Species: Anisotremus virginicus, Porkfish grunt, the Porkfish
black bar through eye, another behind operculum
Anisotremus virginicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Porkfish
Body deep, compressed, back high; head short, blunt; rear margin of bone under eye concealed by scales; mouth small, low, ~ horizontal, lips fleshy; inside mouth not red; teeth in bands on jaws, outer ones larger, conical, none on center roof of mouth; a pair of conspicuous pores plus a central groove under the chin; 13-15 lower gill rakers; preopercle finely serrated; dorsal continuous but deeply notched, 4th spine longest, XII, 16-17; tail forked; anal with III strong spines, 2nd very large, 9-11 soft rays; scales moderate to large, rough, over entire body and head except front of snout, lips and chin, none on membranes between dorsal and anal soft rays; lateral-line scales 56-60; 10-11 scale rows between lateral line and base of first dorsal spine.
Adult: silvery; snout and nape yellow; alternating yellow & silvery blue stripes along body; a pair of thick black bars: an oblique one through eye and a vertical one immediately behind head; fins yellow. Juveniles: yellow head, upper front body, spiny dorsal and pelvic fins; a black midlateral stripe, another along upper back; a large black spot on base of tail fin.
Size: to 40 cm.
Habitat: generally seen in small aggregations on rocky and coral reefs, locally common.
Depth: 1-90 m.
Florida to Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Ectoparasite cleaner
- Data
- Diet
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- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Data
- Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
- Ectoparasites
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- All species..
- Island (s)
- Also in Brazil
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 40
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 90
