Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus)

Scientific name: Epinephelus guttatus Linnaeus, 1758

The Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) is a marine fish of the family Serranidae. Native range: Western Atlantic, North Carolina, USA to Para?ba, Brazil. The most common species of Epinephelus in the West Indies.

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. Hermaphrodite species. Excellent food fish. Readily caught on hook and line and easily speared.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Epinephelus guttatus
Family: Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 76.0
Common length: 40.0
Depth range: 2–100 m (7–328 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; oceanodromous; depth range 2 - 100 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Western Atlantic: North Carolina, USA to Para?ba, Brazil. The most common species of Epinephelus in the West Indies.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC), IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group
Threat to humans: Reports of ciguatera poisoning
Uses: Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.12-0.24; tm=3; tmax=17; Fec=96,000)