Epinephelus itajara
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Serranidae (Sea Basses and Groupers)
Epinephelus
Epinephelus itajara (Goliath Grouper)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Most dorsal fin spines shorter than dorsal fin rays, pelvic fin origin below or posterior to pectoral fin base, and pectoral fin longer than pelvic fin. Interorbital region is flat and very broad. Eye is relatively small. Maxilla is scaly and extends beyond posterior margin of orbit, with ventral margin smoothly rounded and lacking step and bony knob. Supramaxilla is well developed. Jaw teeth are small, and those in midlateral part of lower jaw are arranged in three to five rows. Preoperculum is subangular, with posterior margin evenly serrate. Operculum has convex dorsal margin. Gill rakers on first arch number 21 to 24, with 8 or 9 on upper limb and 13 to 15 on lower limb. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head 34%–43%, body depth 29%–37%. Pectoral fin is broadly rounded and has 18 or 19 rays. Dorsal fin has 11 spines and 15 or 16 rays. Anal fin has 8 rays. Caudal fin is rounded. Body scales are ctenoid. Lateral line scales number 61 to 64, and scales in horizontal series number 89 to 110.
Color is brown, brownish yellow, or green, with head, upper body, and fins covered with small black spots. Specimens less than 100 cm SL have three or four indistinct bars on upper part of body. Specimens larger than 100 cm SL are darker than smaller specimens and lack bars.
Distribution
Florida and Bermuda to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
Found throughout the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical and warm temperate Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans, from the shoreline to about 30 m. Adults are found on coral reefs and other areas with high relief.
Juveniles occur inshore in mangrove swamps and bays
Biology
Food consists of octopods, shrimps, crabs, lobsters, ray-finned fishes, and young sea turtles; however, it feeds largely on crustaceans.
Maximum known size is 250 cm TL
Fecundity ranges up to 58 million eggs. Males mature at 110 to 115 cm SL, and females mature at 120 to 135 cm SL.
A solitary species (Ref. 26340) occurring in shallow, inshore areas. Found on rock, coral, or mud bottoms (Ref. 5217). Juveniles found in mangrove areas and brackish estuaries (Ref. 5217). Large adults may be found in estuaries (Ref. 5217). Adults appear to occupy limited home ranges with little inter-reef movement. Feeds primarily on crustaceans, particularly spiny lobsters as well as turtles and fishes, including stingrays. Territorial near its refuge cave or wreck where it may show a threat display with open mouth and quivering body. Larger individuals have been known to stalk and attacks divers. Over-fished, primarily by spear fishing (Ref. 9710). Marketed fresh and salted. Meat is of excellent quality. Important game fish (Ref. 9342). Reported to reach weights of more than 315 kg (Ref. 26938).
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2016-11-20. Resilience: Low (K=0.13; tm=5.5-6.5).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Smith 1971
Smith 1997
Robins and Ray 1986
Bullock and Smith 1991
Cervigón 1991 (as E. [Promicrops] itajara)
Boschung 1992
Heemstra and Randall 1993
Schaldach et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Heemstra 2002c
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall (1993) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (family Serranidae, subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. Rome: FAO. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(16):382 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Anonymous (1994) Atlas pesquero de México. Instituto Nacional de la Pesca. 234 p.
Craig, M.T., YJ. Sadovy de Mitcheson and P.C. Heemstra (2011) Groupers of the world: a field and market guide. North America: CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group, xix, 356 p., A47 pages appendix. DOI: 10.1201-/9780429087899
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