Description: color light
gray or brown; large adults with elongated caudal-fin rays; reddish brown
spots on sides that tend to be grouped into lines; some yellow around
corners of mouth.
Similar Fish: yellowmouth
grouper, M. interstitialis.
Where found: NEARSHORE
reefs off the northeastern coast, and on OFFSHORE reefs in the Gulf.
Size: generally smaller
than gags or blacks.
*Florida Record: 28 lbs.
Remarks: spawns in late
spring; feeds on small fish, squid, and crustaceans; undergoes sex
transformation from female to male as it becomes older.
* 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.
