Coral Grouper

Cephalopholis miniata

Coral Grouper

Cephalopholis miniata

Other Common Names
Coral Hind

Connected Coasts

Other Common Names

Coral Hind

At the Aquarium

Connected Coasts

Appearance

Coral groupers are orange-red to reddish brown with numerous bright blue spots. Their dorsal, anal and caudal fins sometimes have a black or blue border.

Juveniles may be yellow with faint pale blue spots.

Coral groupers grow to lengths of about 40cm.

Habitat

Channels and outer reef slopes. Found at depths of 3-150 m and deeper.

Diet

Fishes, mainly those of the genus Pseudanthias, and crustaceans

Life History

Coral groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites meaning individuals are born as female and can produce eggs but they are also capable of changing into males at some point in their lifespan.

Spawning usually occurs depending on the moon phase and involves males and females releasing eggs and sperm into the water. The fertilized eggs will float at the surface until they hatch. Then they enter the larval stage where they have a kite-shaped body and an elongated second dorsal spine and pelvic spine. During this stage the young coral groupers have limited swimming ability and are dispersed by ocean currents. Eventually they grow and settle on coral reefs as juveniles.

Coral groupers form social groups called harems consisting of a dominant male and 2-12 females. Territories (of up to 275 km^2 ) are divided into smaller territories and are defended by a single female.

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Coral groupers are important to coral reef food chains. Acting as both predator and prey, they help maintain balance within this ecosystem. They support other species as a food source while also limiting other species from becoming overpopulated.

At local levels, coral groups are important in fisheries. They are caught by hook and line, spear and traps.

Distributed in the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to Durban, South Africa, east to the Line Islands and from southern Japan to northern Australia

This animal is not native to the Oregon Coast, however is found in the larger Pacific Ocean. It lives in the Aquarium as part of our Connected Coasts gallery.

Coral groupers mainly feed during the early morning and midafternoon. They are ambush predators, meaning they use stealth and surprise to capture their prey. Like other species of groupers, the coral grouper has an oversized caudal fin for quick propulsion.

Citations & Other Resources

Rocha, L.A. 2018. Cephalopholis miniata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.

Allen, G. R., and Western Australian Museum. 2009. Field guide to marine fishes of tropical Australia and South-East Asia (4th ed.). Western Australian Museum.

Harrison, P., and A. Misiewicz. 2000. Reef fishes and corals of the Red Sea. New Holland.

Randall, J. E., G.R. Allen, and R.C. Steene. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press.

Myers, R. F. 1991. Micronesian reef fishes : a practical guide to the identification of the coral reef fishes of the tropical central and western Pacific (2nd ed.). Coral Graphics.

Meng, L., Y. Zhang, L. Gong, and Y. Gao. 2021. Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Cephalopholis miniata (Perciformes, Serranidae) and its phylogenetic analysis. Mitochondrial DNA. Part B. Resources, 6(7), 1976–1978. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2021.1937363

Fadli et al, N. (2022). Morphometric variation and reproductive aspects of the coral hind grouper (Cephalopholis miniata) harvested in the northern coast of Aceh, Indonesia. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 26(2), 351–366. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2022.229909

Coral Grouper

Coral Grouper

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

Contact Us

Subscribe to E-Newsletter

About Oregon Coast Aquarium