Haemulon plumierii
| Ecological Descriptors |
||||
| Habitat | Size (cm) | Diet | Behaviour | Sex |
| Co, S | 53 | Cru, Wor, Mol, Tun, Pisc, Echinoderms | Sh | F |
Description:
Adult: Silvery, head bronze to yellow above, with dark blue and yellow stripes on head only. Upper body with vertical oval blue/yellow spots on scales, lower body with oblique spotted lines formed by blue and yellow spots on body scales. Fins pale.
Juvenile: 4 black stripes: one alonq nape; 1 from above eye along top of back and upper tail base: 1 thin stripe from top of eye back along lateral line that curves down to loin the lower stripe at front of tail base; 1 from snout through eye to tail fin base. It has a round black spot on base of tail fin and often has oblique yellow lines on lower body..
Ecology
A reef-associated species (1 to 40m) which displays diurnal migration related to foraging in some areas, leaving reefs at night to forage over grass and sand flats and returning to the reef by day for shelter. It feeds on a variety of benthic invertebrates, including shrimps, crabs, polychaetes, snails, sipunculids, amphipods, ophiuroids, tunicates and echinoderms; but also feeds on fish as well. Juveniles are encountered in very shallow hard-bottom and vegetated habitats.
Life Cycle:
Growth is fast during the first four years of life in this species, when the average fish size is already in excess of 80% of final size. 50% of the females are mature at 16.7 cm and for males 50% at 18.6 cm (1.5 years).
Adult: Silvery, head bronze to yellow above, with dark blue and yellow stripes on head only. Upper body with vertical oval blue/yellow spots on scales, lower body with oblique spotted lines formed by blue and yellow spots on body scales. Fins pale.
Juvenile: 4 black stripes: one alonq nape; 1 from above eye along top of back and upper tail base: 1 thin stripe from top of eye back along lateral line that curves down to loin the lower stripe at front of tail base; 1 from snout through eye to tail fin base. It has a round black spot on base of tail fin and often has oblique yellow lines on lower body..
Ecology
A reef-associated species (1 to 40m) which displays diurnal migration related to foraging in some areas, leaving reefs at night to forage over grass and sand flats and returning to the reef by day for shelter. It feeds on a variety of benthic invertebrates, including shrimps, crabs, polychaetes, snails, sipunculids, amphipods, ophiuroids, tunicates and echinoderms; but also feeds on fish as well. Juveniles are encountered in very shallow hard-bottom and vegetated habitats.
Life Cycle:
Growth is fast during the first four years of life in this species, when the average fish size is already in excess of 80% of final size. 50% of the females are mature at 16.7 cm and for males 50% at 18.6 cm (1.5 years).
White Grunt Juvenile
White Grunt Adult
White Grunt Adult
(C) Dr P Ryan/ RyanPhotographic
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