Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformus

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis, Juvenile. Fish caught from shore at Buena Vista, Baja California Sur, March 2010. Length: 10 cm (3.9 inches).

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, January 2011. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches).

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands  (worldangler.eu).

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, February 2024. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis, Deformed. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, January 2011. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). One of two caught in same morning with a similar deformity. Discussions with H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, indicate that these types of deformities are caused by an attack by a predator.

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Photographs courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, December 2019. Photograph courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo,   www.Divezihuantanejo.com.

The Flag Cabrilla, Epinephelus labriformis, is a member of the Grouper or Epinephelidae Family, that is also known as the Starry Grouper and in Mexico as cabrilla piedrera or just cabrilla. Globally, there are one hundred species in the genus Epinephelus, of which eleven are found in Mexican waters, six in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.

The Flag Cabrilla has a reddish-brown robust compressed body that is covered with white spots and blotches of irregular sizes. They have a characteristic black saddle on the upper part of their caudal fin base. Their soft fins have red margins. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 8 rays and is rounded; their caudal fin is rounded; their dorsal fin has 11 spines, with the third and fourth being the longest, and 16 to 18 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 18 to 20 rays. They are covered with scales. Their lateral line is complete and smoothly arched.

The Flag Cabrilla is found over rocky bottoms at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They reach a maximum of 52 cm (20.5 inches) in length and 1.33 kg (2 lbs 15 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.33 kg (2 lbs 15 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Salinas, Ecuador in January 2017. They are solitary predators and feed primarily on crustaceans at night and on small fish during the day. They are a relatively small, plentiful, shallow water species. The Flag Cabrilla is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Flag Cabrilla is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean and are most abundant in the upper Sea of Cortez.

The Flag Cabrilla is very easy to identify due to its body shape and coloration with the exception that it is very similar in size, shape, and habitat and easily confused with the Clipperton Grouper, Epinephelus clippertonensis (lacks mid-body spotting and prominent black spot on upper part of caudal fin base).

From a conservation perspective the Flag Cabrilla is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are abundant in the greater Los Cabos area during colder water periods and are easy to catch. They are also accessible from the beach. The larger specimens are considered an excellent food fish.