Epinephelus merra Bloch 1793

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 118

Epinephelus merra Bloch 1793 —Honeycomb grouper

Status at New Ireland. First recorded from New Ireland by Peters (1877: 831); subsequently reported from Lihir Group, Namatamai District, New Ireland by Fry et al. (2006: 130). Specimens observed by Jeff Kinch during CFMDP Survey at Kavieng fish market in 2004–2005, and by Barry C. Russell on 21 and 28 June 2014; a video of a specimen taken in Senta Pass, east of New Hanover at 5–12 m depth, St. KR114, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell). ZMB material.

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2, 5.—General distribution: East Africa, Madagascar and Mascarenes east to Wake Atoll and Pitcairn Group, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia, Lord Howe and Norfolk islands, Tonga and Rapa. Found in shallow protected and seaward coral reefs and lagoons, including tidal pools, 0–50 m depth. Marine.