Shining Grunt, Haemulopsis nitidus

Shining Grunt, Haemulopsis nitidus. Fish caught within the coastal waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Length: 20.0 cm (7.9 inches).

Shining Grunt, Haemulopsis nitidus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Chomes, Costa Rica, March 2021. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

The Shining Grunt, Haemulopsis nitidus, is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family, and is known in Mexico as ronco brillante. Globally, there are five species in the genus Haemulopsis, four of which are found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Shining Grunt has an elongated compressed body with similar dorsal and ventral profiles and a depth that is 30% of 32% of standard length. They have an overall silvery appearance with a black blotch directly above the pectoral fin base and diffuse dark stripes on their sides along the scale rows. Their head has a short snout with a small terminal slightly oblique mouth that extends to the front edge of the eyes, two pairs of pores on the chin, and 14 to 16 gill rakers. They have 3 anal spines, the second of which is very short; their dorsal fin has 12 spines and 14 or 15 rays; and, their pectoral fins reach past the pelvic fins but end before the anus. Their body is covered with small scales.

The Shining Grunt is a coastal species found within estuaries near mangroves over sandy and muddy bottoms at depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches) in length. Reproduction is oviparous with females releasing pelagic eggs that are fertilized externally. The Shining Grunt is poorly studied and very little is known about their behavioral patterns.

The Shining Grunt is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.

The Shining Grunt is very similar to three other members of the Haemulopsis genus: the Elongate Grunt, Haemulopsis elongatus, the Raucous Grunt, Haemulopsis leuciscus, and the Yellowstripe Grunt, Haemulopsis axillaris, but the prominent black spot above the base of its pectoral fins make it easy to identify.

From a conservation perspective the Shining Grunt is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Although abundant in certain parts of their range, is too small to be of interest to most. They are retained by subsistence fishermen and sold fresh on a very limited basis in some local markets.