Species: Hyporthodus niveatus, Snowy grouper
juv: D edge black; tail base - deep black saddle
Hyporthodus niveatus (Valenciennes, 1828)
Snowy grouper
Body robust, compressed, oval, deepest at origin of dorsal fin, depth < head length; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without bony knob at lower rear corner; teeth depressible; sides of roof of mouth with teeth; rear nostril 3-5 times larger than front nostril; operculum edge with 3 flat spines; edge of preopercle with slightly enlarged teeth; 22-26 gill rakers; dorsal fin XI, 13-15, spine III or IV the longest, membranes between spines deeply indented, length of base of soft part not longer than that of spiny part; anal fin III, 9; pectoral fin symmetrically rounded, 18-19; origin of pelvic before lower edge of pectoral base, juveniles with pelvics longer than pectorals; tail rounded in juveniles, straight to concave in adults; body scales rough on sides, ~65 on lateral line.
Adult: dark brown; edge of spiny dorsal black. Juvenile: dark brown; conspicuous white spots in vertical rows on rear of head and on body, extending onto the dorsal fin; spiny dorsal fin with black edge; tail and pectoral fins yellow to clear; upper tail base with a deep black saddle that reaches below the lateral line.
Size: 122 cm, 30 kg.
Adults and juveniles on hard bottoms.
Depth: 10-525 m; juveniles enter shallow water, adults usually at 100-200 m.
Massachusetts to Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- GC non-endemic
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends North of GC
- Extends N + S of GC
- Extends South of GC
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Vulnerable
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 122
- Depth Range Min
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- 10
- Depth Range Max
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- 525
