Epinephelus costae

Size range: 0.3 -1 m

Common size: (ill say 0.3 from personal experience in the Israel med...) ?

Habitat:

• Hard - Coastal rocky habitats, especially sheltered areas mixed with send or sea-grass

Water column position:

• Supra-benthic- Swim 5 to 10 m from substrate but can be spotted lying on the substrate

Colors & patterns:

General description: Slender body, background color of beige brown with 4-5 longitudinal dark thin strips.

• reproductive males - viable yellow blotch, lower half body very pale with wide dark strip along mid-side.
• Juveniles - two oblique lines on gill cover, 4-6 brown longitudinal strips.

Behavior:

1. Whether the species is:

• Reef-associated - related to sites it inhabits (?)

2. Activity: (?)

• Diurnal
• Nocturnal
• Both

3. Approach:

• Shy

4. A concise description of any unique behavior (breeding, nesting, cleaning etc.).

Schooling characteristics:

• Solitary (?)

Native/Exotic: Native

Mycteroperca rubra