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Home > Fishes
> Groupers & Basses
Updated 5/5/2026
Groupers & Basses
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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 (Family
Grammistidae) produce soapy bitter mucus to deter predators and are
rarely seen during the day. Family Serranidae was split into
several families in 2025. |
Family Anthiadidae
HAWAII - ENDEMIC
Compsanthias
hawaiiensis 
HAWAIIAN LONGFIN ANTHIAS, female |
Compsanthias
hawaiiensis
HAWAIIAN LONGFIN ANTHIAS, male |
| Pseudanthias thompsoni
THOMPSON'S ANTHIAS, female
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Pseudanthias thompsoni
THOMPSON'S ANTHIAS, male |
| Holanthias fuscipinnis
HAWAIIAN YELLOW ANTHIAS, juv |
Holanthias fuscipinnis
HAWAIIAN YELLOW ANTHIAS |
| Caprodon unicolor
ELEGANT ANTHIAS, female |
Caprodon unicolor
ELEGANT ANTHIAS, male |
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Zalanthias kelloggi
THREADFIN PERCHLET |
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INDO-PACIFIC / HAWAII
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Luzonichthys earlei
EARLE'S SPLITFIN ANTHIAS |
Pseudanthias bicolor
BICOLOR ANTHIAS |
| Xenanthias nanus
DWARF PERCHLET |
Xenanthias
winniensis
REDBLOTCH PERCHLET |
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INDO-PACIFIC
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Luzonichthys waitei
MAGENTA SLENDER ANTHIAS
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Serranocirrhitus latus
HAWK ANTHIAS
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Pseudanthias
dispar
REDFIN ANTHIAS, female
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Pseudanthias
dispar
REDFIN ANTHIAS, male
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| Pseudanthias
squamipinnis
SCALEFIN ANTHIAS, female
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Pseudanthias
squamipinnis
SCALEFIN ANTHIAS, male
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| Pseudanthias huchtii
RED-CHEEKED ANTHIAS, female
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Pseudanthias huchtii
RED-CHEEKED ANTHIAS, male
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Pseudanthias tuka
YELLOWSTRIPE ANTHIAS, female
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Pseudanthias tuka
YELLOWSTRIPE ANTHIAS, male |
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Pseudanthias
pascalus
PURPLE QUEEN, female |
Pseudanthias
pascalus
PURPLE QUEEN, male |
| Pseudanthias pleurotaenia
SQUARESPOT ANTHIAS, female
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Pseudanthias pleurotaenia
SQUARESPOT ANTHIAS, male
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Pseudanthias
smithvanizi
PRINCESS ANTHIAS, female |
Pseudanthias
smithvanizi
PRINCESS ANTHIAS, male |
| Pseudanthias
hypselosoma
STOCKY ANTHIAS, female |
Pseudanthias
hypselosoma
STOCKY ANTHIAS, male |
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Pseudanthias lori
LORI'S ANTHIAS, female
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Pseudanthias
cooperi
REDBAR ANTHIAS, female |
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Pseudanthias bartlettorum
BARTLETT'S ANTHIAS
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JAPAN
| Caprodon schlegelii
SCHLEGEL'S
ANTHIAS, Female
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Caprodon schlegelii
SCHLEGEL'S
ANTHIAS, Male |
| Sacura margaritacea
JAPANESE ANTHIAS Sakuradai
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Family Epinephelidae
HAWAII - ENDEMIC
| Hyporthodus quernus
HAWAIIAN GROUPER, juv. hāpu'u
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Hyporthodus quernus
HAWAIIAN GROUPER hāpu'u
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| Liopropoma aurora
SUNRISE BASSLET |
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INDO-PACIFIC / HAWAII
Cephalopholis argus
PEACOCK GROUPER |
Epinephelus lanceolatus
GIANT GROUPER |
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INDO-PACIFIC
| Cephalopholis miniata
CORALGROUPER |
Cephalopholis sexmaculata
SADDLE GROUPER
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| Cephalopholis urodeta
FLAGTAIL GROUPER |
Anyperodon leucogrammicus
SLENDER GROUPER
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| Cephalopholis polleni
HARLEQUIN GROUPER
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Variola louti
YELLOW-EDGED LYRETAIL
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Plectropomus oligacanthus
HIGHFIN GROUPER |
Plectropomus leopardus
LEOPARD GROUPER |
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Epinephelus ongus
WHITE-STREAKED GROUPER, juv
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Epinephelus ongus
