Striped Grouper

Epinephelus latifasciatus has a body with a standard length which is 2.9 to 3.4 times its depth. The dorsal profile of the head and area between the eyes is convex. The angular preopercle has a finely serrated margin with the serrations at the angle being enlarged. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 12-14 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin is truncate, in adults and rounded in juveniles. The colour of the head and body is greyish brown and there are two pale longitudinal stripes which have black margins and contain dark dots. The upper stripe runs from above the eye to the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin while the lower stripe runs from underneath the eye to the caudal fin. The dorsal and caudal fins are marked with black spots and streaks. This pattern is most obvious in juveniles, which may be lavender-grey or pale brownish in background colour, and fades with adults so that larger adults may be plain greyish brown. This species has a maximum published standard length of 127 centimetres (50 in), although they are more commonly 70 centimetres (28 in), and a maximum published weight of 58.6 kilograms (129 lb).

Epinephelus latifasciatus is found in the Indo-Pacific region where it is found in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to India and Sri Lanka east to Taiwan and southern Japan. It is found in northwestern Australia from the north west coast of Western Australia to the Arafura Sea coast of the Northern Territory. It has not been recorded from East Africa, the Indian Ocean islands, the Philippines or Papua New Guinea. This species appear to prefer continental coastlines rather than islands.