The speckled hind was added to the candidate species list in 1997. One of the most beautifully colored groupers caught off the southeastern United States in the speckled hind. The hind gets it's common name from the multitude of tiny white spots that over the reddish-brown head, body and fins. Speckled hind inhabit warm, moderately deep waters from North Carolina to Cuba, including Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the larger, older fish are males.
Females reach sexual maturity around four to five year-olds.
Spawning takes place offshore from July through September. The fertilized eggs are pelagic, and the newly hatched young are commonly found on the surface before migrating to the bottom. Speckled hind generally engulf their prey whole. The fish opens its mouth and extends the gill covers rapidly to draw in a current of water, thus inhaling the food. Groupers are also known to pursue their prey and strike it.