Species: Haemulon striatum, Striped Grunt

Haemulon striatum (Linnaeus, 1758)

Striped Grunt

Body elongate, only slightly compressed; body depth 26-32% of SL; head blunt, its upper profile slightly convex; snout short; eyes near 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 28-34; dorsal fin continuous, with small to moderate notch in middle, rays XIII, 13-14 (12-15); anal rays III, 8 (7-9), 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 51-53; scale rows below lateral line oblique to body axis.

Adult: grey to bluish above, silvery on belly; snout sometimes yellow; 5 bronze to brown stripes along upper 2/3 of head and body; fins clear to chalky; inside mouth red. Juvenile: two long dark stripes + short thin dark stripe from top rear of eye; a faint (or absent) oval dark spot on tail-fin base.

Size: attains 28 cm.

Habitat: forms schools over shelf edge reefs.

Depth: 1-210 m.

Georgia to Brazil.