Epinephelus tauvina (Greasy grouper)
The greasy grouper, Epinephelus tauvina, is a sleek grouper with a pale grey body color, with slightly darker brown patches, covered in red-brown dots. the fins and tail are covered in dots as well. Just under the latter part of the dorsal fin there is usually a black blotch or close row dark dots, as well as on the outlines of the tail fin.
Data deficient according to the IUCN Red list. Meaning too little is known about this species to make an estimate of whether their number are increasing, maintaining or decreasing.
Indo-Pacific. From the Red Sea and Eastern African coast to New Zealand, and North to Japan. Juveniles are found in shallow reef flats and tide pools, as adults prefer deeper, clear water of coral reefs, in a depth range of 5-65 meters.
–
Up to 70 cm., but commonly 50-60 cm. There has been mention of specimens up t0 100 cm., but these reports were probably based on misidentifications.
Greasy groupers feed almost exclusively on smaller fish, such as pomacentrids and mullids, and much less on crustaceans.
Epinephelus tauvina has been reported to be ciguatoxic. Identifications are tentative, since there have been many mix-ups with similar species, such as Epinephelus coioides and Epinephelus malabaricus.
