Epinephelus stictus
Taxonomy [top]
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | ACTINOPTERYGII | PERCIFORMES | SERRANIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Epinephelus stictus | |||||||||
| Species Authority: | Randall & Allen, 1987 | |||||||||
Common Name/s:
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| Synonym/s: |
Epinephelus diacanthus (non Valenciennes, 1828)
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| Taxonomic Notes: | Previously misidentified as Epinephelus diacanthus, a northern Indian Ocean species (Randall and Heemstra 1991). | |||||||||
Assessment Information [top]
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 |
| Year Published: | 2008 |
| Assessor/s: | Russell, B., Pollard, D., Carpenter, K. & Heemstra, P.C. |
| Reviewer/s: | Sadovy, Y. & Moss, K. (Grouper and Wrasse Red List Authority) |
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Justification: Epinephelus stictus is listed as Least Concern because of its occurrence outside the area of active trawl fisheries (including China) and between Western Australia and Java (but the limit of its occurrence are poorly known). Intensive trawling (e.g., Hong Kong, Vietnam) within much of its range is cause for concern, hence catch and effort trends warrant monitoring. |
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Geographic Range [top]
| Range Description: |
General Epinephelus stictus is found in the Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, but known only from southern Japan, Hong Kong, Hainan Islands of China, Viet Nam, South China Sea, Java, and northwest Australia. There is a record from Taiwan (Katayama 1960), but that is dubious (Heemstra and Randall 1993). Country-specific Australia (Western Australia), China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangdong–Hainan, Guangxi), Hong Kong, Indonesia (Java), Japan (Shikoku), Taiwan, Viet Nam. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Australia; China; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; Taiwan, Province of China; Viet Nam
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| FAO Marine Fishing Areas: |
Native:
Indian Ocean – eastern; Pacific – western central; Pacific – northwest
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
Population [top]
| Population: | Although Epinephelus stictus was one of the most common species of grouper caught by trawlers in the vicinity of Hong Kong, Chan (1968) reported that it was not of much commercial importance. Small size and edible quality probably account for its low market value. |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
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Habitat and Ecology [top]
| Habitat and Ecology: |
General Epinephelus stictus is a demersal species that occurs over mud and sand substrata. It has a maximum size of 33.0 cm SL. Fisheries-dependent Epinephelus stictus is caught by trawling at depths ranging from 37 to 142 m (Heemstra and Randall 1993). In Hong Kong, it is trawled at depths ranging from 37 to 92 m (Chan 1968). |
| Systems: | Marine |
Threats [top]
| Major Threat(s): | The major threat to Epinephelus stictus is overfishing, particularly from commercial trawl fishing. |
Conservation Actions [top]
| Conservation Actions: | No specific actions for Epinephelus stictus, but there is currently a trawling ban off the coast of China to depths of 0 to 60 (to 100 m in some areas) (since circa 1950s) (Min pers. comm.). |
Bibliography [top]
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Chan, W.L. 1968. Marine Fishes of Hong Kong Part I. Heemstra, P.C. and Randall, J.E. 1993. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (Family Serranidae, Subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. IUCN. 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 5 October 2008). Katayama, M. 1960.. Fauna Japonica. Serranidae (Pisces). Japanese News Service., Tokyo (Japan). |
| Citation: | Russell, B., Pollard, D., Carpenter, K. & Heemstra, P.C. 2008. Epinephelus stictus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 16 May 2012. |
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