Species: Haemulon atlanticus, Atlantic Latin Grunt, Latin Grunt

Haemulon atlanticus Carvalho et. al, 2020

Latin Grunt, Atlantic Latin Grunt

Body oblong, compressed; body depth 34-38% of SL; head blunt, its upper profile slightly convex; 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 22-25; dorsal fin continuous, with small to moderate notch in middle, rays 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 51-52; scale rows below lateral line oblique to body axis.

Adult: silvery to silvery grey; sides with narrow oblique grey-brown lines along scale rows; a large black spot at base of caudal fin; fins yellowish. Juvenile with 3 dark stripes; 1 from above eye to end of dorsal fin base; a short stripe from top of eye back along upper operculum, a brownish-orange mid-lateral stripe with pearly-white upper and lower border from the snout, through the eye to near the end of the tail base; an elongate oval black spot with a narrow front edge at base of tail fin.

Size: attains 30 cm.

Habitat: forms schools in sandy areas adjacent to reefs.

Depth: 1-116 m.

Western Atlantic; the central W Caribbean to Brazil.

Note: This is the Atlantic sister species of the east Pacific species H steindachneri. A study by Rodrigo Moura indicates that the correct name for this species actually is H bonariense (Cuvier, 1830), and that the correct name for that species currently called H bonariense actually is H. canna (Cuvier, 1830). In addition the Caribbean and Brazilian forms show slight genetic differences.However, this name question has not been formally resolved.