African Striped Grunt
Parapristipoma octolineatum
French grunt
Haemulon flavolineatum
About
The French grunt is a common, brightly striped reef fish that gathers in large schools by day and fans out to feed after dark. It grows to a common length of 17 cm, with the largest reaching 30 cm.
- Length
- 17 cm · max 30 cm
- Depth
- up to 60 m
How to tell it apart
It closely resembles other striped grunts on the reef, but its scales just below the lateral line are noticeably larger than those above it, a pattern no other grunt shares.
Appearance
This fish has an almond-shaped, flattened body with a blunt snout and thick lips. Its background colour ranges from whitish to pale blue or yellow, crossed by three bright yellow-orange stripes above the lateral line, the faint sensory line running down its side, and slanted stripes below it. Its fins are yellow, its belly is white, and the inside of its mouth is red.
Habitat
It lives on rocky areas and coral reefs across the tropical and warm-temperate western Atlantic, from the southeastern United States through the Caribbean. By day it gathers in large schools under ledges and near elkhorn coral, moving out at night to feed. Young fish shelter instead in sheltered seagrass beds close to shore, down to depths of 60 m.
Did you know?
One of this fish's parasites, a tiny crustacean called Gnathia marleyi, was named after reggae singer Bob Marley.
Log it in Into the Blue
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