United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Grouper, Snowy grouper
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref: Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall, 1993
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Ranges from Massachusetts to Texas. Commercially important stocks occur off the southeast coast of the U.S. (North Carolina to Georgia), Florida west coast, and lower Florida Keys(Ref. 5222). Percentage of males in the population off North and South Carolina appears to have decreased significantly, from 7-23% in the 1970s and 1980s to 1% in the 1990s and mean length of fish landed in the longline fishery has steadily decreased from 65-80 cm in the early 1980s to 50-60 cm in the mid-1990s (Ref. 45886). Also Ref. 276, 26340, 26938, 89707.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall, 1993
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets) > Epinephelinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Mérou neige, Cherna pintada, Seabass, ... more

Main reference

Craig, M.T. and P.A. Hastings. 2007. (Ref. 83414)
References | Biblio | Coordinator : Heemstra, Phillip C. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 122 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26340); common length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217); max. published weight: 30.0 kg (Ref. 5222); max. reported age: 27 years (Ref. 3090)

Length at first maturity
L_m 54.0, range 47 - ? cm

Environment

Marine; demersal; depth range 30 - 525 m (Ref. 5222), usually 100 - 200 m (Ref. 5222)

Climate / Range

Subtropical, preferred 25°C (Ref. 107945); 41°N - 27°S, 98°W - 34°W (Ref. 5222)

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951) to Massachusetts, USA to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-15; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9. Distinguished by the following characteristics: Dark margin on spiny dorsal fin and dark saddle on caudal peduncle that extends below lateral line (Ref. 26938); juveniles with pale yellow caudal and pectoral fins; black saddle blotch on the caudal peduncle reaching below lateral line; depth of body contained 2.4-2.8 times in SL; head length 2.2-2.4 times in SL; convex interorbital area, width less than or subequal to eye diameter; enlarged serrae at angle of preopercle; distinctly convex upper edge of operculum; posterior nostrils 2-5 times larger than anterior nostrils (Ref. 89707).

Adults occur well offshore on rocky bottoms. Juveniles may be found inshore and are often reported from the northeastern coast of the U.S (Ref. 89707). Adults feed on fishes, gastropods, cephalopods, and brachyuran crustaceans (Ref. 5222). Valuable commercial food fish (Ref. 26938).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Vulnerable (VU) (A2d+3d), IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5001 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.0 ±0.58 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.07-0.09; tmax=27)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High vulnerability (64 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Very high

Hyporthodus niveatus (Valenciennes, 1828)