Black Grouper

[edit] Species Name:

The black grouper

[edit] Common Names:

[edit] Scientific Name:

Mycteroperca bonaci

[edit] Family or Group:

is one of the best known of the large group of Perciform fish called groupers.

[edit] Basic Description:

It has an olive or gray body, with black blotches and brassy spots. The preopercle is gently rounded.

[edit] Size:

The black grouper is a large marine fish, growing up to 150 centimetres in length and 100 kilograms in weight.

[edit] Distribution and Habitat:

It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean, from Massachusetts, USA, in the north to southern Brazil, but is particularly associated with the southern Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Adults are not found at the northern extremes of its range. It lives mostly near the surface, at depths ranging from 6 to 33 meters. It is associated with rocky or coral reefs but is not dependent on them;

[edit] Habits:

The black grouper is a solitary fish. Adults feed mainly on other fish and squid, though the younger fish feed on crustaceans especially shrimps.

[edit] Angling Value:

The black grouper is quite tasty and an important food fish, is fished for sale but also for sea-angling. While not currently considered endangered, it is vulnerable to increases in exploitation because it is a relatively slow breeder.

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[edit] Notes:

The fish spawns between May and August. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite (the young are predominantly female but transform into males as they grow larger).