French Grunt

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida, August 2018. Length:  12.8 cm (5.0 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Fish caught from coastal waters off off  Caye Ambergris, Belize, June 2013. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida, December 2013. Length: 14.1 cm (5.6 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Fish caught from coastal waters off Caye Ambergris, Belize, June 2013. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Fish caught from coastal waters off Punta Nizuc, Cancun, Quintana Roo, July 2015. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Marc Eberlein, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Fish caught from coastal waters off Sebastian, Florida, April 2021. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of Yal-Ku, Quintana Roo, April 2017. Photograph courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal.

French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters off Bonaire, December 2019. Photographs courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum, is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family, and is known in Mexico as ronco condenado. 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 French Grunt has as an oblong compressed body with a depth that is 35% to 39% of standard length. They have a bluish-white coloration and are covered with wide yellow stripes that are horizontal above their prominent lateral line and diagonal below from the gills to mid-body and then parallel. The ventral side of their head has yellow spots and their mouth is red. All their fins are solid yellow. Juveniles have a series of brown longitudinal stripes and a dark spot at the base of their caudal fin. Their head is blunt with a small to moderately-sized mouth, often with thick lips. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 8 rays; their dorsal fin is forked with 12 spines and 14 or 15 rays; their pectoral fins are moderately long; and, their pelvic fins are located below the base of their pectoral fins.

The French Grunt is found in large schools over reefs and wrecks at depths up to 61 m (200 feet). They reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches) in length. They are nocturnal carnivores scavenging sand flats and seagrass beds adjacent to coral reefs and feeding on benthic crustaceans, mollusks and polychaete worms. In turn they are preyed upon by larger reef fish including several different groupers. Reproduction occurs via pelagic eggs. The French 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 French 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 French Grunt is easy to identify as it is the only Grunt with diagonal stripes and with enlarged scales below the lateral line.

From a conservation perspective the French Grunt is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Although they are small in stature, the French Grunt is viewed as excellent table fare. They are fished commercial with traps and nets and sold fresh but are of limited value due to their small size. They are often encountered by divers but are unfriendly and flee. They are also utilized in the aquarium trade.