Camouflage grouper
Epinephelus polyphekadion
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Camouflage grouper
- Scientific
- Epinephelus polyphekadion
- Dhivehi
- ކުލަ ފާނަKula faana
- Maximum size
- Up to about 90 cm (standard length); commonly 90 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 50 m
- IUCN status
- VU · VulnerableVulnerable (VU), assessed 2016
Description
A pale greyish-brown grouper covered with close-set dark spots and blotches, with a distinctive dark saddle on the top of the tail base. It lives in coral-rich lagoons and outer reefs, often in caves, and feeds mainly on crabs and fish. It gathers in large spawning aggregations at predictable sites, which makes it easy to overfish; it is listed as Vulnerable.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name kula faana (MRS 1997). An important species in the Maldivian live-grouper export fishery.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Epinephelus-polyphekadion.html
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=6473&GenusName=Epinephelus&SpeciesNam
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ކުލަ_ފާނަ
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Epinephelus_polyphekadion5.jpg
Dhivehi name source: FishBase common names (country: Maldives) give 'Kula faana' (Latin script). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ކުލަ ފާނަ' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.