star-studded grouper
Hyporthodus niphobles
Eastern Pacific rockfish of rocky reefs and soft bottoms. It turns up on the line now and then and falls into shrimp trawl nets.
Also called: garoupa-cravejada, garoupa, mero manchado, star-studded grouper
- maximum
- 48 cm
- depth
- 50–130 m
who is the star-studded grouper
The starry grouper is a fish of the family Epinephelidae and reaches 48 cm. It lives in the eastern Pacific, from southern California, United States, to Peru, on rocky reefs and soft bottoms, 50 to 130 m deep. Adults are dark brown without spots, and juveniles have white spots forming a grid on the body and dorsal fin. It is caught for subsistence and often falls into shrimp trawl nets in the central Gulf of California. It is too rare to interest the trade, and it appears on sport fishing lines now and then.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the star-studded grouper; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Some authors have confused it with the snowy grouper (Hyporthodus niveatus).
identification
Adults are dark brown, with no markings. Juveniles are dark reddish-brown, with white spots in a grid pattern, a dark saddle-shaped mark on the caudal peduncle, light pectoral and caudal fins, and dark anal and pelvic fins. There is a black groove on the maxilla. Compare it with the olive grouper (Hyporthodus cifuentesi), which is paler brown with a greenish sheen, and with the dark grouper (Hyporthodus exsul), whose juveniles have many white spots but no grid pattern.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Lives in the eastern Pacific, from southern California, United States, to Peru, passing through Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Ecuador.
Habitat: Rocky reefs and soft bottoms, 50 to 130 m deep.
rules for the star-studded grouper
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Poses no danger to anglers. As it comes from the bottom, it may suffer barotrauma on the way up: handle it with care and release it as soon as possible.
in the kitchen
It is caught for subsistence, that is, for the consumption of whoever catches it.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01318, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Hyporthodus niphobles (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hyporthodus niphoblesNames by country and language.
