Mycteroperca microlepis

Mycteroperca microlepis
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Serranidae
Subfamily:	Epinephelinae
Genus:	Mycteroperca
Species:	M. microlepis
Binomial name
Mycteroperca microlepis Goode and Bean, 1879
Synonyms[2]
Trisotropis microlepis Goode & Bean, 1879

The gag grouper^[3][4][5] (Mycteroperca microlepis), also known as velvet rockfish, the gag, or charcoal belly,^[2] is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It comes from warmer parts of the West Atlantic, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. It is a drab, mottled-gray fish lacking the distinguishing features of most other groupers. Its pattern of markings resemble the box-shaped spots of the black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci). It lacks the streamer-points on the tail fin that scamp (M. phenax) and yellowmouth grouper (M. interstitialis) have and lacks yellow coloration around the mouth.