# Bluestriped grunt

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Species of fish

Bluestriped grunt Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Acanthuriformes Family: Haemulidae Genus: Haemulon Species: H. sciurus Binomial name Haemulon sciurus (G. Shaw, 1803) Synonyms[2] Sparus sciurus G. Shaw 1803

The **bluestriped grunt** (***Haemulon sciurus***), also known as the **boar grunt**, **golden grunt**, **humpback grunt**, **redmouth grunt**, or **yellow grunt**, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Haemulidae](/source/Haemulidae). It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

## Description

The bluestriped grunt has a deep, almond-shaped body with a moderately convex dorsal profile. Its upper jaw extends to underneath the centre of the eye. The scales above the lateral line are enlarged, whereas those underneath it are arranged in a diagonal pattern.[3] It has a continuous [dorsal fin](/source/Dorsal_fin) with a small to medium-sized notch in its centre.[4] The dorsal fin contains 12 spines and 16-17 soft rays, while the [anal fin](/source/Anal_fin) contains 3 spines and 9 soft rays.[2] The overall colour of this species' head and body is yellow broken by thin, longitudinal blue stripes. Also, a distinctively arched stripe occurs below each eye. The spiny part of the dorsal fin is yellow, the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin and the [caudal fin](/source/Caudal_fin) are dark, the [anal fin](/source/Anal_fin) is sooty yellow, and the [pelvic](/source/Pelvic_fin) and [pectoral fins](/source/Pectoral_fin) are whitish. The inside of the mouth is a vivid red. The small juveniles, below lengths of 22 mm (0.87 in) have obvious [melanophores](/source/Melanophores) on their [caudal peduncles](/source/Caudal_peduncle), and as the fish grows, these grow, too, forming a dark stripe starting just behind the eye and running to the caudal peduncle. Once a length of 50 mm (2.0 in) is attained, the fish changes to the adult colouration.[3] This species attains a maximum total length of 46 cm (18 in), although 25 cm (9.8 in) is more typical.[2]

## Distribution

The bluestriped grunt is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina) and [Bermuda](/source/Bermuda) south along the coast of the United States to the Bahamas. They extend into the [Gulf of Mexico](/source/Gulf_of_Mexico) from the [Florida Keys](/source/Florida_Keys) north as far as [Cedar Key](/source/Cedar_Key) and from [Tuxpan](/source/Tuxpan) in Mexico along the northern coasts of the [Yucatan Peninsula](/source/Yucatan_Peninsula) to northwestern Cuba, and in all of the [Caribbean Sea](/source/Caribbean_Sea).[1]

Blue Striped Grunts in [Belize](/source/Belize)

## Habitat and biology

The bluestriped grunt is found in shallow water, at depths between 1 and 40 m (3 ft 3 in and 131 ft 3 in).[1] It is common in [mangroves](/source/Mangroves), reefs, and beds of [sea grass](/source/Sea_grass). The adults aggregate in small schools over coral and rocky beds, especially in the vicinity of drop-offs. The juveniles are very common among beds of turtle grass (*[Thalassia testudinum](/source/Thalassia_testudinum)*) in shallow waters. They forage in sea-grass beds and mangroves searching for smaller fishes, crustaceans, and bivalves.[3] Foraging occurs at night; they rest in the day in rocky areas.[1] The [spawning](/source/Spawn_(biology)) behaviour of the bluestriped grunt is little known, but is known to take place from January to April in the Caribbean Sea. The larvae settle into sea-grass beds at lengths that range from 9 to 17 mm (0.35 to 0.67 in) as they grow into juveniles. These fish often display open-mouthed, head-on pushing each other backwards, and they also produce a grunting noise using pharyngeal teeth. They are preyed on by larger fish such as sharks and groupers, and among their known [parasites](/source/Parasites) is the [monogenean](/source/Monogenea), *[Encotyllabe spari](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Encotyllabe_spari&action=edit&redlink=1)*.[3]

## Systematics

The bluestriped grunt was first formally [described](/source/Species_description) in 1803 as *Sparus sciurus* by [English](/source/English_people) [zoologist](/source/Zoologist) [George Shaw](/source/George_Shaw_(biologist)) (1751-1813), with the [type locality](/source/Type_locality_(biology)) given as the [Antilles](/source/Antilles).[5] The [specific name](/source/Specific_name_(zoology)) *sciurus* means "squirrel", squirrelfish being one of the vernacular names of this species at the time, presumably because of its production of grunts.[6]

## Utilisation

The bluestriped grunt is caught using hook and line, traps, and [seines](/source/Seine_fishing). The catch is not recorded separately for this species. The flesh is normally sold fresh.[7] It is rare in the [aquarium](/source/Fishkeeping) trade but is more common in [public aquarium](/source/Public_aquarium) displays due to its size.[8]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_20_November_2021_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_20_November_2021_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_20_November_2021_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_20_November_2021_1-3) Lindeman, K.; Anderson, W.; Carpenter, K.E.; Claro, R.; Cowan, J.; Padovani-Ferreira, B.; Rocha, L.A.; Sedberry, G. (2016). ["*Haemulon sciurus*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194422/2334147). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **2016** e.T194422A2334147. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T194422A2334147.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T194422A2334147.en). Retrieved 20 November 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Fishbase_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Fishbase_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Fishbase_2-2) [Froese, Rainer](/source/Rainer_Froese); [Pauly, Daniel](/source/Daniel_Pauly) (eds.). ["*Haemulon sciurus*"](https://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?genusname=Haemulon&speciesname=sciurus). *[FishBase](/source/FishBase)*. December 2019 version.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-DF_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-DF_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-DF_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-DF_3-3) ["Haemulon sciurus"](https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/haemulon-sciurus/). *Discover Fishes*. Florida Museum. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-STRI_4-0)** ["Species: Haemulon sciurus, Bluestriped grunt"](https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3728). *Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information*. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CofF_5-0)** Fricke, Ron; [Eschmeyer, William N.](/source/William_N._Eschmeyer) & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). ["Species in the genus *Haemulon*"](http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp?tbl=species&genus=Haemulon). *[Catalog of Fishes](/source/Catalog_of_Fishes)*. [California Academy of Sciences](/source/California_Academy_of_Sciences). Retrieved 31 March 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ETYFish_6-0)** Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (5 January 2021). ["Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210412135037/https://etyfish.org/lutjaniformes/). *The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database*. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Archived from [the original](https://etyfish.org/lutjaniformes/) on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-fao_7-0)** Lindeman, K.C. (2002). "Haemulidae". In Kent E. Carpenter (ed.). [*The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae)*](http://www.fao.org/3/y4162e/y4162e21.pdf) (PDF). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. [FAO](/source/FAO) of the U.N., Rome. pp. 1522–1550.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Saltcorner_8-0)** ["*Haemulon sciurus*"](http://www.saltcorner.com/AquariumLibrary/browsespecies.php?CritterID=1721&filter=0). *Saltcorner!*. Bob Goemans. 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Haemulon sciurus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Haemulon_sciurus).

- Photos of [Bluestriped grunt](https://sealifecollection.org/taxon/275733) in the Sealife Collection

Taxon identifiers Haemulon sciurus Wikidata: Q1948330 Wikispecies: Haemulon sciurus BOLD: 23553 CoL: 3J97Q FishBase: 1141 GBIF: 2382543 iNaturalist: 49262 IRMNG: 10282896 ITIS: 169069 IUCN: 194422 NCBI: 119718 OBIS: 275733 Open Tree of Life: 743327 WoRMS: 275733

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bluestriped grunt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluestriped_grunt) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluestriped_grunt?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.