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Trout Cod
Epinephelus maculatus (Bloch, 1790)
A juvenile Trout Cod at a depth of 14m, "The Nursery", Julian Rocks, New South Wales, August 2002. View larger image.
Adult Trout Cod are light brown with dark brown spots. There are two large dark areas on the upper sides extending into the dorsal fins. These are both preceded by a large whitish area.
Juveniles have black and white areas on the upper sides like the adults, however they are darker overall and have additional white blotches on the head, body and fins.
This species grows to 50cm in length.
It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Western Pacific.
In Australia it is recorded from north-western Western Australia and from the northern Great Barrier Reef to the central coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Checklist of the fishes of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum. Supplement No. 63: 9-50.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
