The Malabar grouper is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific area from the eastern coast of Africa to the Tonga Islands, Red Sea included.

[3] This grouper lives in various habitats, such as lagoons, mangroves, coral and rocky reefs, sandy and muddy bottom areas,[4] between 2 and 150 m deep.

[3] Epinephelus malabaricus is a protogynous hermaphrodite, as these fishes at some point in their lifespan change sex from female to male.

[5] Malabar grouper are voracious predators, they feed on fish, crustaceans, and occasionally, cephalopods.

[7] As most fish, the Malabar grouper harbours a variety of parasites, including the diplectanid monogeneans Pseudorhabdosynochus manifestus, P. maaensis, P. malabaricus, P. manipulus, P. marcellus, and P.