Epinephelus labriformis has a robust and compressed body[3] which has a standard length that is 2.7 to 3.1 times its depth.

[4] This species has an olive green head and body with a scattering of irregular white spots and blotches.

[4] The starry grouper is a solitary predator that seems to feed on smaller fishes by day and crustaceans after dark.

[7] Epinephelus labriformis is one of the preferred target species for artisanal fisheries throughout the Gulf of California and along the Pacific coast of Mexico where it is captured throughout the years using hand lines, spearguns and gill nets.

Its importance in these fisheries has increased as the populations of larger bodied groupers have decreased through overfishing.