石斑鱼是具有壮观色彩和雄伟体型的地域性肉食性鱼类。在红海，人们发现有石斑鱼属（Cephalophol

he most common and iconic are the argus wrasse Cephalopholis argus, the red wrasseor coral wrasse Cephalopholis miniata, with its bright red body dotted with electric bluespots, common on exposed offshore reefs. the yellowtail croaker Variola louti, the ottercroaker Epinephelus tauvina, and the wandering croaker, among others. Endemic speciessuch as Cephalopholis hemistiktos and Cephalopholis oligosticta are adapted to the reefs ofthe Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. Groupers have a robust, fusiform body, a large pointed ormassive head and a wide mouth armed with fine, sharp teeth adapted for predation. Manygroupers can quickly change their colour patterns (bars, marbling, darkening) depending ontheir mood, stress or reproduction. Red Sea groupers live mainly on coral reefs, drop-offs,caves and wrecks, where they have hiding places to lie in wait. They are common between 2and 150 m deep, in clear waters, often in areas exposed to currents rich in prey. Groupers arevoracious carnivores that feed on fish, crustaceans and sometimes molluscs. The red grouper,for example, consumes large quantities of anthias and apogonids on reefs, which it hunts earlyin the morning and late in the afternoon, lying in wait near the substrate. Most groupers aresolitary, highly territorial and can live for a long time, with some close relatives exceeding 50to 60 years of age.