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Longfin grouper

species of fish

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 5, 2026
Entity authorityQ303990
Source-derived summary

The longfin grouper (Epinephelus quoyanus), also known as the longfin rockcod, bar-breasted rock-cod, Gilbert's rock-cod, honeycomb rockcod, spotted groper or wirenet cod, 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 Western Pacific Ocean.

Description

The longfin grouper has a body with a standard length which is 2.8 to 3.2 times its depth. The dorsal profile of the head is smoothly curved. The preopercle is rounded or subangular while the gill cover has a nearly straight upper edge. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 16-18 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded while the pectoral fin is around twice the length of the head. The overall colour is whitish on the head, body and fins and it is marked with many sizeable closely set hexagonal to roundish dark brown to blackish spots. On the upper head and body the spots are closer together and form a reticulated pattern while on the lower head and body the spots are more widely spaced and they are less well defined. There is a pattern of similar dark spots on dorsal, anal and caudal fins.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Longfin grouper” as species of fish. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Longfin, grouper and species.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current 217-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Longfin, grouper and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Longfin grouper”, the useful work is to connect “species of fish” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q303990. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Longfin grouper”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Longfin grouper primary sources, Longfin grouper archive and Longfin research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Longfin grouper”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Longfin grouper” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.