Blacksaddle Grouper

Epinephelus howlandi

The blacksaddle grouper (Epinephelus howlandi) is a medium-sized grouper reaching up to 45 cm. It has a pale body marked with several large, dark saddle-shaped blotches and small dark spots. Found in the western and central Pacific from the Great Barrier Reef to the Marshall Islands and from Japan to New Caledonia, this species inhabits outer reef slopes and channels at depths of 10 to 60 meters. It is a solitary predator feeding on small fish and crustaceans. Like other groupers, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, beginning life as female and potentially changing sex to male. Its attractive patterning and tendency to hold still near coral outcrops makes it a cooperative subject for patient underwater photographers.