No photo available
Areolate grouper
Epinephelus areolatus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Areolate grouper
- Scientific
- Epinephelus areolatus
- Dhivehi
- ތިއްޖެހި ފާނަThijjehi faana
- Maximum size
- Up to about 53 cm (total length); commonly 35 cm; max. published weight 2 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 6 to 200 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2016
Description
A pale grouper covered in close-set brownish-yellow to brown spots and with a squared-off tail edged in white. It prefers seagrass, sand and silty bottoms near reefs rather than coral-rich areas, and feeds on fish, prawns and crabs. It is an important food fish in many countries.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name thijjehi faana (MRS 1997).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Epinephelus-areolatus.html
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ތިއްޖެހި_ފާނަ
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Epinephelus_areolatus,_black_background,_New_Caledonia.jpg
Dhivehi name source: Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ތިއްޖެހި ފާނަ' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition). No published Latin-script form found; 'Thijjehi faana' is Pax's transliteration of the Thaana (Malé Latin conventions). FLAG: Latin form is a transliteration, not a published spelling.