Groupers are carnivorous fishes that are typically large and slow moving, found under ledges and caverns.  They feed primarily upon fishes and large crustaceans.  Due to the high fish diet, many reef species contain enough ciguatoxin to cause illness and caution should be exercised.  Large groupers are poorly represented in Hawai'i, with one deepwater endemic, one waif, and one invasive alien species.  Small, colorful basslets and anthias are better represented but uncommon, preferring deep water or dark caverns.  They feed upon zooplankton and are sexually dimorphic, with harems of smaller, less-colorful females in the company of a male.  Soapfishes produce soapy bitter mucus to deter predators and are rarely seen during the day.

Cephalopholis argus  

PEACOCK GROUPER

HAWAIIAN GROUPER     hāpu‘u

GIANT GROUPER

BICOLOR ANTHIAS

HAWAIIAN LONGFIN ANTHIAS, Female

HAWAIIAN LONGFIN ANTHIAS, Male

HAWAIIAN or THOMPSON'S ANTHIAS

YELLOW ANTHIAS

ELEGANT ANTHIAS, Female

ELEGANT ANTHIAS, Male

Luzonichthys earlei 

EARLE'S SPLITFIN ANTHIAS

SUNRISE BASSLET

DWARF PERCHLET

CORAL HIND

DARKFIN GROUPER

HARLEQUIN GROUPER

HAWK ANTHIAS

RED-CHEEKED ANTHIAS, Female

RED-CHEEKED ANTHIAS, Male

YELLOWSTRIPE ANTHIAS, Female

YELLOWSTRIPE ANTHIAS, Male

SQUARESPOT ANTHIAS, Male

SIXLINE SOAPFISH

HUMPBACK GROUPER or PANTHERFISH

SCHLEGEL'S ANTHIAS, Female

SCHLEGEL'S ANTHIAS, Male

JAPANESE ANTHIAS     SAKURADAI

MUTTON HAMLET

FLAG CABRILLA

PANAMA GRAYSBY

LEOPARD GROUPER

BANDED SERRANO

MOTTLED SOAPFISH

PACIFIC CREOLEFISH

RAINBOW BASSLET

KELP or CALICO BASS

BARRED HAMLET, Juvenile

BARRED HAMLET

Hypoplectrus unicolor

BUTTER HAMLET

GRAYSBY

BLACK or GIANT SEA BASS

COMMON SNOOK