are found at depths between . This is a carnivorous species and off West Africa it was found that 58% of their diet is made up of fishes, 21% of stomatopods, 10% of crabs and 10% of cephalopods. There is a seasonal migration of this species off the coasts of Senegal and Mauritania, which is linked to an upwelling off the coasts of those nations. They are protogynous hermaphrodites with the females reaching sexual maturity on attainment of a total length of and at an age of 5–7 years and the sex change to males occurs when they are 10 to 13 years old. Off Tunisia this species spawns during June and July while in Iskenderun Bay in Turkey, spawning starts in early June and continues up to late August. Taxonomy The white grouper was first formally described in 1817 as Serranus aeneus by the French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772-1844) with the type locality given as Egypt. Utilisation The white grouper is a very important quarry species for fisheries throughout its range, fishermen use hook-and-line and trawls to catch it. In Senegalese waters, artisanal fishers are the main landers of this species, however, there is a local commercial fishery which is set up for the export market, mainly to Europe. Overfishing is the major threat to the white grouper. Even where protected it has been targeted by poachers using spear guns and lights at night. It has been bred in aquaculture at the Israeli National Center for Mariculture. It is marketed fresh or preserved by smoking. References Epinephelus Fish described in 1817