Scientific Name
Epinephelus guttatus

Common Name
Red hind

Biology
Found in shallow reefs and rocky bottoms. Usually solitary and territorial. Feeds mainly on crabs (Calapa and Mithrax) and other crustaceans (alpheid shrimps and scyllarid lobsters), fishes (labrids and haemulids), and octopus. Some undergo sexual inversion at 28 cm TL; most fish larger than 40 cm are males. Important in terms of numbers caught and total weight of landings in the Caribbean. Easily approached by divers (Ref. 9710). Hermaphrodite species. Excellent food fish (Ref. 26938). Readily caught on hook and line and easily speared (Ref. 13442).

Classification

Classified By

Linnaeus, 1758

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets (Serranidae)

Distribution

Region

Western Atlantic

Distribution

Western Atlantic: North Carolina, USA to Para?ba, Brazil (Ref. 57756). The most common species of Epinephelus in the West Indies.

Range

36°N - 8°N, 98°W - 58°W

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

2 m

Depth To - meters

100 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 2 - 100 m (Ref. 5222)

Trophic Level

3.88 s.e. 0.64 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

76.0 cm

Common Length

40.0 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums

Vulnerability

High vulnerability (61 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.12-0.24; tm=3; tmax=17; Fec=96,000)

Threat To Humans

Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 31172)

IUCN Red List Status

Least Concern (LC) , IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group