First Pacific coast of Tohoku District record of Epinephelus akaara (Epinephelidae) from Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

A single specimen (193.0 mm in standard length) of a redspotted grouper, Epinephelus akaara (Temminck and Schlegel, 1843) (Epinephelidae), was collected by set net from the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku District, Japan in November 2024. In Japanese waters, this species has previously been known from the Sea of Japan coast from Hokkaido to southern Kyushu, the Pacific coast from Suruga Bay to southern Kyushu, East China Sea coast, Mutsu Bay, Tsu-shima island, the Seto Inland Sea and Kagoshima Bay. However, the species has not been recorded from the Pacific coast of Tohoku District including Miyagi Prefecture. Therefore, this is the first record of E. akaara from Miyagi Prefecture and the Pacific coast of Tohoku District, and the morphological features of the specimen are described in detail in this study.