No photo available
Giant grouper
Epinephelus lanceolatus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Giant grouper
- Scientific
- Epinephelus lanceolatus
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Maximum size
- Up to about 2.7 m (total length); commonly 1.9 m; max. published weight 400 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 200 m; also enters brackish water
- IUCN status
- DD · Data DeficientData Deficient (DD), assessed 2016
Description
The largest bony fish on coral reefs, reaching about 2.7 m and 400 kg. Adults are greyish brown with mottling and small dark spots on the fins, while juveniles are boldly patterned in yellow and black. It lives in caves, wrecks and deep holes, and eats lobsters, fish, small sharks and rays, and even young turtles. It is heavily fished and is now rare in many places.
In the Maldives
Groupers in the Maldives are managed under the Maldives Grouper Fishery Management Plan (2020).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Epinephelus-lanceolatus.html
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:GiantGrouper018.JPG
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.