Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 60–250 m.
Scientific name: Mycteroperca bonaci · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 150 cm
The black grouper is an epinephelid of rocky and coral reefs, recorded from 60 to 250 m, and it is a solitary species though it forms spawning aggregations. Adults feed primarily on fishes while juveniles take mainly crustaceans, and it is an oviparous protogynous hermaphrodite. It is common but difficult to approach. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Bermuda and Massachusetts to southern Brazil, including the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, though adults are unknown from the north-eastern coast of the United States. Maximum length is about 150 cm total length, commonly about 70 cm, and it matures at about 68 cm. It is a highly commercial species, a gamefish and is kept in public aquariums, marketed fresh with flesh of excellent quality. Fishing vulnerability is high at 63 of 100 and resilience medium, the price category is very high, and climate vulnerability is very high at 88 of 100. IUCN lists it as near threatened.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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