14 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



sented in his catch. In Key West it is esteemed as a food fish. 

 Maximum weight, about 15 pounds ; average, 2 pounds. 



Range. — Usual range southern Florida to Brazil. Known from 

 Ascension and St. Helena Islands and Cape of Good Hope; rare 

 north of Miami. The young are reported from Katama Bay. Mass. 



29. Epinephelus striatus (Bloch). Nassau grouper; Cherna criolla. 



This grouper is one of the large and important food fishes of Key 

 West. It is caught on the bottom with hook and line and is taken 

 throughout the year. Market fish are seldom found in water less 

 than 30 feet in depth. Very small examples of about 1 pound are 

 seldom seen, and most of the market fish range from 3 to 35 pounds. 

 Large fish will live for some time in the live cars attached to the 

 wharves. The Nassau grouper closely resembles the red grouper 

 (E. morio), but it is easily separated from the latter by the presence 

 of a persistent black spot between the dorsal and upper part of the 

 tail fin. Maximum weight, about 50 pounds; average, 5 pounds. 



• Fie. 8.- — Red grouper (Epinephelus morio). 



Range. — North Carolina to Brazil ; rare north of the Florida 

 keys; common in Porto Rico and Bermuda. 



30. Epinephelus guttatus (Linnaeus). Eed hind. 



This is one of the most strikingly colored of the groupers, the body 

 being marked everywhere with vivid scarlet spots. It is fairly com- 

 mon among the Florida keys and is a valuable market species, al- 

 though much less so than the red grouper. It is caught with hook 

 and line at moderate depths. Maximum weight, about 5 pounds; 

 average, 2 pounds. 



Ramxje. — South Carolina, Florida, Bermuda, throughout the West 

 Indies to Brazil. 



31. Epinephelus morio (Cuvier and Valenciennes). Red grouper. 



The red grouper is the most abundant and best known of the Key 

 West groupers. It is most common during the winter, but is taken 

 throughout the year on rocky, coral, and grassy bottoms. This fish 

 is widely distributed over the fishing grounds and may be taken in 



