Haemulon aurolineatum
Tomtate
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Haemulidae (Grunts)
Haemulon
Haemulon aurolineatum (Tomtate)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Dense covering of scales on rayed sections of dorsal and anal fins; large black blotch on caudal peduncle; dorsal profile of head evenly convex; nares close set, anterior naris oval with flap along posterior margin, posterior naris small and oval; jaw teeth villiform, arranged in a patch on either side of symphysis, enlarged and in a single row on lateral aspects of jaws; preoperculum finely serrated in adults; gill rakers on first arch 24-28; head length 32%-38% SL, snout length 11%-17% SL, eye diameter 8%-9% SL, upper jaw length 15%-23% SL, body depth 27%-38% SL; pectoral fin rays 17 or 18 (rarely 16); dorsal fin XIII, 14-16; anal fin III, 9 (rarely 7 or 8); scale rows between first dorsal fin spine and lateral line 11-13, between lateral line and first anal fin spine 6; scales encircling caudal peduncle 22; scales above pectoral fin base not elongated vertically
Whitish to pale tan with a yellow to bronze stripe from opercular flap to caudal peduncle blotch and a yellow stripe from nape to end of dorsal fin; inside of mouth red; juveniles have lateral stripe separated from caudal fin spot except for small melanophores between stripe and spot in small specimens; caudal spot oval in small specimens, becoming constricted and dumbbell-shaped in large juveniles
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Chesapeake Bay and Bermuda to Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Habitat Associations
Between shoreline and about 30 m depth; associated with sandy and rough bottoms, including artificial reefs
Sandy and rough bottoms, artificial reefs
Biology
Maximum known size about 250 mm TL
Maximum depth from Ref. 126840. Inhabits seagrass beds, sand flats, and patch reefs (Ref. 9710). Forms schools (Ref. 5521). Feeds on small crustaceans, mollusks, other benthic invertebrates, plankton, and algae (Ref. 3798). Marketed fresh and salted (Ref. 3798).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-03-01. Resilience: Medium (K=0.18-0.35; tmax=9; Fec=29,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Courtenay 1961
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Lindeman 1986
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Cervigón 1993a
Cervigón 1993b
Murdy et al. 1997
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Lindeman and Toxey 2002
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Pauly, D. (1989) Food consumption by tropical and temperate fish populations: some generalizations. J. Fish Biol. 35(Suppl.A):11-20.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Claro, R. and J.P. García-Arteaga (1994) Crecimiento. p.321-402. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanologia Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo (CIQRO), México.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Yáñes-Arancibia, A., A.L. Lara-Domínguez and J.W. Day Jr. (1993) Interactions between mangrove and seagrass habitats mediated by estuarine nekton assemblages: coupling of primary and secondary production. Hydrobiologia 264:1-12.
Comments On Haemulon aurolineatum