Family : Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets) , subfamily: Epinephelinae
Order : Perciformes  (perch-likes)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Coral grouper
Fish Name : Epinephelus corallicola
Max size : 49.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 5222)
Environment : reef-associated ; depth range - 30 m
Climate : tropical; 27°N - 30°S
Global Importance : fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)Distribution : Western Pacific: Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales) and eastward to the Solomon and Mariana Islands, including Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Palau. Adults often misidentified as Epinephelus macrospilos.
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 11-11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-17; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 8-8. Head profile long and flat; spots more widely spaced than the other two at a given size, becoming more numerous and widely spaced with growth (Ref. 37816). Closely resembles E. howlandi and E. macrospilos, but has more widely spaced spots on a light grayish-green to brown background, a longer flatter head profile, and more lateral line scales (Ref. 37816).
Biology : Common in shallow silty reefs, sometimes in estuarine areas. The ovary was well developed in an examined fish of 30 cm SL
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator : Heemstra, Phillip C.
Main Ref : Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall. 1993. (Ref. 5222)

India country information
Common Names : Duskyfin grouper
Status : questionable
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses