The larger adults are dark greyish brown in colour, and may be marked with faint blotches on their nbacks, although these may be absent.

They also have a covering of small grey spots on their bodies which form short longitudinal lines and creating a mottled pattern.

There are 3 dark brown bands which radiate from lower part of eye and some juveniles have greenish yellow membranes between the rearmost spines of the dorsal fin.

[1] Epinephelus bruneus was first formally described in 1793 by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) with the type locality given as "Norway", apparently an error for China.

[5] Epinephelus bruneus is considered an excellent fish for eating and is caught using hand lines, longlines and trawls.