Species: Epinephelus ongus, White-streaked grouper

Epinephelus ongus  (Bloch, 1790)

White-streaked grouper

Body robust, oblong, compressed, deepest at origin of dorsal fin; nostrils about equal size; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without bony knob at lower rear corner; teeth depressible, side of lower jaw with 2-4 rows of teeth; sides of roof of mouth with teeth; gill rakers 8-10+15-18; operculum edge with 3 flat spines, top spine longest, flap of upper corner strongly convex; preoperculum serrate, with very slightly larger serrae at angle; dorsal fin IX, 14-16, spines III-IV longest, length of base of soft part not longer than that of spiny part; anal fin III, 8; pectoral fin symmetrically rounded, fleshy, long (59-77% of head length), 15-17; pelvics insert just behind the base of the pectoral fin, shorter than pectorals, 43-50% head length; tail fin rounded; body scales rough, with auxiliary scales; lateral line scales 48-53, longitudinal scales 95-109.

Head, body and dorsal, anal and tail fins brown, with numerous small whitish spots (elongate in larger fish) that tend to form rows, and scattered large pale blotches; top edge of top jaw with a black stripe; edges of soft dorsal, soft anal and tail fin black; pectorals and pelvics with white spots in juveniles & subadults, not in adults.

Reaches 40 cm.

Habitat: rocky and coral reefs, inshore and lagoonal reefs, also in brackish water.

Depth range 5-60 m.

Indo-west Pacific; introduced to southeast Florida.