Marquesan grouper

The Marquesan grouper has a body which has a standard length that is 2.7 to 3.3 times its depth. The dorsal profile of the head is slightly convex. The finely serrated preopercle has a rounded corner which also has a slight indentation, the serrations on the lower edge are slightly enlarged. The upper edge of the gill cover is nearly straight.[3] There are 11 spines in the dorsal fin and 16 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 8 soft rays.[2] The caudal fin is truncate or marginally rounded.[3] This species is reddish-brown in colour with a white dot on each scale leading to the appearance of fine, white speckling. There is a dark reddish-brown stripe on the maxilla. The membrane between the dorsal fine spines is red while the posterior edges of the dorsal, anal, caudal and pectoral fins shows a white line. This species attains a maximum standard length of 37 centimetres (15 in) and has a maximum published weight of 770 grams (1.70 lb).[2]

The Marquesan grouper is endemic to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, records from Japan and the Philippines are thought to be erroneous.[1]

The Marquesan grouper is found at depths of 20 to 50 metres (66 to 164 ft) where it lives among rocky and coral reefs,[1] other than that little information has been published on the biology of this species.[2]

The Marquesan grouper was first formally described in 1801 as Perca var. irrorata by the German naturalist and Calvinist pastor Johann Reinhold Forster (1729–1798). This was published in Bloch & Schneider's Systema Ichthyologiae and the type locality was given as St. Christian Island, now called Tahuata, in the Marquesas Islands.[4]

The Marquesan grouper is taken by local fisheries and all fish landed are marketed locally.[1] They are caught using spears, hook and line and traps.[3]