You can sponsor this page

Epinephelus tukula Morgans, 1959

Potato grouper
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Epinephelus tukula   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Videos | Stamps, Coins Misc. | Google image
Image of Epinephelus tukula (Potato grouper)
Epinephelus tukula
Picture by Randall, J.E.


Sri Lanka country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Also Ref. 89707.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Kapoor, D., R. Dayal and A.G. Ponniah, 2002
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Perciformes/Serranoidei (Groupers) > Epinephelidae (Groupers)
Etymology: Epinephelus: Greek, epinephelos = cloudy (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 10 - 400 m (Ref. 89707).   Tropical; 35°N - 32°S, 29°E - 150°E (Ref. 5222)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to southern Japan and Queensland, Australia. Also from the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. There are no records from Madagascar, Mauritius, Maldives, Laccadives, and Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 99 - ? cm
Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2872); max. published weight: 110.0 kg (Ref. 9710)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14-15; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. Distinguished by the following characteristics: body depth contained 2.9-3.5 times in SL; head length 2.3-2.6 times in SL; slightly convex interorbital area; straight dorsal head profile; rounded or subangular preopercle, slightly enlarged serrae at angle; almost straight upper edge of operculum; posterior and anterior nostrils subequal in size; maxilla reaches to or beyond vertical at rear edge of eye; 2-6 rows of teeth on midlateral part of lower jaw (Ref. 89707).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Mainly found in deep reef channels and seamounts, in current prone areas (Ref. 48635). Juveniles may be found in tide pools (Ref. 5222). Feeds on reef fishes, skates, crabs, and spiny lobsters (Ref. 5222). Considered to be exceedingly territorial and very aggressive towards intruders. Vulnerable to spear fishers (Ref. 5222). Hand fed by divers in certain areas, but potentially dangerous to the inexperienced. In the Hong Kong live fish markets (Ref. 27253). Solitary (Ref 90102).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall, 1993. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (family Serranidae, subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. Rome: FAO. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(16):382 p. (Ref. 5222)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 22 November 2016

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes
FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration
Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion
Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 16.8 - 27.7, mean 23.9 (based on 619 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01479 (0.00762 - 0.02872), b=3.05 (2.89 - 3.21), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.2   ±0.68 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High to very high vulnerability (66 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.