Scientific Name
Epinephelus amblycephalus  
Pronounce  
 Epinephelus amblycephalus鑲點石斑魚
by: Lab of Fish Ecol. and Evo., BRCAS
Author (Bleeker, 1857) Depth 80 - 200M
Chinese 鑲點石斑魚 Poisonous Fish No 
Family_Chinese 鮨科 Economic Fish Yes 
Family F338　Serranidae Edible Fish Yes  Chinese In Mainland China 鑲點石斑魚 
Max Length 50 cm  Aquarium Fish No  Common Name 黑點格仔、石斑、過魚、中溝、黑點鱠(澎湖)、硓[石古]鱠(澎湖) 
Distribution in World India Ocean to West Pacific Ocean   Distribution in Taiwan West、South、North、PonFu、LanI Is. 
Habitats Coral、Coastal  Holotype Locality Amboina 
Synonyms Serranus amblycephalus   
Reference 臺灣魚類誌(沈等, 1993)；The Live Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific, Vol.4(FAO,1999)  沈世傑 編 Shih-Chieh Shen ed. 1993 Heemstra, P.C. etc. 1993 Carpenter, K. E. etc. 1999 Hiroyuki Motomura, Masahide Ito, Hiromi Ikeda, Hiromitsu Endo, Mizuki Matsunuma etc. 2007 
Specimen List ASIZP0056184. ASIZP0059129. ASIZP0060052. ASIZP0060284. ASIZP0073199. ASIZP0805674. ASIZP0915674. BPBMI23194. FRIP00399. FRIP21870. NMMBP02709. NMMBP05051. NMMSTP00531. NTMP0562. NTUM00014Paratype. NTUM00806. NTUM06454. NTUM08244.  
Barcode2012-08-20,柯慧玲,CO1,100%
Common Name Bighead grouper; Banded grouper 
Redlist Status NL Not in IUCN Redlist     
Characteristic Dorsal fin with XI, spines and 15-16 rays; anal fin III, spines and 8; pectoral fin 18-19; lateral-line scales 47-52; longitudinal scales series 90-121; scales on body ctenoid except on thorax, anterior on abdomen and below first few dorsal spines; auxilary scales present on body; small scales on snout and maxilla; gill raker of first gill arch 8 + 15-16. Body depth less than head length, depth contained appr. 2.7 times in SL(for fish 12-35 cm); Head length contained 2.2 times in SL; preopercle rounded, with 3 to 6 enlarged serrae at the "corner"; upper edge of operculum slightly convex; nostril subequal or posterior nostril larger than anterior; maxilla scaly, reaching about to vertical at rear edge of eye; midside of lower jaw with 2 rows of teeth. Head, body, and median fins pale grey; body with 4 broad dark brown bars, the first two extending into spinous part of dorsal fin, the third and fourth bars extending into soft dorsal and anal fins; a fifth dark bar at base of caudal fin; small black spots on dorsal parts of body bars; dark brown saddle blotch on nape, with small black spots mainly along edge of this blotch; cheeks, snout, interorbital area, jaws, and chest mostly dark brown, with 2-3 white bands radiating from eye; irregular black bar on middle of caudal fin; maxillary groove yellow; ventral parts of head and body often with a pinkish tinge. Small juveniles (6 cm SL) white, with black bars on body as described for adults, the fins pale yellow with small black spots.
habitats E. amblycephalus inhabit coral and rocky reef in the depths of 80-130 m. Tseng and Chan (1985) discussed food, rearing procedures, and larva development of specimens from Hong Kong. The maximum total length is 50 cm. 
Distribution E. amblycephalus is known from the Andaman Sea to southern Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, New Guinea, northwestern Australia, and Fiji. 
Utility E. amblycephalus is a popular and commercially important species in Hong Kong.