Epinephelus bleekeri, Vaillan 1878
Near Threatened (NT) by IUCN
Marine Protected Areas, Marine sancturies, Biosphere Reserves (Gulf of MannarBiosphere Reserve in East coast of India)
Trawl fishery is one of the major threat in India. Small juveniles removed from natural habitats for farming porpose in South east Asian countries.
Population decreasing.
A medium sized fish with an elongate and laterally compressed body. Body depth contained 3.0 to 3.5 times in standard length (for fish 11 to 52 cm standard length). Head length contained 2.4 to 2.7 times in standard length, interorbital area flat to slightly convex. Preopercle angle with 2 to 9 enlarged serrae, adults with a notch above preopercle angle, but no enlarged spinules on latter. Upper edge of operculum straight and 3 flat spines, maxilla scaly, reaching to or beyond vertical at rear edge of eye. Midlateral part of lower jaw with 2 rows of subequal teeth. Teeth of outer row longer, those of inner rows shortera and depressible. Canines at front of jaws. Gill rakers 9 to 11 on upper limb, 16 to 18 on lower limb, 25 to 28 total. Scales ctenoid, adults with a few small auxiliary scales.
Juveniles (less than 11 cm standard length) with 7 faint dark bars dorsally on body, the first two on nape, the last on caudal peduncle, all bars more or less demarcated by small dark spots, no dark spots on head or fins.
Govindaraju and Jayasankar (2004) studied taxonomic relationship among grouper species revealed by RAPD fingerprinting from southeast and southwest coast of India. E. bleekeri was found to be most distantly related to E. malabaricus and E. diacanthus. The genetic relationship was very close between E. chlorostigma and E. bleekeri.
Dorsal fin with 11 spines and 16 to 18 rays, third to fifth spines longest, the interspinous membranes incised. Anal fin with 3 spines and 8 or 9 (rarely 9) rays. Pectoral-fin rays 17 to 19 pectoral-fin length contained 1.6 to 2.1 times in head length. Pelvic-fin length contained 1.9 to 2.5 times in head length. Caudal fin truncate. Color of body at ground is reddish brown above and pale below. Upper part of head and body also reddish brown. Pelvic and anal fins and upper half of caudal fin with orange to orange red spots. Lower half of caudal fin and outer edge of anal fin purple brown.
Max reported length is 76 cm.
Monogenea, Digenea, zoonotic metacercariae members
E. bleekeri is an Indo-West Pacific species occurring from the Persian Gulf to Taiwan, Indonesia and the northern coast of Australia. E. bleekeri was reported from Bahrain, Iran, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Borneo, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia.
Occurs on shallow banks, but is not known from well-developed coral reefs. Not found in coral reefs.
Fertilisation is external, open water/substratum spawner.
Secondary consumer
Fish Lymphocystis disease (FLD) cause due to iridovirus was reported from Guangdong Province, China (Haifa, 2001)
Parasite reported from E. bleekeri at different locations were
Zoonotic metacercariae species, Heterophyopsis continua and Procerovum varium was reported from E. bleekeri from wild and cultures specimens at Vietnam.
Parasite group
Species
Reported location
Reference
Copepoda
Caligus rotundigenitalis Yü, 1933
Caligus epidemicus
Malaysia
India
Venmathi Maran
et al., 2009
vinoth et al., 2010
Digenea
Neidhartia mcintoshi n. sp.
Prosorhynchus macintoshi
(Velásquez, 1959) (as Prosorhynchus mcintoshi)
Philippine
Velasquez, 1959
Velasquez (1975)
Monogenea
Benedenia lutjani
(Whittington and Kearn, 1993)
Thailand
Leong (2001)
Benedenia sp. (Diesing, 1858)
Megalocotyloides convolute
Megalocotyloides epinepheli (Bychowsky and Nagibina, 1976)
Neobenedenia girellae
(Hargis, 1955)
Neobenedenia sp. (Yamaguti, 1963)
Pseudorhabdosynochus coioidesis Bu, Leong, Wong, Woo e Foo, 1999
Pseudorhabdosynochus epinepheli Yamaguti,1958
Pseudorhabdosynochus lanteuensis
Diplectanum penangi Liang and Leong, 1991
Hamid (2001)
Pseudorhabdosynochus latesi Tripathi, 1955
Pseudorhabdosynochus
monosquamodiscusi
(Balasuriya and Leong, 1995)
An excellent eating fish, but it is apparently not abundant. Cultured in floating net cages, pens, ponds in South east Asian countries. Occured in Life Reef Food Fish Trade in Hong Kong (Donaldson et al., 2003).
English name : Bleeker’s grouper, dusky tail grouper
West coast of India
East coast of India
Gujarathi : Vakharu
Tamil : Kalava
Marathi : Kekaru, Gobra
Malayalam : Kalawa
Serranus Bleekeri Vaillant in Vaillant and Bocourt, 1877:47 and 69 (based on Serranus variolosus [non Valenciennes]: Bleeker, 1849).
From Talwar and Kacker, 1984
Caudal fin subtruncate, truncate or emarginate.....
Pectoral fins rather short, as long as or shorter than postorbital part of spine.....
Last dorsal fin spine considerably shorter than third dorsal fin.....
Middle opercular spine about equidistant from lower and upper spines.....
Teeth on middle side of lower ja in 2 rows, upper part of head and body, pelvic and anal fins, upper half of caudal fin covered with orange to orange red spots.....
Benthic crusteceans, small fishes
Caught with hook-and-line, longlines, and trawls. Traps are used to caught E. bleekeri at Gulf of Mannar (India) region perticularly in Keelakarai and Rameswaram (LalMohan, 1985). One of major species at "Kalava grounds" Serranid fishery off Kerala, South India (Sivakami and Seetha, 2006).
Epinephelus coromandelicus Day, 1878
Serranus longispinis Playfair and Gunther, 1866
Serranus waandersi Day, 1888
Serranus coromandelicus Boulenger, 1889
Epinephelus coromandelicus Boulenger, 1895
Epinephelus coromandelicus M. Weber, 1913