Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata

Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Big Pine Key, Florida, July 2020. Length: 12.7 cm (5.0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata. Fish caught from coastal waters off Caye Ambergris, Belize, June 2013. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata. Fish caught from coastal waters off Broward County, Florida, August 2021. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.

Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata. Fish caught from coastal waters off Islamorada, Florida, April 2012. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata. Fish caught from coastal waters off Islamorada, Florida, April 2012. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

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

The Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata, is a member of the Grouper or Epinephelidae Family, and is known in Mexico as cherna enjambre. 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 Graysby is a small grouper with a thick robust oblong body. Their head, body, and fins are gray, brown or olive and covered with orange-brown spots; most fish have four black or white spots along their upper back. They have a relatively large head, a long snout, a large terminal mouth, large noteworthy lips, and finely serrated rounded gill covers. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 8 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their first dorsal has 9 spines, a deep notch and their second dorsal fin has 13 to 15 rays; and, their pectoral fins are longer than their pelvic fins. They have 18 to 21 gill rakers. Their body is covered with rough scales.

The Graysby is found in and around coral reefs and within Thalassia seagrass beds at depths up to 168 m (550 feet). They reach a maximum of 43 cm (17 inches) in length and 1.1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.4 kg (3 lbs 0 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters off North Carolina in June 2022. They are secretive solitary non-migratory fish with a limited home range and retreat to the cover of ledges and caves within coral reefs during daylight hours. They are nocturnal carnivores and ambush predators that feed on small fish (focusing on the Brown Chromis, Chromis multilineata) and to a lesser extend on crustaceans including crab and shrimp. In turn they are prey upon by larger fish and sharks. They are sequential hermaphrodites with each individual changing from female to male at midlife. Males form harems, which the protect vigorously, and the females typically outnumber males by 6 to 1. Each female releases between 260 and 600 eggs annually which are fertilized externally by males. They have lifespans of thirteen years. The Graysby 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 Graysby  is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

The Graysby can be easily confused with the Coney, Cephalopholis fulva (small dark-edged blue spots covering body) and the Red Hind, Epinephelus guttatus (dark margins on anal, caudal, and dorsal fins).

From a conservation perspective the Graysby is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are caught with some frequency by recreational anglers but the majority are released. They are a minor target of commercial fishermen utilizing hook and line, traps, and spears but are not heavily pursued due to their small stature. Typically, only larger males are retained which will eventually have a strong adverse effect on the long-term viability of this species. There are also reports that they are contaminated with ciguatoxin. They are generally friendly toward divers but not readily available as they hide deep in reef structures during daylight hours. Although currently abundant and widely distributed, the loss of coral reef habitat is a major threat to their long-term viability.