Mérou géant de l'Atlantique vs Acoupa pintade

Epinephelus itajara comparé à Cynoscion nebulosus

Taxonomy & Classification

Attribut	Mérou géant de l'Atlantique	Acoupa pintade
Nom scientifique	Epinephelus itajara	Cynoscion nebulosus
Ordre	Perciformes	Perciformes
Famille	Serranidae	Sciaenidae
Conservation Status	Vulnerable	Least Concern

Physical Traits

Attribut	Mérou géant de l'Atlantique	Acoupa pintade
Longueur maximale	250,0 cm	100,0 cm
Poids maximum	363,0 kg	7,9 kg
Couleur	Yellow-brown to olive-green body densely covered with small dark brown spots and irregular blotches; 3–4 faint pale vertical bands on the flanks; juveniles show bolder contrasting yellow and black stripes.	Silver-gray body with a greenish iridescent back; scattered round black spots on the upper flanks, back, and dorsal and caudal fins; belly silver-white; fins yellowish to pale; two prominent canine teeth.

Habitat & Environment

Attribut	Mérou géant de l'Atlantique	Acoupa pintade
Type d'eau	Saltwater	Saltwater
Plage de profondeur	0-100m	10-?m
Aire de répartition	Tropical western Atlantic from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico through the Caribbean Sea to Brazil, and eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to …	Western North Atlantic from New York south along the US Atlantic coast through the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatán. Resident in estuaries, seagrass beds, …
Habitat	Neritic, coral reefs, estuaries	Neritic, coral reefs, estuaries

Informations sur la pêche

Attribut	Mérou géant de l'Atlantique	Acoupa pintade
Poisson de pêche sportive	Oui	Oui
Cote de combativité	9/10	5/10
Record du monde	—	—
Teneur en mercure	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

Mérou géant de l'Atlantique

Firm, flaky white flesh with a mild, sweet flavor; harvest is heavily restricted or banned throughout most of its range due to Vulnerable status. Catch-and-release strongly encouraged.

Acoupa pintade

Soft, delicate white flesh with a mild, sweet flavor; low fat and best eaten fresh. A Gulf Coast favorite — excellent pan-fried, baked with Cajun spices, or used in fish tacos.

Species Overview

Mérou géant de l'Atlantique

The goliath grouper is the largest grouper in the Atlantic Ocean. This massive reef dweller can swallow prey whole and produces a distinctive booming sound by contracting its swim bladder to ward off intruders.

Acoupa pintade

The spotted seatrout, despite its name, is a member of the drum family, not the trout family. It inhabits grass flats and estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Males produce a distinctive drumming sound to attract females.