Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Dermatolepis dermatolepis
mero cuero, caga leche, Leather bass
Shades of light gray to olive, occasionally tinted with yellow (especially young adults); fins often bordered with yellow. Juvenile - Alternating black and gray bars. Size: Length of 1 m
Habitat: Near rocky shores, often in deeper waters
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Order
Perciformes
Suborder
Percoidei
Family
Serranidae
Genus
Dermatolepis
Species
dermatolepis
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Dermatolepis punctatus Gill, 1861, Epinephelus dermatolepis Boulenger, 1895, fide Appeltans et al. (2010)
Origin: Native
Distribution: Eastern Pacific, from southern California to Ecuador including Galapagos. At all offshore eastern Pacific oceanic islands.
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- Banks, S. Vera, M. & Chiriboga, A. (2009) Establishing Reference Points to Assess Long-Term Change in Zooxanthellate Coral Communities of the Northern Galapagos Coral Reefs. J. Sci. Conserv. in the Galapagos Islands, p. 43-64.
- Edgar, G.J. Fariña, J.M., Calvopiña, M., Martínez, C. & Banks, S. (2002) Comunidades submareales rocosas II: Peces y macroinvertebrados móviles. In: Danulat, E. & Edgar, G.J. (eds.) (2002): Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, p. 68-97.
- Grove, J.S. Lavenberg, R.J. (1997) The Fishes of the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. 862 pp.
- Humann, P. Deloach, N. (2003) Reef Fish Identification - Galapagos. New World Publication, Inc. Florida USA & Libri Mundi, Quito, Ecuador, 226 pp.
- IUCN (2023) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2 Https://www.iucnredlist.org
- IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.
- McCosker, J.E. Rosenblatt, R.H. (2010) The fishes of the Galápagos Archipelago: an update. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sc., Ser. 4, vol. 61, Suppl. II, no. 11: 167-195.
- Rocha, L. Ferreira, B., Choat, J.H., Craig, M. & Sadovy, Y. (2008) Dermatolepis dermatolepis www.iucnredlist.org
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Dermatolepis dermatolepis", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7675. Accessed 30 October 2026.