Epinephelus bilobatus
Frostback Rockcod | Brown-spotted Rockcod | Marbled Rockcod | Twinspot Grouper
Epinephelus bilobatus, adult, Montebello Islands, Western Australia, Photo: Graham Edgar
Epinephelus bilobatus, adult, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Three paired black saddles where dorsal fin joins the back, with pale strip below. Polygonal brown spots on body and high spiny dorsal fin, similar to E. maculatus (Highfin Grouper), which lacks paired black saddles on back. Length to 33 cm.
Information
Max Size: 33 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 21.5-31.7°C
Depth: 4-50 m
Habitat Generalization Index: 5.49
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Data Deficient
Occurrence: Frequent (15.8% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (2 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields