara", "East Indies", Indo-Australian Archipelago, Spices Arch ...

as far east as Micronesia, the

Line Islands The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands (in Gilbertese, ''Aono Raina'') are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawa ...

and Cook Islands. It extends south to the Great Barrier Reef and the north western coast of Australia. It is absent from the South China Sea and the

Java Sea The Java Sea ( id, Laut Jawa, jv, Segara Jawa) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its nort ...

. With the exception of its coastal distribution off Eastern Africa, this species shows a preference for islands.

Habitat and biology

''Epinephelus spilotoceps'' occurs in shallow coral reefs, mainly in patch reefs within lagoons, the upper slopes of channels through reefs and the outer reef margins. It has been recorded on rubble patches in the Maldives, mostly close to the edges and in the vicinity of the more complex coral formations and avoiding being out in the open. In captivity they feed on crustaceans and fish.

Taxonomy

''Epinephelus spilotoceps'' was first formally described in 1953 by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Leonard Peter Schultz (1901–1986) with the type locality given as the lagoon reef off Namu Island, Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This species is one of a group of related members 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 ...

'' known as "reticulated coral groupers" along with '' E. bilobatus'', '' E. faveatus'', '' E. hexagonatus'', '' E. macrospilos'', '' E. maculatus'', '' E. melanostigma'', '' E. merra'' and '' E. quoyanus''. These species have frequently been mistaken for each other and as a result many specimens in museums have been misidentified.

Utilisation

''Epinephelus spilotoceps'' is a small species of grouper that has low value in commercial fish trade nevertheless it is taken by small-scale artisanal and subsistence fisheries in much of its range. In

Pohnpei Pohnpei "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')" (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic: ''*Fawo ni pei)'' is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei ...

they are caught using spears and in the Maldives, it is exported for sale in the live reef fish food trade. It does appear in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

References

External links

Animal Pictures Archive
* http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218244
Fishes of Australia : ''Epinephelus spilotoceps''
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1042318 spilotoceps Fish of Tanzania foursaddle grouper