Variola albimarginata
A reef grouper most often logged around Sulawesi and Bali, with a strong showing off Okinawa in 24 to 29 C water year-round.
Reddish-orange to olive body reaching around 45 cm, with fine pale spots scattered across the flanks. The tell-tale mark is the crescent-shaped (lyre-shaped) tail with a thin white margin along its trailing edge, which gives the species its name. It sits with a fairly slender, torpedo-shaped grouper body and hovers just off the reef rather than lying flat on it.
Usually seen cruising slowly over reef slopes and drop-offs, sometimes pausing near cover before darting after small fish. It tends to keep a cautious distance from divers rather than approaching, so a slow, low-profile approach gives the best look. Most sightings are on open reef rather than deep inside caves or crevices, matching its wide depth range from shallow reef flats down past recreational limits.
Like many groupers, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, meaning individuals typically start life as females and some later change sex to become males as they grow.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the data, and its comfort range of roughly 24 to 29 C spans tropical reef conditions all year, so it is a year-round sighting rather than a seasonal target.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most reliably found around Sulawesi, Bali and Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia, which together account for the bulk of logged sightings, with a solid secondary population off Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. Occasional records also come from Raja Ampat, Fiji's Lomaiviti group and the Visayas in the Philippines, though at lower frequency.
Mapping where White-edged Lyretail is logged…
Sulawesi and Bali in Indonesia are the most consistent spots, with Nusa Tenggara also producing regular sightings. Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands in Japan are the best bet outside Indonesia.
There's no strong seasonal pattern in sightings, and its 24 to 29 C temperature niche is met on tropical reefs throughout the year, so it can turn up on any dive in its range.
Look for a reddish-orange body with small pale spots and a crescent-shaped tail edged in white. It grows to around 45 cm and holds a slender, streamlined grouper shape.
They typically reach about 45 cm in length, a mid-sized reef grouper you'll spot cruising open reef rather than hiding in large territorial burrows.
No, they pose no threat to divers and tend to keep their distance rather than approach, making them easy to observe calmly from a short way off.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Blacktip Grouper
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