Description:
Nassau grouper are large, robust fishes that grow to 4 feet in length.  The head is long, with the upper jaw reaching to the posterior edge of the eye.  The single dorsal fin has a distinct notch separating spines from the softer rays.  Overall body color  varies from tawny to pinkish red, with five dark vertical bars. The third and fourth bars branch above the lateral line and form a "W".   Nassau grouper possesses a black saddle on top of the caudal peduncle, black spots around the eye and a distinctive marking on top of the head shaped like a tuning fork.  The caudal fin is rounded in juvenile fishes, but truncate in mature specimens.

Habitat:
Juvenile Nassau grouper are common inhabitants of seagrass beds in southern Florida.  Older juveniles and mature fishes inhabit offshore hardbottom habitats and coral reefs.  Nassau grouper juveniles sometimes occur in seagrass beds within the IRL, while adults are infrequently observed near inlets and grassflat areas. 

Similar Species:
E. striatus can be distinguished from its congeners by several characteristics:  1) the third spire of the dorsal fin is longer than the second;  2) the interspinous membrane is slightly indented; and 3) the caudal fin is slightly emarginated (Jory and Iversen 1989).

Range:
Nassau grouper range from North Carolina to southeastern Brazil, including Bermuda, the Bahamas, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.  This species has been documented as far north as New England, likely the result of larval transport.