Diet

• Carnivorous predator that feeds mainly on benthic crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs, as well as small fishes.

• A nocturnal hunter that remains concealed during the day and becomes more active after dark.

Range

• Tropical eastern Pacific, ranging from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California southward to central Peru.

• It occurs along the Mexican Pacific coast, including Guerrero, and is found in the Zihuatanejo area.

Habitat

• Inhabits shallow rocky reefs, rocky crevices and areas of submerged vegetation, including seagrass beds.

• Usually found from about 3–32 metres, although other sources give a broader recorded depth range extending to approximately 50 metres.

• During daylight it hides in crevices, among seaweed, or partly covers itself with sand, relying heavily on its camouflage.

Description

• Small, stocky grouper with a deep, strongly compressed body, large eyes, a short snout and a relatively straight forehead.

• Usually rusty or reddish-brown, with irregular darker bars, numerous small dark and pale spots, and larger pale blotches over the head and body.

• Pectoral fins have seven or eight irregular transverse rows of small dark spots, a useful identifying feature.

• The rear edge of the preopercle is serrated and has a large spine projecting downward and forward at the lower corner.

• Reaches about 30 cm in total length, although approximately 18 cm is a more typical adult size.