Brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) is a saltwater species recorded in Hong Kong, Taiwan. It is mainly found over reef, coral, seagrass, at depths of 1–60 m. The main season in Hong Kong, Taiwan runs all year.
Scientific name: Epinephelus fuscoguttatus · Water: Saltwater · Season: All year
Size: up to 120 cm
The Brown-marbled grouper, known in Hong Kong as the tiger grouper, wears a tiger-striped pattern and is a large-bodied species of lagoon pinnacles, channels and outer reef slopes in coral-rich, clear water, with juveniles in seagrass beds. Its range covers the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa and the Phoenix Islands, north to Japan and south to Australia, and it is unknown from the Persian Gulf, Hawaii and French Polynesia. It feeds on fish, crabs and cephalopods and is most active at dusk. Targetable all year between 1 and 60 m, it reaches about 120 cm and lives up to 40 years, and is listed as Vulnerable. It is key broodstock in Taiwanese grouper farming, where the famous hybrid crosses it with the giant grouper, and large individuals may be ciguatoxic in some areas.
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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