DUSTY GROUPER

Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Distribution: Temperate and tropical waters
Features: They reach sexual maturity when they are 5, and change from being female to male
Food: Fish, crustaceans and octopus.
Status of species: Endangered

The dusty grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) is distributed in temperate and tropical waters, in rocky areas at a depth between 10 and 50 meters.

They can measure up to 150 cm and weigh 60 kg, living up to 50 years. They are solitary fish living in small areas, which are mainly rocky with caves and holes for sheltering in. It is a sedentary, territorial species.

Their fertilization is external, releasing sperm and eggs into the water where they fertilize. They breed in summer when sexually mature individuals tend to cluster in specific areas. It is easy to see a larger male with several smaller females.

Discover the dusty grouper in the Oceans facility of the Oceanogràfic.