Fish profile · Serranidae
Brown-marbled grouper
Epinephelus fuscoguttatus
A large reef grouper with small brown spots and irregular darker patches. A dark saddle at the top of the tail base is a useful identification mark.
Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 7 sources
- Max length
- 120 cm
- IUCN
- VU
- Vulnerable
- In Malaysia
- Native
- Family
- Serranidae
- order Perciformes
Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.
How big?
Linear scale · person 170 cm
Up to 120 cm.
Where in Malaysia
3 open-licence records · GBIF
- Recorded (open records)
Recorded in Sabah and Terengganu. Based on 3 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.
How to identify
- Dense small brown spots
- Irregular larger dark blotches
- Small dark saddle on the upper tail base
Habitat
Reef-associated tropical Indo-Pacific waters.
- Diet
- Fish and other animal prey.
- Native range
- Tropical Indo-Pacific.
Eating
Sold in the live reef-fish trade and also produced through aquaculture. This grouper has been linked to ciguatera. Ciguatera is a natural poison that builds up in reef fish, and cooking and freezing don't destroy it.
More photos
Sources
Last reviewed 26 October 2026