Spinycheek grouper (Epinephelus diacanthus)

Scientific name: Epinephelus diacanthus Valenciennes, 1828

The Spinycheek grouper (Epinephelus diacanthus) is a marine fish of the family Serranidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-17; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Scientific name: Epinephelus diacanthus
Family: Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 55.0
Depth range: 10–300 m (33–984 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; depth range 10 - 300 m, usually 10 - 120 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indian Ocean: continental shelf of the northern Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Aden to Sri Lanka and Madras, India. Not known from the Persian Gulf nor the Red Sea. Records from the western Pacific are based on misidentifications of Epinephelus stictus or Epinephelus fasciatomaculos.
Conservation status (IUCN): Near Threatened (NT), IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.21-0.61)

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026