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Species: Haemulon plumierii, White grunt

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head: yellow & blue stripes on head; body- blue & yellow spots; fins pale
juv: middle & lower stripes converge, C base - 1 round spot
juv: lower body yellow lines
D XII, 15-17
scales above LL larger than those below
scale rows below LL oblique
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This Species (18) This Genus (14) Similar Species (4)

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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: 1-74 m.

Chesapeake Bay to Brazil.

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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Rocks
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Corals
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Bony fishes
  • Data
  • Sessile worms
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
  • Pelagic
Global Endemism
  • Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • All species.
Regional Endemism
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends North of GC
  • Continent
  • Extends South of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Island (s)
  • All species..
  • Also in Brazil
  • GC non-endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 53
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 74