reefs, especially on the edge of the continental shelfwhere there are steep slopes and walls. It is largely piscivorous, feeding on other fishes, but will also prey on benthic crustaceans such as crabs or shrimps. Taxonomy The Spanish flag was first formally described as Plectropoma hispanum in 1828 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) with the type locality given as Martinique. In 1862 the American ichthyologist, Theodore Nicholas Gill (1837-1914) placed it in the monotypic genus Gonioplectrus. The relationships of the genus Gonioplectrus to the other groupers are regarded as unclear but it does sit within the subfamily Epinephelinae. Utilisation The Spanish flag is a smallish rare species of deeper waters and as such is not targeted by commercial fisheries. However, as a relatively small, colourful species it is found in the aquarium trade. References Epinephelini Fish described in 1828 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier