Description: olive or gray
body coloration with black blotches and brassy spots; gently rounded
preopercle.
Similar Fish: gag M.
microlepis; yellowfin grouper, M. venenosa.
Where found: OFFSHORE
species; adults associated with rocky bottoms, reef, and drop off walls in
water over 60 feet deep; young may occur INSHORE in shallow water.
Size: common to 40
pounds, may attain weights exceeding 100 pounds.
*Florida Record: no
Florida record because of identity confusion with gag, which are
mistakenly called "black grouper."
Remarks: spawns between
May and August; protogynous hermaphrodites, young predominantly female,
transforming into males as they grow larger; larger individuals generally
in greater depths; feeds on fish and squid.
* The Florida records
quoted are from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's
printed publication, Fishing
Lines and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are
provided as only as a benchmark.
