Catface Grouper

Epinephelus andersoni' has an elongate body with a relatively shallow body depth which fits into its standard length 3.2 to 3.7 times. The preopercle is angular and the serrations at its and are somewhat enlarged. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 13–15 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin is clearly rounded. There are 66–74 scales in the lateral line. The background colour of the head, body, and fins is brown, the body, caudal fin and dorsal fins are densely marked with irregular, small, dark brown spots. There are 2 dark brown stripes one of which runs from the eye across the gill cover while the other runs from the from maxillary groove to the lower margin of the preopercle. The juveniles are marked with horizontal dark stripes which dissolve into spots as they approach the caudal peduncle. They also have a black blotch at base of rearmost spines in the dorsal fin and 2 small black spots at base of soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin with a third spot on the upper part of the caudal peduncle. Between each of these black blotches there are 4 or 5 white spots. The maximum recorded total length is 87 centimetres (34 in) and the maximum recorded weight is 9.4 kilograms (21 lb).

Epinephelus andersoni is endemic to the southwestern Indian Ocean where it occurs off the coast of southeastern Africa. Its distribution extends from Zavala, Mozambique to the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It has been recorded as far south as the De Hoop Marine Protected Area but it is rare south of Knysna.