Orange-spotted grouper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orange-spotted grouper |
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The orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) is a type of fish found in the ocean. It's also known by many other names like estuary cod or goldspotted rockcod. This fish belongs to a group called groupers. Groupers are part of a larger family of fish called Serranidae, which also includes sea basses. You can find the orange-spotted grouper in the Indo-Pacific region, living in both salty ocean water and slightly salty water near rivers (brackish water).
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What Does the Orange-Spotted Grouper Look Like?
The orange-spotted grouper has a long body. Its head is mostly flat or a little bit curved between its eyes. The edge of its gill cover has some large, jagged parts.
This fish has two main fins on its back: a dorsal fin with 11 stiff spines and 13-16 soft rays, and an anal fin with 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The parts of the fin between the spines on its back are clearly notched. Its tail fin is rounded.
The body and head of this grouper are light brown on top and whitish underneath. They have four slanted, H-shaped dark marks on their sides. There are also 3-4 dark, saddle-like spots along their back. Their head, body, and fins are covered with many small brown or orange spots. When the fish are young, these spots are bigger and fewer. As they grow older, the spots get smaller and there are more of them. These fish can grow up to 120 centimetres (47 in) long and weigh as much as 15 kilograms (33 lb).
Where Do Orange-Spotted Groupers Live?
The orange-spotted grouper lives across a wide area called the Indo-Pacific. This includes the eastern coast of Africa, from the Gulf of Suez down to Durban in South Africa. You can also find them near Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion. They live in the Persian Gulf and stretch eastward into the Pacific Ocean, reaching places like Palau and Fiji.
Their range goes north to Japan and south to Australia. In Australia, they are found from Carnarvon, Western Australia along the warm northern coasts to the Solitary Islands in New South Wales. Sometimes, they have been seen in the Mediterranean Sea, first recorded off Israel in 1969. This might be because they are sometimes moved for fish farming.
Habitat and Life Cycle
Orange-spotted groupers live in coral reefs, especially those near mainlands and large islands. Young groupers often live in estuaries, which are areas where rivers meet the sea. Here, they prefer sandy, muddy, or gravelly bottoms, and also live in mangroves.
These fish are predators, meaning they hunt other animals for food. They eat smaller fish, shrimp, crabs, and other crustaceans that live on the seafloor. At night, they sometimes bury themselves partly in the mud.
Orange-spotted groupers are special because they can change their sex. Some males are born male, while others start as females and later change into males. This usually happens when they are about 67 centimetres (26 in) long and around 7.5 years old.
In places like Papua New Guinea, these fish gather in large groups, sometimes up to 1,500 individuals, to lay their eggs. This happens for 3–4 days each month over muddy and sandy areas. In the Persian Gulf, they lay eggs from March to June. Their eggs and young larvae are believed to float freely in the water.
Why Are Orange-Spotted Groupers Important to Humans?
Orange-spotted groupers are a popular fish for eating and are caught by commercial fisheries. They are highly valued in markets and are sold both live and fresh. People have also tried to raise them in aquaculture (fish farms).
However, these fish have been caught too much, which is called overexploitation. Their numbers have gone down a lot in many places where they live. Fishermen often catch them using fish traps.
One reason they are easily overfished is that they grow slowly, mature late in life, and don't produce many eggs. The larger male fish, which are more sought after, have been especially affected. This creates an imbalance between male and female fish, making it harder for their populations to recover. For example, in the UAE, fishermen have noticed a huge drop in catches over the past 20 years, showing how much their numbers have declined.
Taxonomy
The orange-spotted grouper was first officially described in 1822 by a Scottish doctor and naturalist named Francis Buchanan-Hamilton. He named it Bola coioides. This species looks very similar to, and is likely related to, other groupers like E. malabaricus and E. tauvina.
