Humpback Grouper

Photo: Sabine Templeton · CC BY-NC

Humpback grouper, recognizable by their white-and-black spotted pattern and distinctively concave head profile, lurk in the lava overhangs at Gunung Api and ambush passing fish and crustaceans with a rapid suction strike. As solitary territorial predators, they establish fixed home ranges and their continued presence at a site is an indicator of low fishing pressure. In many parts of Indonesia they have been heavily targeted for the live reef food fish trade, making their abundance around protected Gunung Api especially notable.