Sailfin grouper
(Mycteroperca olfax)

The sailfin grouper (Mycteroperca olfax), also known as the bacalao grouper, colorado grouper or yellow grouper, 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 is found off islands in the eastern Pacific.

The sailfin grouper has a body which is elongate, robust and compressed with its depth being the same at the origin of the dorsal fin as it is at the origin of the anal fin. The standard length is 2.9 to 3.1 times the bodys depth. The preopercle is angular, with a serrated lobe at its angle.

The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 16-17 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 11 soft rays. The membranes between the dorsal fin spines are not deeply notched and the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin is rounded. The caudal fin is emarginate in adults and truncate in juveniles.

The head and body are normally pale grey-brown in colour with numerous, closely set brown spots and they sometimes have 10-12 thin dark bars, which may be broken, on the upper body. The fin margins are dark, with narrow white borders. Occasionally they are entirely bright yellow in colour.

This species attains a total length of 120 centimetres (47 in).

The sailfin grouper is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it occurs in the waters off the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, Cocos Island in Costa Rica and Malpelo Island of Colombia. Vagrants have been recorded sporadically along the coast between Costa Rica and Peru.