Epinephelus merra

Serranidae
Birdwire Rockcod, Dwarf-spotted Grouper, Honeycomb Cod, Honeycomb Grouper, Honeycomb Rockcod, Wire-netting Cod
  • Epinephelus merra, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
    Epinephelus merra, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
  • Epinephelus merra, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Epinephelus merra, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Epinephelus merra, Northern WA, Australia, Photo: Andrew Green
    Epinephelus merra, Northern WA, Australia, Photo: Andrew Green
  • Epinephelus merra, QLD, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Epinephelus merra, QLD, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Small grouper with honeycomb pattern, highly variable and with no consistently distinctive features. Similarly-marked E. macrospilos (Snubnose Grouper) has broad white margin on tail, and E. quoyanus (Longfin Rockcod) has rounded black tail margin and larger, less numerous spots on snout. Very common within its range. Length to 31 cm.
Information
  • Max Size: 31 cm
  • Sea Temperature Range: 20.8-31.2°C
  • Depth: 0-50m
  • Habitat: Coral Reef
  • Habitat Generalisation Index: 18.9
    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
Rarity
  • Threats: Exploitation
  • IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
  • Occurrence: Common (23% 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 (3 per transect)
    Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields
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