Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Estero de Coyote, Baja California Sur, May 2016. Length: 39 cm (15 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos within the northern portion of the Magdalena Bay complex, Baja California Sur, November 2023. Length: 41 cm (16 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Santo Domingo within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, January 2020. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Brad Murakami, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha, Juvenile. Fish caught from within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Length: 44 cm (17 inches). Identification reconfirmed by Matt Craig, NOAA, La Jolla, California.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha. Fish caught from coastal waters off La Bocana, Baja California Sur, October 2015. Length: 49 cm (23 inches). Weight: 1.9 kg (4.2 lbs). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Identification reconfirmed by Dr. Matt Craig, San Diego, California.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, July 2009. Length: 1.25 m (4 feet 1 inches). Weight: 30 kg (65 lbs). Catch courtesy of Eduardo Correa, Mexico City, Mexico.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha, Tail, from which it derives its common name.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha. Fish caught from coastal waters off Abreojos, Baja California Sur, May 2016. Length: 78 cm (2 feet 7 inches). Weight: 8 kg (17 lbs). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha. Fish caught from coast waters off Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, June 2017. Length: 1.48 m (4 feet 10 inches). Weight: 52 kg (113 lbs). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Jimmy Camacho, Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur.
The Broomtail Grouper, Mycteroperca xenarcha, is a member of the Grouper or Epinephelidae Family, and is known in Mexico as cabrilla plomuda. Globally, there are fifteen species in the genus Mycteroperca, of which eleven are found in Mexican waters, seven in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific Ocean.
The Broomtail Grouper has an elongated, robust, and compressed body that are light-brown in color and feature elongated dark brown blotches with white centers (giving the appearance of “lipstick kiss marks”). They have a projecting lower jaw with prominent canine teeth and their gill covers are notched and strongly serrated. Their snout is much longer than the eyes. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 10 or 11 rays; their caudal fin has a saw-like margin; their dorsal fin has 11 spines, with the second to seventh being of equal length, and 16 or 17 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 16 or 18 rays. They have 29 to 33 gill rakers. In mature adults their caudal fin has a jagged rear edge; its common name is derived from this characteristic feature.
The Broomtail Grouper is found in reefs, rocky areas, and mangrove estuaries at depths up to 69 m (225 feet). They reach a maximum of 1.50 m (4 feet 11 inches) in length and 45.4 kg (100 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 76 cm (2 feet 6 inches), with the fish caught by my friend Chris Wheaton from coastal waters Abreojos, Baja California Sur in May 2016 and 49.24 kg (108 lbs 9 oz) with the fish caught off Cedros Island, Baja California in June 2016. There is a report of fish caught in France in 2013 that weighed 100 lbs 8 oz and the fish pictured above caught by Jimmy is significantly bigger than both of these fish. A Grouper Family Weight From Length Conversion Table has been included in this website to allow the accurate determination of a fish weight and a return to the ocean unharmed. The Broomtail Grouper 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 Broomtail Grouper is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from of the northern third of the Sea of Cortez.
The Broomtail Grouper is most likely confused with the Gulf Grouper, Mycteroperca jordani (fourth and fifth dorsal spines being the longest; rounded soft dorsal) the Goldspotted Sand Bass, Paralabrax auroguttatus (very long third dorsal spine), and the Sawtail Grouper, Mycteroperca prionura (second to seventh dorsal spines of diminish in length; lack the lipstick markings; 34-38 gill rakers).
From a conservation perspective the Broomtail Grouper is currently considered to be of Least Concern, however, population trends are unknown and I am absolutely certain that this status will change in the near future. From my experience this species has virtually disappeared from the greater Los Cabos area. They are now a fully protected species in California. Historically the Broomtail Groupers has been an important fish in the Sea of Cortez. They are considered an excellent food fish, sold commercially, and are a prime target of the sports fishing industry.