{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Blue Stripe Grunt. Haemulon sciurus.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Lindeman, K. |author2=Anderson, W. |author3=Carpenter, K.E. |author4=Claro, R. |author5=Cowan, J. |author6=Padovani-Ferreira, B. |author7=Rocha, L.A. |author8=Sedberry, G. |date=2016 |title=''Haemulon sciurus'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T194422A2334147 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T194422A2334147.en |access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Haemulon | species = sciurus | authority = ([[George Shaw (biologist)|G. Shaw]], 1803) | synonyms = * ''Sparus sciurus'' <small>G. Shaw 1803</small> | synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Haemulon|sciurus|month=December|year=2019}}</ref> }} 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 (taxonomy)|family]] [[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.<ref name = DF>{{cite web | url = https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/haemulon-sciurus/ | title = Haemulon sciurus | access-date = 31 March 2021 | work = Discover Fishes | publisher = Florida Museum}}</ref> It has a continuous [[dorsal fin]] with a small to medium-sized notch in its centre.<ref name = STRI>{{cite web | url = https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3728 | title = Species: Haemulon sciurus, Bluestriped grunt | access-date = 31 March 2021 | work = Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information | publisher = Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute}}</ref> The dorsal fin contains 12 spines and 16-17 soft rays, while the [[anal fin]] contains 3 spines and 9 soft rays.<ref name = Fishbase/> 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]] are dark, the [[anal fin]] is sooty yellow, and the [[Pelvic fin|pelvic]] and [[pectoral fin]]s are whitish. The inside of the mouth is a vivid red. The small juveniles, below lengths of {{cvt|22|mm|abbr=on}} have obvious [[melanophores]] on their [[caudal peduncle]]s, 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 {{cvt|50|mm|abbr=on}} is attained, the fish changes to the adult colouration.<ref name = DF/> This species attains a maximum total length of {{cvt|46|cm|abbr=on}}, although {{cvt|25|cm|abbr=on}} is more typical.<ref name = Fishbase/>
==Distribution== The bluestriped grunt is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from [[South Carolina]] and [[Bermuda]] south along the coast of the United States to the Bahamas. They extend into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] from the [[Florida Keys]] north as far as [[Cedar Key]] and from [[Tuxpan]] in Mexico along the northern coasts of the [[Yucatan Peninsula]] to northwestern Cuba, and in all of the [[Caribbean Sea]].<ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021" /> [[File:Blue striped grunt.jpg|thumb|Blue Striped Grunts in [[Belize]]]]
==Habitat and biology== The bluestriped grunt is found in shallow water, at depths between {{cvt|1|and|40|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021" /> It is common in [[mangroves]], reefs, and beds of [[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]]'') in shallow waters. They forage in sea-grass beds and mangroves searching for smaller fishes, crustaceans, and bivalves.<ref name = DF/> Foraging occurs at night; they rest in the day in rocky areas.<ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021" /> The [[Spawn (biology)|spawning]] 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 {{cvt|9|to|17|mm|abbr=on}} 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]] is the [[monogenea]]n, ''[[Encotyllabe spari]]''.<ref name = DF/>
==Systematics== The bluestriped grunt was first formally [[Species description|described]] in 1803 as ''Sparus sciurus'' by [[English people|English]] [[zoologist]] [[George Shaw (biologist)|George Shaw]] (1751-1813), with the [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] given as the [[Antilles]].<ref name = CofF>{{Cof genus | genus = Haemulon | access-date = 31 March 2021}}</ref> The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''sciurus'' means "squirrel", squirrelfish being one of the vernacular names of this species at the time, presumably because of its production of grunts.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/lutjaniformes/ | title = Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1 = Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | date = 5 January 2021 | access-date = 31 March 2021 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | archive-date = 12 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210412135037/https://etyfish.org/lutjaniformes/ }}</ref>
==Utilisation== The bluestriped grunt is caught using hook and line, traps, and [[Seine fishing|seines]]. The catch is not recorded separately for this species. The flesh is normally sold fresh.<ref name = fao>{{cite book | author = Lindeman, K.C. | year = 2002 | chapter = Haemulidae | pages = 1522–1550 | editor = Kent E. Carpenter | title = The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae) | series = FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5 | publisher = [[FAO]] of the U.N., Rome | url = http://www.fao.org/3/y4162e/y4162e21.pdf}}</ref> It is rare in the [[Fishkeeping|aquarium]] trade but is more common in [[public aquarium]] displays due to its size.<ref name = Saltcorner>{{cite web | url = http://www.saltcorner.com/AquariumLibrary/browsespecies.php?CritterID=1721&filter=0 | title = ''Haemulon sciurus'' | access-date = 31 March 2021 | publisher = Bob Goemans | year = 2012 | work = Saltcorner!}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Haemulon sciurus}} * {{SealifePhotos|275733}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1948330}}
[[Category:Haemulon|blue striped grunt]] [[Category:Fish of the Gulf of Mexico]] [[Category:Fish of the Caribbean]] [[Category:Fish of the Western Atlantic]] [[Category:Fish described in 1803|blue striped grunt]]