Peacock grouper
Cephalopholis argus
- Usual depth5–23 m
- Water temperature23–30 °C
- Best monthsFebruary, March, and April
- How commonCommon
Photo credit: (c) Gergely Nigg, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Cephalopholis argus, the peacock hind, roi, bluespotted grouper, and celestial grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a member of the subfamily Epinephelinae, the groupers, and part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They come from the Indo-Pacific and are variously a commercial gamefish, an invasive species, and occasionally an aquarium resident. Its species name comes from its resemblance to the "hundred staring eyes" of the monster Argus who had a hundred eyes and was the shepherd of the goddess Hera in Greek mythology.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Cephalopholis argus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 647 records
- February: 1,929 records
- March: 2,987 records
- April: 2,917 records
- May: 1,416 records
- June: 1,219 records
- July: 1,391 records
- August: 1,436 records
- September: 788 records
- October: 939 records
- November: 554 records
- December: 332 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 5–23 m · Deepest record: 150 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C
Photos
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Bernard DUPONT, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ben Costamagna, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) keesgroenendijk, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Bernard DUPONT, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Peacock grouper, Peacock hind, Argus Grouper, Black rock-cod, Blue spotted grouper, Bluespotted grouper, Blue-spotted Grouper, Blue-spotted Grouper, Peacock hind, Geurapèe brinchék itam, Peacock Cod, Peacock coral cod, peacock grouper, peacock hind, Peacock Rock-cod, Peacock Rockcod, Worldwide-peacock Rockcod
Names in 8 more languages
- German
- Pfauen-Zackenbarsch
- Spanish
- Cherna Pavo Real, Mero pavo real
- Filipino
- Lapu-lapu
- French
- Loche Céleste, Loche paon, Loche Saumonee, Loche saumonée, Loche saumonée, Mérou céleste, Merou Celeste, Mérou céleste, Merou Paon, Mérou paon, Pintade, Pintade, Prude, Vielle cuisinier, Prude, Prude, Vieille cuisinier, Vieille la prude, Saumonee, Saumonnée, Vieille cecille, Vieille la prude, Vielle Cecille, Vielle Cuisinier, Vielle La Pruda
- Indonesian
- Kerapu
- Japanese
- Aonomehata, アオノメハタ
- Thai
- ปลากะรังลายนกยูง
- Simplified Chinese
- 斑点九棘鲈, 斑點九刺鮨, 斑點九棘鱸, 油鱠, 眼斑鱠, 青貓, 黑鱠僅
Other scientific names: Bodianus guttatus, Bodianus jacobevertsen, Bodianus jacob-evertsen, Cephalopholis guttata, Cephalopolis argus, Epinephelus argus, Serranus guttatus, Serranus immunerur, Serranus myriaster, Serranus thyrsites
Similar species
Coral grouperCephalopholis miniata
Darkfin hindCephalopholis urodeta
Chocolate hindCephalopholis boenak
Bluespot CodCephalopholis cyanostigma
Leopard hindCephalopholis leopardus
Blue-finned Rock CodCephalopholis microprion
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 16,447 open-data records from 1801 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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