Chromileptes
| Humpback grouper | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Serranidae |
| Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
| Genus: | Cromileptes |
| Species: | C. altivelis |
| Binomial name | |
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Cromileptes altivelis (Valenciennes, 1828) |
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The humpback grouper, panther grouper, or (in Australia) barramundi cod (Cromileptes altivelis) is a demersal marine fish which belongs to the family Serranidae, the groupers.
Recent molecular analyses based on five genes show that Cromileptes altivelis is included in the same clade as species of Epinephelus. Consequently, the species should be included in Epinephelus as Epinephelus altivelis.
The humpback grouper is a medium-sized fish which grows up to 70 cm. Its particular body shape makes this grouper quite impossible to mix up with other fishes. Its body is compressed laterally and is relatively high. This stocky and strange visual effect is accented by its concave profile and its elongated snout which gives it a humpbacked appearance.
The young have a white background with round black spots and are continuously swimming head down. The adults have a body colouration with variances of grey and beige with darker blotches variable in size on the body. Small black spots cover the whole body.
It is widely distributed throughout the tropical waters of the central Indo-West Pacific region. The humpback grouper lives in clear waters from lagoons and seaward reefs with a preference for dead or silty areas. They are found in a range of depth from 2 to 40 m (6 ft 7 in to 131 ft 3 in).
The diet of this grouper is based on small fishes and crustaceans. Like the members of its family, the humpback grouper is demersal, solitary (except during mating periods), defends a territory, and is an ambush predator. Its feeding activity is maximal at sunrise and/or at sunset. This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite, which means it is able to change from the sex it was born as to the opposite sex.
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Wikipedia