Grouper species like E. epistictus, E. heniochus, E. latifasciatus, E. magniscuttis, and E. radiatus share similar color patterns, complicating their identification in the field.
DNA barcoding was used to clarify taxonomic relationships among these species, with genetic distances ranging from 0.079 to 0.164.
The study confirmed distinct clades in a phylogenetic tree that align with earlier studies in Indian waters, and generated barcode sequences for E. heniochus and E. magniscuttis that are new to GenBank.