Species: Hyporthodus mystacinus, Misty grouper
Hyporthodus mystacinus (Poey, 1852)
Misty grouper
Body robust, relatively deep and oval, compressed, deepest at origin of dorsal fin; large eyes; end of top jaw exposed; operculum edge with 3 flat spines; preoperculum without spines, lower corner rounded; 14-16 rakers on first gill arch; dorsal fin with XI spines (3rd longest), 14-15 rays; anal fin with III spines, 9 rays; lateral line complete, ending at tail base, smoothly arched; large eyes; pelvics shorter than pectoral, inserted under pectoral base; scales rough, small, 58-69 on lateral line; tail rounded to bluntly straight.
Adult: Chocolate brown with pale spots and 9-10 dark bars on head and body, those on body extending onto dorsal and anal fins, last one on tail base widest and darkest; 3 oblique dark stripes on side of head -1 along top of upper jaw and on cheek, 2 behind eye and on operculum. Juvenile: like adult but also with a dark head, and a broad black bar across tail base.
Size: 115 cm.
Habitat: rocky reef.
Depth: 12-400 m.
A neotropical species; in the eastern Pacific known only from the Galapagos and Cocos..
Note: Previously in the genus Epinephelus.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef only
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Data
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- TEP non-endemic
- New world (East Pacific + West Atlantic)
- All species
- East Pacific + Atlantic (East +/or West)
- Transisthmian (East Pacific + Atlantic of Central America)
- Regional Endemism
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- Island (s) only
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- All species
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 100
- Depth Range Min
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- 20
- Depth Range Max
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- 400
