Malabar Reef Cod (Epinephelus Malabaricus)

Malabar Reef Cod can be easily found in the waters of the Indo West Pacific region. You can find them in Africa, Tonga and the Red Sea along with other countries. In the Eastern Mediterranean region, the fish can be found in the Levantine Sea. Mostly the Malabar Reef cod are found in groups in places like lagoons, mangroves, sandy and muddy areas, coral and rocky reefs etc.

The average size for a Malabar reef cod is around 39 inch though at times longer varieties up to 92 inches have also been seen. Colour of this species is light to dark brown and it has a few spots on its body. As it grows old the number of such spots increases on a regular basis. You would also notice some brown diagonal stripes on the body.

The younger variety would have wide, brown stripes across the body. Its tail fin is rounded and the by the time they age the colour becomes much more uniform. In many countries, the Malabar reef cod is harvested for food and sport and even grown in aquaculture. This species is often found to harbour many parasites and hence you have to be careful while consuming the same.