Species: Haemulon macrostomum, Spanish grunt
juv: center & lower stripes converge, C base - dark wedge
Haemulon macrostomum 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
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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- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- All species..
- Continent
- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 99
- Length Max
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- 45
