Catface grouper

Epinephelus andersoni

Fish
IUCN: Near threatened

Usual depth2–405 m
Water temperature18–25 °C
Best monthsJanuary, February, and May
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Wynand Uys, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Epinephelus andersoni, the catface grouper, brown-spotted grouper, catface rockcod or brown spotted rockcod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean where it is associated with reefs.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Epinephelus andersoni”, 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: 452 records
February: 420 records
March: 399 records
April: 403 records
May: 574 records
June: 412 records
July: 401 records
August: 297 records
September: 268 records
October: 263 records
November: 352 records
December: 379 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 2–405 m · Deepest record: 405 m

0–10 m: 1 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 2 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110+ m: 2 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 18–25 °C

18–20 °C: 3 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 930 records
24–26 °C: 39 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Catface grouper, Brown-spotted Rockcod, catface grouper, Catface Rockcod, Spotted Rockcod

Names in 1 more languages

Simplified Chinese: 安氏石斑魚

Similar species

Kelp Grouper
Epinephelus bruneus
Blacktip grouper
Epinephelus fasciatus
Dusky grouper
Epinephelus marginatus
Honeycomb grouper
Epinephelus merra
Areolate grouper
Epinephelus areolatus
Brown-spotted Rock-cod
Epinephelus bilobatus

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).
4,613 open-data records from 1906 to 2023.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist