324 The Bass and their Relatives 



ranean, in southern Japan, and throughout Polynesia and 

 the West Indies. They have very much in common, but differ 

 in size and color, some being bright red, some gaudily spotted 

 with red or blue, but most of them are merely mottled green 

 or brown. In many cases individuals living near shore are 

 olivaceous, and those of the same species in the depths are 

 bright crimson or scarlet. We name below a few of the most 

 prominent species. Even a bare list of all of them would take 



FIG. 258. Epinephelus striatus (Bloch), Nassau Grouper: Cherna criolla. 

 Family Serranidce. 



many pages. Cephalopholis cruentatus, the red hind of the 

 Florida Keys, is one of the smallest and brightest of all of them. 

 Cephalopholis fulvus, the blue-spotted guativere of the Cubans, 

 is called negro-fish, butter-fish, yellow-fish, or redfish, accord- 

 ing to its color, which varies with the depth. It is red, yellow, 

 or olive, with many round blue spots. Epinephelus adscen- 

 scionis, the rock-hind, is spotted everywhere with orange. 

 Epinephelus guaza is the merou, or giant-bass, of Europe, a 

 large food-fish of value, rather dull in color. Epinephelus striatus 

 is the Nassau grouper, or Cherna criolla, common in the West 

 Indies. Epinephelus maculosus is the cabrilla of Cuba. Epi- 

 nephelus drummond-hayi, the speckled hind, umber brown, spotted 

 with lavender, is one of the handsomest of all the groupers. 

 Epinephelus morio, the red grouper, is the commonest of all 

 these fishes in the American markets. In Asia the species 

 are equally numerous, Epinephelus quernus of Hawaii and the 

 red Epinephelus fasciatus of Japan and southward being food- 



