Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus. Fish caught from coastal waters within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Length: 11.5 cm (4.5 inches).

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, April 2015. Length: 14 cm (5.5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands  (worldangler.eu).

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, April 2015. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, April 2015. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Michael Verdirame, Markham, Ontario, Canada.

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, February 2023. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus. Fish caught from coastal waters within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Length: 31 cm (12 inches).

 

The Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus, is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family, that is also known as the Humpback Grunt and in Mexico as burrito corcovado. Globally, there are eight species in the genus Orthopristis, of which three are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.

The Humpback Grunt has an elongated elliptical deep body with a depth that is 42% to 45% of standard length. They have an overall silvery-gray appearance changing to white ventrally with oblique orange bands along the scale rows and above the lateral line. All their fins are translucent except for their caudal fin, which is black. The top and bottom head profiles are similar; they have a short snout that ends before their eyes and finely serrated preopercle. Their anal fin has a long base with 3 spines, with the second being longer than the third, and 10 or 11 rays; their caudal fin is forked; their dorsal fin is continuous with 12 spines and 14 or 15 rays; and, their pectoral fins are long and curved. They have 12 to 14 lower gill rakers.  They are covered with scales.

The Humpback Grunt is found over sandy and muddy bottoms at depths up to 100 m (330 feet). They reach a maximum length of 45 cm (18 inches). They are nocturnal carnivores feeding on benthic crustaceans, echinoderms, small fish and mollusks. The Humpback 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 Humpback Grunt is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, northward along the central and north coasts of Baja.

The Humpback Grunt can be confused with the Bronzestriped Grunt, Orthopristis reddingi (elongated body; depth 32% to 34% of standard length).

From a conservation perspective the Humpback Grunt is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. The are too rare and too small in stature to be of interest to most.