Cherry Grouper

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Cherry Grouper(Sakuradai)
Species:	Sacura margaritacea
Games:	Endless Ocean, Endless Ocean 2
Category:	Small Marine Life
Length:	15cm (6in)
Appearance:	A rose-red fish with pale pink spots
Location: (EO)	Coral Reefs all over
Location: (EO2)	Gatama Atoll
Time:	Day and night
Dangerous:
Forms:	Adult male only

The cherry grouper, or sakuradai (Sacura margaritacea), is a small coral-reef fish that appears in both Endless Ocean and Endless Ocean 2.

Males of the species are a soft pinkish-red color, with pale-pink or white spots scattered across their sides. This pink color gives it the common name "sakuradai", coming from the Japanese word "sakura", which means "cherry blossom". In both games, only male fish are seen.

In-Game

Marine Encyclopedia

Endless Ocean

Description

"These fish have narrow, elliptical bodies with vertically elongated dorsal and tail fins. They are generally reed with small white spots on the sides of the body and can be seen year-round in coral reefs and other similar areas.

Females are yellow with a black pattern on their dorsal fins. However, when females undergo sex changes, part of their dorsal fin becomes elongated, their body color changes, and a white blotchy pattern begins to appear.

There is a shiny pattern on the sides of these fish that resembles cherry-blossom petals, and the scientific name reflects this. Sacura means "cherry blossom" in Japanese, and margaritacea means "pearly.""

Endless Ocean 2

Description

"Red with a white pattern that looks like cherry blossom petals, its scientific name is made up of sakura, meaning "cherry blossom", and margaritacea, meaning "pearly". Females are yellow with a black pattern on their dorsal fins."

Location

Endless Ocean

Cherry groupers can be found most commonly in rocky, coral-dense areas. They are easiest to find in Rock Bluff, and are found living near the fan corals that cling to the walls.

Endless Ocean 2

These fish can be seen all over Gatama Atoll.

Behavior

In both games, these fish are seen only under zoom-mode glows and react positively to being given food. They can be seen alone or with other small fish, like juvenile clown triggerfish.

Gallery

The cherry grouper in EO1.

Notes

Real-Life Information

1/2

• Both games report that the scientific name comes from the words "sakura" (which is Japanese for "cherry blossom") and "margaritacea" (which means "pearly"). This much is true - the genus name Sacura comes from the word "sakura", and the specific name margaritacea is Greek in origin with Latin influence and means "pearl".
• The descriptions in both games are also accurate in their report that female fish are yellow with a black pattern on their dorsal fins. They are also accurate in their report of the fact that these fish can change sex. This is a trait called "protogynous hermaphroditism" (pronounced pro-TAW-jeh-nuss her-MA-fro-dye-tiz-m), which means "female first".
• The cherry grouper lives at deeper levels than a good deal of reef fish, staying more than 50 feet (15 meters) below the surface. Hence, it can tolerate a wider range of temperatures than many others can. Fishkeepers have reported that it is very hardy, able to withstand a range of conditions including temperatures - which it owes to its natural habitat.
  • While it is sometimes seen in aquariums, the cherry grouper isn't a common tank fish, considering that it originates in Japan and shipping costs are high.
  • In either games, it is frequently found above these depths, which makes its portrayal somewhat inaccurate. For instance, Gatama Atoll, where the cherry grouper lives in Blue World, only ever goes below 50 feet deep at Blue Cliff, the closest to which is Spring Garden at about 45 feet (14 meters) - and the cherry grouper is not found on the side of Blue Cliff.
• Aside from cherry grouper and sakuradai, the cherry grouper is also called the cherry blossom basslet, the sakura anthias, and the cherry anthias.

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