The black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) is one of the best known of the large group of perciform fish called groupers. The black grouper is a large marine fish, growing up to 150 cm in length and 100 kg in weight. It has an olive or gray body, with black blotches and brassy spots. The black grouper is a solitary fish. It is associated with rocky or coral reefs, but is not dependent on them; it is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from Massachusetts, USA, in the north to southern Brazil, but is particularly associated with the southern Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Adults are not found at the northern extremes of its range. It lives mostly near the surface, at depths ranging from six to 33 meters.