Haemulon sciurus
Bluestriped Grunt
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Haemulidae (Grunts)
Haemulon
Haemulon sciurus (Bluestriped Grunt)
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.)
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Characters
Dense covering of scales on rayed sections of dorsal and anal fins; dorsal profile of head nearly straight; 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, slender, and slightly recurved on lateral aspects of jaws; preoperculum finely serrated; gill rakers on first arch number 26 to 31; measurements (% SL): head length 36%–40%, snout length 13%–16%, upper jaw length 16%–19%, pre-dorsal-fin length 42%–46%, body depth 36%–39%; pectoral fin rays 16 or 17 (rarely 15); dorsal fin spines 12, rays 16 or 17 (rarely 15); anal fin rays 9 or 10 (rarely 8); scale rows between first dorsal fin spine and lateral line 12, between lateral line and first anal fin spine 8 (rarely 7); scales encircling caudal peduncle 22; lateral line scales 48 to 51
Bronze dorsally, yellow on sides, cream on belly, with blue spots running continuously from head to caudal peduncle; dorsal and caudal fins dusky, other fins yellow; inside of mouth red; juveniles have three stripes on body and a round spot on caudal peduncle, lateral stripe continuous with oval spot
Distribution
Western Atlantic from South Carolina and Bermuda to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Rare to absent in the northwestern Gulf, uncommon in the southern Gulf, but abundant in the eastern Gulf of Mexico at the Dry Tortugas
Habitat Associations
Shallow water, associated with coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grasses; juveniles most common in shallow water
Biology
Crustaceans and small ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size about 450 mm TL
Found in small groups over coral and rocky reefs and drop-offs (Ref. 9710). Juveniles are abundant in Thalassia beds (Ref. 5217). Feeds on crustaceans, bivalves, and occasionally on small fishes. Marketed fresh.
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 2015-10-10. Resilience: Medium (K=0.22-0.30; tm=2; Fec=47,000).
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
Lindeman 1986
Robins and Ray 1986
Cervigón 1993b
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.
Courtenay, W.R. and H.F. Sahlman (1978) Pomadasyidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31), Volume 4. FAO, Rome.
Bardach, J.E. (1959) The summer standing crop of fish on a shallow Bermuda Reef. Limnol. Oceanogr. 4:77-85.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Claro, R. (1994) Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
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.
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