WHITE-STREAKED GROUPER
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| Cephalopholis cyanostigma
BLUE-SPOTTED GROUPER |
Plectropomus areolatus
SQUARETAIL GROUPER |
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Epinephelus spilotoceps
FOURSADDLE GROUPER
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Epinephelus merra
HONEYCOMB GROUPER
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Epinephelus macrospilos
SNUBNOSE GROUPER
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Epinephelus howlandi
BLACKSADDLE GROUPER
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Epinephelus areolatus
AREOLATE GROUPER
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Epinephelus fasciatus
BLACKTIP GROUPER
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Epinephelus malabaricus
MALABAR GROUPER, juv
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Epinephelus malabaricus
MALABAR GROUPER
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Epinephelus polyphekadion
CAMOUFLAGE GROUPER
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Epinephelus tukula
POTATO GROUPER
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Gracila albomarginata
MASKED GROUPER, juvenile
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Gracila albomarginata
MASKED GROUPER
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Cephalopholis boenak
CHOCOLATE GROUPER
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Aethaloperca rogaa
REDMOUTH GROUPER
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Epinephelus undulosus
WAVY-LINED GROUPER
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Cromileptes
altivelis
HUMPBACK GROUPER or PANTHERFISH
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TROPICAL EASTERN PACIFIC
| Alphestes
immaculatus
MUTTON HAMLET
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Epinephelus labriformis
FLAG CABRILLA
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| Epinephelus panamensis
PANAMA GRAYSBY
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Mycteroperca rosacea
LEOPARD GROUPER
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| Liopropoma fasciatum
RAINBOW BASSLET
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Cephalopholis colonus
PACIFIC CREOLEFISH
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WESTERN ATLANTIC
| Epinephelus
guttatus
RED HIND |
Epinephelus
itajara
GOLIATH GROUPER |
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Mycteroperca bonaci
BLACK GROUPER |
Mycteroperca tigris
TIGER GROUPER |
| Cephalopholis cruentatus
GRAYSBY
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Epinephelus striatus
NASSAU GROUPER |
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Family
Serranidae
TROPICAL EASTERN PACIFIC
| Serranus psittacinus
BANDED SERRANO
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NORTHEAST PACIFIC
| Paralabrax clathratus
KELP or CALICO BASS |
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WESTERN ATLANTIC
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Hypoplectrus
indigo
INDIGO HAMLET |
Hypoplectrus
aberrans
YELLOWBELLY HAMLET
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Hypoplectrus
puella
BARRED HAMLET, Juvenile
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Hypoplectrus
puella
BARRED HAMLET |
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Hypoplectrus unicolor
BUTTER HAMLET
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Serranus
tigrinus
HARLEQUIN BASS |
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Family
Liopropomatidae
Basslets
INDO-PACIFIC
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Diploprion bifasciatus
DOUBLEBANDED SOAPFISH |
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Family Grammistidae
Soapfishes
INDO-PACIFIC / HAWAII
| Suttonia
lineata
 PALESTRIPE SOAPFISH |
Pseudogramma
polyacanthum
PALE-SPOTTED SOAPFISH |
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INDO-PACIFIC
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Pogonoperca punctata
SPOTTED or BEARDED SOAPFISH
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Grammistes sexlineatus
SIXLINE SOAPFISH |
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TROPICAL EASTERN PACIFIC
| Rypticus bicolor
MOTTLED SOAPFISH
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TROPICAL WESTERN ATLANTIC
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Rypticus saponaceus
GREATER SOAPFISH
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Family Stereolepididae
CALIFORNIA
| Stereolepis gigas
BLACK or GIANT SEA BASS
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Family
Centropomidae
WESTERN ATLANTIC
| Centropomus undecimalis
COMMON SNOOK
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