Fish of the Epinephelus genus of the Epinephelinae (groupers) subfamily of the Serranidae family of the superfamily Percoidea of the Percoidei suborder of the Perciformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Goldblotch grouper. Photo by © Carlos Minguell. fishbase.org)
Goldblotch grouper (Epinephelus costae) was first described in 1758 by the Austrian zoologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1919).
It inhabits the depth of 1-200 meters, usually 4-160 meters. It prefers to swim close to a rocky bottom, rocky ridges and detached boulders. Small fish arrange small schools. The maximum recorded length is 140 cm, specimens up to 40 cm are more common. The maximum weight is 15 kilograms. It feeds on crustaceans, fish and mollusks.
(Goldblotch grouper. Photo © www.aquaportail.com)
It is a permanent inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea, which is more often found in its southern part.
Names of goldblotch grouper (Epinephelus costae) in other languages as follows:
Kerni i artë (Albanian), Στήρα (Stira) (Greek), Falso abadejo (Spanish), Cernia dorata (Italian), Gestreifter Zackenbarsch (German), Granik smugowy (Polish), Александрийский мероу (Aleksandrijskij merou) (Russian), Kernja zlatasta, Kirnja zlatica (Serbian, Croatian), Mérou badèche (French).