| Family: |
Haemulidae (Grunts), subfamily: Haemulinae |
| Max. size: |
79 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 7,140.0 g |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 20 - 60 m |
| Distribution: |
Western Atlantic: Florida Keys (USA), Bermuda, and Bahamas to Brazil. Found throughout the West Indies; absent in Colombia (Ref. 3798). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 12-12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-17; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-8. Scale rows immediately below lateral line oblique (Ref. 26938). Usual color phase dull silvery, the fins largely gray; no black pigment below upper margin of preopercle; the dorsal and caudal fins of subadults and the back above a line from dorsal base to lower margin of caudal fin are often blackish (Ref. 13442). |
| Biology: |
Inhabits seagrass beds, sand flats, coral reefs, and wrecks (Ref. 9710). Found in pairs or larger schools (Ref. 3798). Feeds on benthic invertebrates (Ref. 3798). Has been observed to nose into the sand to eat such subsurface invertebrates as peanut worms and heart urchins (Ref. 13442). Marketed fresh (Ref. 3798). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 10 October 2015 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
reports of ciguatera poisoning |
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