Species: Haemulon macrostoma, Spanish Grunt

Haemulon macrostoma Gunther, 1859

Spanish Grunt

Body oblong, compressed; body depth 37-41% of SL; head bluntly pointed, its upper profile slightly convex on nape, slightly concave before eye, then straight to mouth; rear margin of bone under eye concealed by scales; mouth small to moderate, lips not fleshy; underside of chin with 2 large pores and a central groove; preoperculum finely serrated, without spines; gill rakers 26-28; dorsal fin continuous, with small to moderate notch in middle, XII, 15-17; anal rays III, 9, 2nd and 3rd spines similar; tail forked; soft dorsal and anal densely scaled nearly to the edge of the fin; scales rough; scales over entire body and head except front of snout, lips and chin; pectoral fin scaled on base only; lateral-line scales 50-52; scale rows below lateral line oblique to body axis.

Adult: silvery grey; nape and upper back greenish yellow; upper half with 3 strong black stripes, thickest from snout, through eye to end of tail base; thin black stripes between the thick ones; lower body dark to black; yellow saddle on upper tail base; dorsal fin yellowish outer part, dusky inner part; tail and anal fin dark, with broad yellowish rear edges; pectoral yellowish; pelvic dark, with white front edge; inside mouth red. Juvenile: nape yellow green; 3 black stripes: 1 from snout through eye to tail base, ending in a wedge-shaped black spot on tail fin base; 1 from top of eye back along lateral line to join the first stripe; 1 from above eye along top of back.

Reaches 45 cm.

Habitat: in clear water areas, on reefs and hard bottoms.

Depth: 1-99 m.

Bermuda to the southern Caribbean