Haemulidae (Grunts & Margates)
Haemulon plumieri
0 to 60 ft
The body is pale, with the scales often having a pearly tinge. The head is striped with alternating blue and yellow. The white grunt is somewhat similar to the bluestriped grunt, H. sciurus, which has blue stripes that run the length of the body. The early juvenile stage has a long upper eye stripe, which curves down to midlateral stripe (which may be absent). The tail spot of the juvenile is small and round. The white grunt grows to a length of about 18 inches (45 cm). The white grunt is common throughout the Caribbean, including the Cayman Islands. Its range extends from Chesapeake Bay to Brazil. It inhabits coral reefs, seagrass beds and sand flats. It drifts around the reef in groups ranging from a few individuals to several hundred, often hovering in the shade of large coral heads. It often mixes with other species of grunts and snappers.
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