Species: Haemulon plumierii, White Grunt

Haemulon plumierii (Lacepede, 1801)

White Grunt

Body oblong, compressed; body depth 37-39% of SL; head blunt, its upper profile slightly convex on nape 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 21-27; dorsal fin continuous, with small to moderate notch in middle, XII, 15-17; anal rays III, 8-9, 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 48-51; scale rows below lateral line oblique to body axis; scales below lateral line smaller than those above that line.

Adult: silvery, head bronze to yellow above; dark blue and yellow stripes on head; upper body with vertical oval blue/yellow spots on scales, lower body with oblique spotted lines formed by blue and yellow spots on body scales; fins pale; inside mouth red. Juvenile: 4 black stripes: one along nape; 1 from above eye along top of back and upper tail base; 1 thin stripe from top of eye back along lateral line that curves down to join the lower stripe at front of tail base; 1 from snout through eye to tail fin base; a round black spot on base of tail fin; often oblique yellow lines on lower body.

Reaches 53 cm.

Habitat: on reefs and hard bottoms.

Depth: 1-158 m.

Chesapeake Bay to Brazil.