Peacock Grouper
Peacock Grouper
Cephalopholis argus
UncommonSerranidaeCiguatera risk
ID points
- Deep brown ground covered in small black-edged blue spots
- The rear of the body usually shows several broad pale bars
- Rounded tail fin with a white margin on the rear edge
Basics
- Family
- Serranidae
- Length
- 30–50 cm
- Depth
- 2-40 m
- Regions
- Indo-Pacific reefs
- Distribution
- Tropical coral reefs from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific
- Habitat
- Coral reefs and lagoons
- Diet
- Small fish, crustaceans
Easily confused with
Coral HindOrange-red ground covered with small blue dots edged in dark
Coral TroutOrange-red ground covered in tiny blue spots
GrouperLarge head and mouth, with the lower jaw slightly protrudingFun fact
The Peacock Grouper is covered in bright little blue spots over an orange-brown ground colour, an extraordinarily vivid pattern. It was introduced to Hawaii and other Pacific islands in 1956 for fisheries, and became an invasive species that damages reef ecosystems. It is now a priority target for ecological management in Hawaii.