Grand Cayman Grouper Species?

[drrich2]

Hi:

On a cruise in February we got to do a 2 tank dive in Grand Cayman; saw a number of interesting things, & am trying to nail down I.D.s on these 3 guys. I saw a Nassau Grouper & these aren't. The other groupers mentioned on my Franko Maps Cayman Islands Reef Card don't quite look like these, although that last, smallest fish does remind me of a Tiger Grouper, assuming its red color (per the card) would look dark at depth due to light filtering effects of water.

Anybody know what these guys are?

Maybe another of the same species, maybe not?

Tiger Grouper? Graysby? (I saw Graysbys in Bonaire, but they're not on this Grand Cayman card, so I don't know if they occur locally).

Thanks!

Richard.

 

[deborahdelamar]

Graysbys live in the Caymans -- they have a line of body spots along their dorsal fins.
First two photos: Don't see the Graysby spots or well-defined spots on it's lower lip to indicate that it's a Coney. By process of elimination, I would think it's a Hind but don't have enough info to definitively say which but I'm leaning toward Red since I don't see body blotches -- then again, I've seen Rock Hinds with very faint or small blotches -- would love to have a better view of the tail & dorsal fin.
The third photo is harder for me to make out. The fish's markings are similar to a Nassau but I don't have confidence in that ID.
Am anxious to learn what others think about both!
Thanks for the opportunity to try & ID these guys!

 

[Rick Murchison]

Not enough fish distinctly visible to tell for sure...
Could be Graysby, Hind or Tiger Grouper.
Not Coney.
I'm leaning towards Red Hind on the top two, Tiger on the bottom one.
Rick

 

[drrich2]

Hi:

Sounds like a bit more view of fish #1 might be useful. Here are my other 2 shots that might give a slightly more full-bodied look.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the input, guys!

Richard.

 

[ryan115]

Many Grouper species have several pigmentation patterns all of which can vary by regional location. However I feel that I can narrow it down to two species. Tiger Grouper Mycteroperca tigris and Yellow-fin Grouper Mycteroperca venenosa. The spotting pattern doesnt look exactly like some that I have seen for Yellowfin but if you notice in the two pictures at the bottom, the fish does have a yellow edge on the pec fin, as well as dark margins on the pelvic, anal, and caudal fins. The fact that some of the teeth are showing makes me lean towards Tiger grouper. Actually I think they all are the same species, however I cant completely rule out Yellowfin for some of the pictures.

 

[Tommy2tone_1999]

I'm kind of leaning toward Yellowfin myself. I was thinking Red Hind at first, with the spotting, and the darker margins on the caudal, dorsal, and anal fins, but the Yellowfin has those as well, and the operculum shape is more like the Yellowfin than the Red Hind.

 

[cgills]

Hi, new to the board, but not the diving community. After spending considerable time in Grand Cayman over the years, thought I give your ID question a go. Your first two photos are indeed Tiger Groupers, which are quite prolific on the GC reefs, and generally allow quite close approach while at the cleaning stations. On your 3rd photo, I'd go with Graysby.

 

[drrich2]

Thanks everybody who participated in the thread; it's been very interesting!

Too bad we can't all dive it and look at them first hand. I enjoyed seeing that first fish in particular; I like to see groupers in their natural habitat.

Richard.

 

[perdidochas]

Hi, new to the board, but not the diving community. After spending considerable time in Grand Cayman over the years, thought I give your ID question a go. Your first two photos are indeed Tiger Groupers, which are quite prolific on the GC reefs, and generally allow quite close approach while at the cleaning stations. On your 3rd photo, I'd go with Graysby.

I would say rock hind on the third one. Graysbys are more uniform in coloration.