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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Mottled grouper
Mycteroperca rubra
Πίγγα

Sustainability Status

Highly exploited

REPORT IT
Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation
Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Legal

Minimum Size

45 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

45 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

June – August

Advice for Consumption

Think before consuming this species.

Greek legislation does not establish a closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected. Respect minimum sustainable size limits and do not consume it during its breeding season.

Choose sustainable seafood!

Archipelagos Tips

Select larger-sized fish and check that it has no spearfishing marks.

This species is widely supplied to the market illegally through spearfishing, as spearfishing is permitted only for personal use and fish caught in this way cannot be sold commercially.

When purchasing or ordering this species, ask to see the whole fish and check for signs of spearfishing, such as entry marks on the body or the top of the head

Common names

FR

Badèche rouge

it

Cernia rossa

es

Gitano

tr

Taş Hanisi

pt

Garoupa-chumbo

nl

Koninklijke zaagbaars

de

Gefleckter Zackenbarsch

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Elongated, compressed body that is usually reddish brown. At times mottled with black or pale grey, with a black streak above the maxilla.

It looks like Mycteroperca fusca (Island grouper). This species can be distinguished by its darker, greyish-brown colouration and a more restricted range around the eastern Atlantic islands. It shares the elongated body shape and serrated preopercle margin characteristic of Mycteroperca rubra, from which it is otherwise almost indistinguishable without internal examination.

Did you know?

They start life as females, and, as they age, transform into males!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds on molluscs and small fish.

habitat

Demersal.
Occurs over rocky and sandy bottoms. Juveniles commonly occur in mangrove-lined lagoons.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 144 cm
Max weight: 50 kg
Depth range: 15-200 m

breeding & Growth

Protogynous hermaphrodite (starts as female, changes into males later). They breed with full moon. Breeding season Spring to early summer.
Growth rate: Slow (k= 0.13yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 15-20 years
Max reported age: 25 years
Distribution: Found throughout the Eastern Atlantic from Portugal to Southern Angola.

appearance changes

Juveniles feature a dark/black saddle-like blotch that fades with age. Females usually shift to a dark, uniform colouration while males usually display a light or silver colour pattern.

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 570,000 eggs
Reproductive frequency: Numerous times within spawning season.
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If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms