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Related FAQs: Seahorses & their Relatives, Seahorses
& their Relatives 2, Seahorse
Identification, Seahorse Behavior,
Seahorse Compatibility, Seahorse
Selection, Seahorse Systems,
Seahorse Feeding, Seahorse Disease, Seahorse
Reproduction, Related Articles:
Seahorse Care Guide, Fresh
to Brackish Water Pipefishes, Solenostomidae
(Ghost Pipefishes), /The
Conscientious Aquarist
Indonesian Basses, Fancy and Otherwise, Family
Serranidae |
| | Bob Fenner |
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Basses, Groupers, Family Serranidae: |
Anyperodon leucogrammicus (Valenciennes 1828), the Slender
Grouper. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, out to the Marshall
Islands. To twenty one inches in length. This fish always draws
stares for its streamlined predatory good looks. An aquarium
juvenile and one in the Seychelles. Monotypic. | 
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Cephalopholis sexmaculata (Ruppell 1830), the Six-spot or
-blotch Hind. Indo-Pacific, down to South Africa, over to French
Polynesia. To nineteen inches in length. A secretive species. One
emerging toward nighttime in the Maldives to hunt, another in Mabul,
Malaysia. | 
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Cephalopholis sonnerati (Valenciennes 1828), the Tomato Hind.
Indo-Pacific; east Africa to Australia and southern Japan. Not found
in the Red Sea. To 57cm. in length. Eat small fishes and
crustaceans. Mabul, Malaysia image. | 
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Cephalopholis urodeta (Forster 1801), the Darkfin Hind to
science is the V-Tailed Grouper in the aquarium interest.
Indo-Pacific, down to South Africa, over to French Polynesia. To
eleven inches in length. Aquarium photograph. | 
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Cromileptes altivelis (Valenciennes 1828), the Panther Grouper
to the hobby is the Humpback Grouper to science. Western Pacific
distribution. To twenty eight inches in the wild. This eight inch
individual in an aquarium. | 
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Genus Epinephelus: |
Epinephelus coeruleopunctatus (Bloch 1790), the White- or
Smallspotted Grouper. Indo-Pacific. Often confused and sold as/with,
E. ongus, E. summana, E. corallicola. To thirty inches in length
in the wild. This one photographed in the Maldives. | 
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Epinephelus corallicola (Valenciennes 1828), the Coral Grouper.
Western Pacific. To eighteen inches in length. Aquarium image. | 
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Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskal 1775), the Blacktip Grouper. You
might think "fasciated" might be a better common name for this Bass,
until seeing how changeable its coloring is in the wild.
Indo-Pacific. to sixteen inches maximum length. At right, one in
Nuku Hiva, Marquesas. Images below: first taken at Australia, the
other two in the upper Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. | 
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Epinephelus flavocaeruleus (Lacepede 1802), the Blue and Yellow
Grouper. Indian Ocean, but not the Red Sea. To almost three feet in
length in the wild. This one photographed in the Wilhelma Aquarium,
Stuttgart, Germany at about two feet in length. | 
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Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Forsskal 1775), the Brown-Mottled
Grouper. To more than thirty inches in length. Red Sea profile and
Fiji images. | 
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Epinephelus lanceolatus (Bloch 1790), the Lanceolatus or Giant
Grouper. To eight feet and three hundred kilograms. The largest bony
fish found on coral reefs. Public Aquarium image. | 
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Epinephelus maculatus (Bloch 1790), the Spotted Grouper.
Indo-Pacific; Cocos-Keeling through Micronesia. To 60 cm. A juvenile
in Fiji and a larger one in N. Sulawesi. Eat reef fishes,
crustaceans and octopi in the wild. | 
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Epinephelus malabaricus (Bloch & Schneider 1801), the Malabar
Grouper. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. To seven feet long.
Happy ones in the Red Sea. | 
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Epinephelus merra Bloch 1793, the Honeycomb Grouper.
Indo-Pacific, but not the Red Sea. To about a foot maximum length. A
real beauty and common in the aquarium trade. Images from
Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia and Fiji. | 
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Epinephelus ongus (Bloch 1790), the White-Streaked Grouper.
Indo-west Pacific. To about a foot long. Fast learner in getting
along, feeding in captivity. Aquarium and Malaysian photos. | 
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Epinephelus polyphekadion (Bleeker 1849), the Camouflage
Grouper. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. A beauty, but grows to
about three feet in length. Mostly feeds on crabs and fishes in the
wild. This foot and a half specimen in the Red Sea. Formerly known
as E. microdon. | 
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Epinephelus spilotoceps Schultz 1953, the Foursaddle Grouper.
Indo-Pacific, but not the Red Sea, and punctuated distribution in
the west Pacific. To fourteen inches in length. Periodically
imported into the ornamental aquatics trade. This one in a typical
repose in the Maldives and N. Sulawesi. |  
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Genus Plectropomus: |
Plectropomus areolatus (Ruppell 1830), the Squaretail Grouper.
Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea but not Australia. To twenty
nine inches in length. Young one in Australia/Heron Island, adult in
the Bunaken, Indonesia. |  
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Plectropomus leopardus (Lacepede 1802), the Leopard Coral
Grouper. Western Pacific. To forty six inches in length. Juvenile
(about six inches) in Australia and semi-adult one in Fiji, from
where they're occasionally exported. |   |
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Plectropomus pessuliferus (Fowler 1904), the Roving Coral
Grouper. Indo Pacific; Red Sea, Zanzibar Sumatra, Fiji. Two
subspecies. P. p. marisburi in the Red Sea, P. p.
pessuliferus in the rest of the Indo-Pacific. Here is the
subspecies of the Red Sea. | 
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Genus Liopropoma: Four Indo. species. |
Liopropoma susumi (Jordan & Seale 1906), Meteor Perch. To 9 cm.
Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to Micronesia. Found on/in reefs to 34 meters
depth. | 
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Liopropoma swalesi (Fowler & Bean 1930). To 5 cm. in length.
Found near dense branching coral at about 25 meter depths. Western
Pacific: Indonesia and New Britain. Distinctive orange stripes.
Aquarium photo by Hiroyuki Tanaka. | 
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Fancy Sea Basses, The Subfamily Anthiinae:
Genus Nemanthias; Threadfin Anthias: One species: |
Nemanthias carberryi Smith 1954, the Threadfin Anthias. East
Africa over to the Maldives. To four inches in length. Best kept in
a large system in a haremic setting, one male, several females. | 
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Genus Pseudanthias:
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Pseudanthias dispar (Herre 1955), the Dispar Anthias. Indo-west
Pacific. To almost four inches in length. Hard to keep if not
immediately trained to take food. Best fed a few times daily.
Females have slightly longer pelvic fins. A gorgeous male in the
Singapore Aquarium, Sentosa Island and N. Sulawesi males and females
from the last. | | |
Pseudanthias evansi (Smith 1954), Evan's Anthias, Yellowback or
Yellowtail Anthias. Indian Ocean, eastern Africa coast over to the
Maldives. To five inches in length. A difficult aquarium species.
Similar to the hardier Pseudanthias
bartlettorum, which has a yellow dorsal fin. Below:
Aquarium, Maldives and N. Sulawesi images. | |
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Pseudanthias lori (Lubbock & Randall 1976), Lori's Anthias. To
five inches in length. Indo-Pacific. Close up of an individual in
Mabul, Malaysia and in a wholesaler's cubicle in L.A. |   |
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Pseudanthias luzonensis (Katayama & Masuda 1973), the
Yellow-Lined Anthias. To five and a half inches long. Males with
three yellow lines and red spot on their dorsal fin. Males off Gili
Air, Lombok, Indonesia. |  
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Pseudanthias pascalus (Jordan & Tanaka 1927), the Amethyst
Anthias. Tropical Pacific. To six inches in length. Difficult to
keep in captivity. Needs large systems, live-meaty foods. One in the
Cooks, the other in Fiji. |  
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Pseudanthias pleurotaenia (Bleeker 1857), the Square-Spot
Anthias. To eight inches in length. Western Pacific. |   |
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Pseudanthias squamipinnis (Peters 1855), the Lyretail Anthias.
Red Sea to western Pacific. To four and a half inches in length. A
tough, but sometimes mean aquarium species. At right: Male and
females shown Aquarium and Red Sea. Below, males
in N. Sulawesi, Red Sea and Fiji. |   |  |  |  |
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Pseudanthias tuka (Herre & Montalban 1927), the Purple Anthias.
Western Pacific. To five inches overall length. Pictured: a group at
right in Australia. Below are males in captivity and Bunaken, Indonesia,
and a female off Australia. |  | |
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Serranocirrhitus latus Watanabe 1949, the Fathead or
Hawkfish Anthias. Deep bodied, and to about five inches in the wild.
Shy... Resides in caves by day. Need hiding spaces in captivity and
peaceful tankmates. Image taken in Bunaken, Indonesia. | 
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Soapfishes, Subfamily Grammistinae, or Family Grammistidae: |
Belonoperca chabanaudi Fowler & Bean 1930, the Arrowhead
Soapfish. Indo-Pacific, far West Pacific to East Africa. To six
inches in length. Shy and retiring species found singly under
overhangs and in caves. | 
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Diploprion bifasciatum Cuvier 1828, the Barred Soapfish.
Indo-west Pacific. To ten inches long in the wild. A shy, but
beautiful addition to a reasonably peaceful aquarium setting. Eats
small fishes in wild. Hides in/around caves. Below, light aquarium
four inch juvenile, eight inch adult light and dark phase
Australian specimens of Diploprion bifasciatum. |
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Grammistes sexlineatus (Thunberg 1932), the Sixline Soapfish or
Grouper. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. To twelve inches in
length. Juveniles in the Red Sea and Maldives, and adult in captivity.
Monotypic genus. |
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Pogonoperca punctata (Valenciennes 1830), the Clown Grouper.
Indo-Pacific. To fourteen inches maximum length. | 
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