Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) fish species and information / pictures of Red hind - Epinephelus guttatus

Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) fish species information

Scientific Name
Epinephelus guttatus

Common Name
Red hind

Biology
Found in shallow reefs and rocky bottoms. Usually solitary and territorial. Feeds mainly on crabs (Calapa and Mithrax) and other crustaceans (alpheid shrimps and scyllarid lobsters), fishes (labrids and haemulids), and octopus. Some undergo sexual inversion at 28 cm TL; most fish larger than 40 cm are males. Important in terms of numbers caught and total weight of landings in the Caribbean. Easily approached by divers (Ref. 9710). Hermaphrodite species. Excellent food fish (Ref. 26938). Readily caught on hook and line and easily speared (Ref. 13442).

Classification

Classified By
Linnaeus, 1758
Class
Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)
Order
Perch-like fish (Perciformes)
Family
Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets (Serranidae)

Distribution

Region
Western Atlantic
Distribution
Western Atlantic: North Carolina, USA to Para?ba, Brazil (Ref. 57756). The most common species of Epinephelus in the West Indies.
Range
36°N - 8°N, 98°W - 58°W

Environment

Climate
Tropical
Water Temperature From
Unknown °C
Water Temperature To
Unknown °C
Depth From - meters
2 m
Depth To - meters
100 m
Zone
reef-associated
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 2 - 100 m (Ref. 5222)
Trophic Level
3.88 s.e. 0.64 Based on diet studies.
Occurs in Marine / Salt water
True
Occurs in Brackish water
False
Occurs in Fresh Water
False
Occurs on Reefs
True
Is kept in Aquariums
True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length
76.0 cm
Common Length
40.0 cm
Phylogenetic Diversity Index
PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Vulnerability
High vulnerability (61 of 100)
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.12-0.24; tm=3; tmax=17; Fec=96,000)
Threat To Humans
  Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 31172)
IUCN Red List Status
  Least Concern (LC) , IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group