Humpback grouper

The humpback grouper was first formally described as Serranus altivelis in 1828 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes (1794–1865) with the type locality given as Java. In 1839, the English naturalist William Swainson (1789–1855) placed it in the subgenus Chromileptes, which was later created as a monotypic genus. although Fishbase spells it as Cromileptes. Genetics Genetic research has revealed the species to have missing genes relating to immunity and the MAPK signal pathway, which may affect the species' disease resistance and growth traits. A hybrid grouper has been formed between this species and a closely related grouper, the giant grouper (E. lanceolatus). The hybrid had 1.6x faster growth rate than the humpback grouper, 4.7% increased meat yield, yet was more morphologically similar to E. lanceolatus. == Distribution and habitat ==

, Pompano Beach, and West Beach. It was a large specimen, with a size of 78 cm, and weight of 15 lbs (6.8 kg). Although there are fears of the humpback grouper becoming invasive in North America, there remains no current breeding populations within the western Atlantic as of 2013. Despite this, researchers have pointed out Florida towns Jupiter and Vero Beach as likely spots for this species to establish. The humpback grouper has a short history of being introduced in Hawaii, being first observed in 1991. It has since been extirpated, with the last observation in 2005. There has been one recording of the humpback grouper spotted in Kenya. == Description ==

The humpback grouper is a medium-sized fish which grows up to . Its particular body shape makes this grouper difficult to confuse with other fishes. Its body is compressed laterally, is relatively high, and has a unique head profile compared to other groupers. The head is depressed anteriorly and elevated posteriorly, with a sharp rise at the nape.In addition, there has been genetic evidence of increased activity in this fish's frontal osteoblasts. This may be the genetic basis for the change of C. altivelpis' frontal bone to the sunken, 'humpback,' head. Relating to its coloration, the young are white with round black spots. The adults have a body colouration with variances of grey and beige, with darker blotches variable in size on the body. Small black spots cover the whole body. In comparison, juveniles have fewer of these black spots than adults, but the spots can be larger, or as large, as their eyes. Furthermore, their coloration has been observed to change with a drop in pH. In terms of its fins, the grouper has rounded pectoral and caudal fins, aiding in stability. Their pectoral fins range between 17 and 18 rays, with the middle rays being the longest. They also have a long dorsal fin that originates from their opercle, and runs all the way to its caudal fin. The dorsal fin consists of around 10 spines and 17–19 rays, which greatly aids in stability against turning. The anal fin, which is about half in length of the dorsal fin, consists of around 3 spines, and 9–10 rays. Their brush-like villiform teeth are adequate for eating smaller fish, and have smooth body scales. == Biology and ecology ==

Life cycle and behaviour This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite; in other words, all individuals are born female, with the ability to transform to males as they grow older. Female humpback groupers start transitioning to males as early as 3 years. By the age of 9, most humpback groupers are male. with a single spawn event lasting from 4 to 8 days. Like the other members of its family, the humpback grouper is demersal, solitary (except during mating periods), defends a territory, and is an ambush predator. Its feeding activity is maximal at sunrise and/or at sunset. Because of their carnivorous diet, C. altivepis has been commonly blamed for Ciguatera poisoning throughout their native and non-nonnative distribution. The humpback grouper is also known to be able to carry many pathogens, including Hirudinea, Pasteurella, grouper iridoviruses, and more. Iridovirus is a leading cause of mortality in groupers kept in captivity, which causes lethargic swimming, darker body coloration, anemia, and more. ==Conservation==

The humpback grouper has been given the Data Deficient status by the IUCN. It is a highly valued food fish, especially in Southeast Asia where it is also overexploited. It is bred in aquaculture, but there is no evidence that captive breeding has reduced the fishing pressure on wild populations. Despite this, it is suspected that the population has declined historically. Australia has put strong conservation measures in place for this species (no take species on the Great Barrier Reef and strict possession limits elsewhere, e.g. Western Australia). Size limits apply in commercial fisheries such as the Torres Strait reef line fishery. However, it is lacking protection elsewhere. Other potentially effective management techniques to preserve the humpback grouper would be implementing size limits, no-take areas, and increasing effort control. ==Aquaculture==

Although the mariculture of this species has been regarded to be in a primitive stage, the humpback grouper remains to be a popular fish in US aquariums, live fish markets throughout Asia, Live fish markets The humpback grouper is a popular fish amongst live fish markets, mainly throughout Asia, but more so in Hong Kong. Within the Hong Kong live fish markets, groupers made the majority of the sales in the 1990s.Newly hatched humpback groupers are sensitive, and, because of this, handling during this period is taken with care. Larvae are stocked into dark culture tanks before hatching to reduce 'shock syndrome', which is a cause of mortality due to dramatic physical changes like water disturbances, or bright light. The culture tanks are also usually stocked with microalgae (such as Nannochoropsis oculata or Tetraselmis sp.) which functions as shade, but also provides food and nutrition. In the Philippines, grouper aquaculture is profitable due to less capital investment compared to the common milkfish aquaculture. Despite this, production is likely to remain low. Because of the slow growing humpback groupers, farmers are likely to mainly focus on faster growth fish. ==References==