Epinephelus hexagonatus (Forster, 1801)

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 117

Epinephelus hexagonatus (Bloch & Schneider [ex Forster] 1801)—Star-spotted grouper

Status at New Ireland. First recorded from Carteret Harbour , New Ireland by Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes (1830b: 516); subsequently reported from New Ireland by Peters (1877: 831). Specimens observed by Jeff Kinch during CFMDP Survey at Kavieng fish market in 2004–2005, and by Barry C. Russell on 28 June 2014. KFRS material.

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 2, 3.—General distribution: Red Sea, East Africa, Madagascar and Mascarenes east to Wake Atoll, northern Line Islands and Pitcairn Group, south to northern Australia, New Caledonia and Rapa. Found in shallow parts of rocky and coral reefs including lagoons and tidal pools, 0–30 m depth. Marine.