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Peacock Grouper

Fish · Least Concern

Peacock Grouper

Cephalopholis argus

About

Dark grouper covered in iridescent blue spots, common on shallow reef.

Family
Serranidae
Avg size
40-55 cm
Habitat
The peacock grouper is exceptionally widespread, occurring in warm waters from the Red Sea to South Africa and east to French Polynesia and the Pitcairn group, as well as around northern Australia, Lord Howe Island, and Japan; it has also been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands. It uses a range of habitats but prefers exposed reef fronts, at depths of up to 40 m.
Behaviour
The fish usually rests on a coral head and retreats when disturbed. In the Red Sea, males hold harems of two to six females within territories of up to half an acre (0.20 ha), each female defending part of the territory from the others. The male visits each female daily, raising his dorsal fin as he approaches; she emerges, raises her own fin, and pales in colour, and the two swim together and rub flanks before he moves on until the following day. Territorial conflicts may take the form of "colour fights" in which two males face each other at right angles, darken, and repeatedly flip their bars between dark and light.

Where & when

Where & When to See It

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