The preopercle is rounded or subangular and it has slightly enlarged serrations at its corner while the gill cover has a straight upper margin.

[4] This is a large and robust species of grouper which attains a maximum published length of 200 centimetres (79 in) and a weight of 110 kilograms (240 lb).

They are ambush predators which prey on small rays, crabs, fish, squid, octopodes and spiny lobsters.

Morgans of the East African Fisheries Research Organization at Zanzibar[8] with the type locality given as Mafia Island in Tanzania.

[9] The potato grouper is exploited by local and artisanal fisheries throughout its range and although it appears in the live food fish trade in Hong Kong and China, it is not popular there.

It is thought to be vulnerable to overfishing but this does not appear to be a current threat to it and the IUCN have classified its conservation status as Least Concern.