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Oval Grouper
Triso dermopterus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1842)
An Oval Grouper speared at a depth of 10m by P. Mullins, near Seal Rocks, New South Wales, February 2002. (AMS I.41217-001) View larger image.
The Oval Grouper has an oblique mouth and a projecting lower jaw. It has small ctenoid scales covering the head and body.
This species is dark brown to black with dark fins.
The Oval Grouper grows to 68cm in length.
It is usually found on rocky or soft bottoms at depths between 22m and 103m (note depth of specimen in the images).
This species has an anti-tropical distribution. In the Northern Hemisphere it is found in marine waters of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. In the Southern Hemisphere it is recorded in a few localities off Western Australia and from southern Queensland to northern New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Heemstra, P.C. & J.E. Randall. 1993. Groupers of the World. (Family Serranidae, Subfamily Epinephelinae). An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Grouper, Rockcod, Hind, Coral Grouper and Lyretail Species Known to Date. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 16. FAO. Rome. Pp. 382.
