Description
Also known as Blacksaddle Coral Grouper, Blacksaddle Grouper, Black-saddled Coral Trout, Black-saddled Leopard Grouper, Bluespot Coral Trout, Bluespot Trout, Blue-spotted Coral Trout, Chinese Footballer, Chinese Footballer Cod, Coral Trout, Footballer Cod, Footballer Coral Trout, Footballer Trout, Giant Coral Grouper, Giant Coral Trout, Hind, Leopard Black-saddled Coral Grouper, Leopard Coral Grouper, Oceanic Coral Trout, Oceanic Trout, Rockcod, Saddleback Coral Grouper, Saddleback Coral Trout, Saddleback Grouper, Spotted Coral Grouper, Tiger Trout, Trout.
Found singly or in large schools, over channels and outer shelf reefs, of lagoons and seaward reefs, rich in coral growth.
They feed on crustaceans and fish.
Juveniles found over rubble areas in shallow reefs, colourful like a bright football, mimicking the poisonous Saddled Pufferfish.
Length - 100cm
Depth - 4-100m
Widespread Indo-Pacific
Groupers are solitary carnivores that hunt near the bottom usually at dusk. Food is drawn into their mouths by a powerful suction when they open their overly large mouths and then swallowed whole.
Spawning is seasonal and controlled by the moons phase. Ref: https://www.fishbase.se/summary/7372
4 comments
Posted by @fishx6Thank you for that, has now been moved to its rightful place!
Posted by @marknsorry just the 3rd one, it is just that the black /white markings don't follow the other photos and it looks very much like a photo i have of a juvenile bigeyed bream taken in Rarotonga
Posted by @fishx6Which photo did you mean or did you mean all of them?
Posted by markthis is a bit indistinct but could this photo be of a juvenile humpnose bigeyed bream instead of a juvenile blacksaddle coral grouper? The black markings seem more like the bream than the grouper