Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Big Pine Key, Florida, February 2017. Length: 10 cm (3.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Marc Eberlein, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida, August 2018. Length: 12 cm (4.7 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus. Fish caught in coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida, December 2013. Length: 14 cm (5.5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus, Juvenile. Fish caught in coastal waters within the Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key, Florida, April 2019. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, August 2014.  Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Dean Kimberly, Atlanta, Georgia.

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus. Fish caught in coastal waters within the Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key, Florida, April 2019. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus. Underwater photograph taken with coastal waters off Cozumel Island, Quintana Roo, March 2021. Photograph and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden. Note: this fish was a solitary individual found within a large school of French Grunts.

The Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus, is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family, and is known in Mexico as ronco carite and ronco amarillo. Globally, there are twenty-one species in the genus Haemulon, and all twenty-one are found in Mexican waters, fourteen in the Atlantic and seven in the Pacific Ocean.

The Bluestriped Grunt has a moderately elongated deep bodies with an elevated compressed back and a depth that is 34% to 38% of standard length. They have a yellow head and body and numerous narrow horizontal blue stripes. The line under their eyes has a large arch which allows for easy identification. Their anal fin is a dusky yellow, their wide caudal fin and soft dorsal fin are yellow with wide dark bands at their base, their spiny dorsal fin is yellow, and their pectoral and pelvic fins are transparent. The inside of their mouth is bright red. Their anal fin has 3 spines, the second and third are of equal length, and 9 rays; their caudal fin is forked; and, their dorsal fin has 12 spines and 16 to 17 rays. They have 27 to 31 gill rakers. Their body is covered with rough scales.

The Bluestriped Grunt is a subtropical species found around inshore mangroves, seagrass beds, drop-offs, and coral reefs at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They are a schooling species that travels with the French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum, with schools of up to 1,000 Grunts being common. They reach a maximum of 46 cm (18 inches) in length, but are more common at lengths of 20 cm (8 inches) to 25 cm (10 inches) and weigh just under 1 kg (2 lbs 3 oz). As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.68 kg (1 lb 8 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in September 2013. They feed primarily on shrimp but also consume annelids, bivalves, and crustaceans. In turn they are preyed upon by large fish including groupers and sharks. They have lifespans of up to twelve years. The Bluestriped Grunt is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Bluestriped Grunt  is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

The Bluestriped Grunt is very easy to identify and cannot be confused with any other species, however, it is similar in appearance to the French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum (smaller and narrower horizontal stripes).

From a conservation perspective the Bluestriped Grunt is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are very accessible via hook and line and caught off the bottom in 8 m (25 feet) water utilizing small hooks tipped with cut squid. They are considered quality food fish and are marketed fresh commercially, however, they are also known to contain ciguatoxin. They are generally unfriendly toward divers. They are used extensively in the aquarium trade.