| Wavy-lined grouper | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Serranidae |
| Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
| Tribe: | Epinephelini |
| Genus: | Epinephelus |
| Species: | E. undulosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Epinephelus undulosus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Epinephelus undulosus, thewavy-lined grouper,brown-lined reefcod,mid-water rockcod,mid-water grouper, is a species of marineray-finned fish, agrouper from thesubfamilyEpinephelinae which is part of thefamilySerranidae, which also includes theanthias and sea basses. It has a wideIndo-Pacific distribution. They are produced throughaquaculture and commercially fished.
Epinephelus undulosus has astandard length which is 2.7 to 3.1 times its depth. It has a convex region between the eyes. The preopecle is angular with an incision just above its angle and there are enlarged serrations at the angle while the gill cover has a straight or slightly concave upper margin.[3] There are 11 spines and 17-19 soft rays in thedorsal fin and 3 spines and 8 rays in theanal fin.[2] The membranes between the dorsal fin spines are not notched. The caudal fin is truncate or emarginate. The ovell colour of the head, body, and fins purplish grey to brownish grey, marked with brown to golden-brown spots on the head and wavy horizontal brown or golden brown lines on the upper body, although these may be indistinct on larger fish. The margin of the spiny part of the dorsal fin has a thin line of blackish colouration.[3] This species attains atotal length of 120 centimetres (47 in), although they are more commonly around 45 centimetres (18 in), and a maximum weight of 6.4 kilograms (14 lb).[2]
Epinephelus undulosus is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans from the coasts of Somalia and Kenya, theGulf of Aden andSocotra east to southern India and Sri Lanka and on to the Pacific Ocean where it extends to the Solomon Islands in the east andTaiwan ion the north.[1] This species has not been recorded from theRed Sea, thePersian Gulf or Australia.[3]
Epinephelus undulosus is found on open muddy seabeds, where it hides in holes in the mud or within solid structures, shipwrecks or debris. It is also found in banks. The adults live at depths from around 25 to 90 metres (82 to 295 ft) while juveniles may be found in water as shallow as 5 metres (16 ft) on coral reefs.[1] It is a generalist predator preying on a variety of benthic fishes and crustaceans it will also take macrozooplankton, such as pelagictunicates of the generaThalia andPyrosoma, if available.[3]
Epinephelus undulosus was first formallydescribed asBodianus undulosus in 1824 by theFrenchnaval surgeons andnaturalistsJean René Constant Quoy (1790–1869) andJoseph Paul Gaimard (1793–1858) with thetype locality given asWaigeo inWest Papua.[4]
Epinephelus undulosus is fished for by fisheries off Kenya, Sri Lanka andTamil Nadu.[3]
