Haemulon chrysargyreum

Haemulon chrysargyreum, commonly called smallmouth grunt or yellowstripe grunt, is a species of marine fish in the family Haemulidae.

Haemulon chrysargyreum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Haemulidae
Genus: Haemulon
Species:
H. chrysargyreum
Binomial name
Haemulon chrysargyreum
Günther, 1859
Synonyms[1]
  • Brachygenys chrysargyreus (Günther, 1859)
  • Haemulon taeniatum Poey, 1860
  • Brachygenys taeniata (Poey, 1860)

Description

The smallmouth grunt is a small fish that can reach a maximum length of 23 cm, but the ones usually observed are rather 17 cm.[2][3] It has a laterally compressed body with a forked caudal fin. Its background color is silver with five bronze-yellow horizontal lines on its sides. All fins are partially or completely yellow. And its vernacular name comes from the fact that it has the smallest mouth of its family.

Distribution & habitat

The smallmouth grunt is widespread throughout the western Atlantic Ocean from south Florida to the cost of Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.[4]

This grunt likes exposed areas of coral reefs and rocky coasts up to 25 meters deep.[5]

Biology

The smallmouth grunts live during daytime in schools near reefs or rocks and disperse at night to feed at the open sea. Their diet consists mainly of plankton but also small crustaceans and other mollusks.[6]

References
  1. "Synonyms of Haemulon chrysargyreum Günther, 1859". Fishbase.org. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Cervigón, F., 1993. Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.


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