No photo available
Potato grouper
Epinephelus tukula
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Potato grouper
- Scientific
- Epinephelus tukula
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Maximum size
- Up to about 2 m (total length); max. published weight 110 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 10 to 400 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2016
Description
A very large grouper, pale brownish grey with big dark brown, potato-shaped blotches over the body and small spots on the fins, reaching about 2 m. It lives on deep reef channels, seamounts and current-swept slopes and eats reef fish, rays, crabs and lobsters. It is territorial and inquisitive, and individuals often approach divers closely.
In the Maldives
Groupers in the Maldives are managed under the Maldives Grouper Fishery Management Plan (2020).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Epinephelus-tukula.html
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Epinephelus_tukula.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.