Cephalopholis nigripinnis
Cephalopholis nigripinnis, the blackfin grouper, banded-tail coral-cod, blackfin rockcod, darkfin hind or duskyfin rockcod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the tropical Indian Ocean. Description Cephalopholis nigripinnis has a body which is less deep than the head is long with the body being around a third as deep as the standard length. The profile between the eyes is convex and the rounded preopercle has a serrated edge and a fleshy lower edge. The maxilla extends beyond the eye. The dorsal fin has 9 spines and 14–16 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8–9 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded and the pelvic fins do not extend to the anus. This species is an overall red colour becoming darker towards its tail with some spotting and barring, but this is normally rather faint. The tail fin is dark and can be almost black and is covered in small pale spots while the pectoral fins are red at their base and darken towards the margin. In the Comoros Islands there are fish