Coney, Cephalopholis fulva

Coney, Cephalopholis fulva. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Coney, Cephalopholis fulva. Fish courtesy of the Ranch 99 Market, San Diego, October 2009; sold commercially as a Strawberry Grouper which is actually a different species, the Red Hind, Epinephelus guttatus. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches).

The Coney, Cephalopholis fulva, is a member of the Grouper or Epinephelidae Family, and is known in Mexico as cabrilla roja. Globally, there are twenty-six species in the genus Cephalopholis, of which five are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.

The Coney is a reddish-brown fish that are covered with small blue spots surrounded by black margins. They can also be vivid yellow or gold and brown. They have beefy bodies and large heads. They have two small very prominent spots at the base of their tail and on their lower jaw, which allow for their easy identification.

The Coney is non-migratory and found within clean water coral reefs at depths between 3 m (10 feet) and 137 m (450 feet). They reach a maximum of 41 cm (16 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.56 kg (1 lb 4 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Key West, Florida in February 2003. They feed on small fish and benthic crustaceans. They are protogynous with females maturing at 16 cm (6.3 inches) and transforming to males at about 20 cm (7.9 inches). They have lifespans of eleven years. The Coney 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 Coney is a resident of all coastal Mexican waters of the Atlantic being throughout the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean.

The Coney can be confused with the Red Hind, Epinephelus guttatus (lack spots on tail base and lower jaw).

From a conservation perspective the Coney is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with a wide distribution however their populations are believed to be in decline. They are an aggressive striker but are generally too small to be of interest to recreational anglers. They are one of the most important commercial species in the Western Caribbean with annual catch levels in excess of five tons. They are prone to ciguatoxin, which diminishes their value. They are sold extensively by ethnic fish markets in southern California.