240 UNDERWATER GUIDE TO MARINE LIFE 



Sivtilar S'pecies: The yellow torn tate (white grunt), Bathy stoma aureoline- 

 atutn, grows to only 8 inches and is common from the West Indies to Bermuda. 

 It is grayish with several yellow longitudinal stripes, the one through the eye 

 being the largest. There is sometimes a dark spot at the base of the caudal fin. 



The common tom tate (white grunt), Bathy stoMia striatum, is another West 

 Indian species. It is very similar to the yellow tom tate, its chief difference 

 being its smaller mouth, the maxillary not quite reaching to the middle of the 

 eye. Both of these species are slimmer of body than the caesar. 



The burros, genera Brachydeiiterus and Pomadasis, are small grunts of the Gulf 

 of California south and the West Indies. They are named after the burrowlike, 

 snoring noise that they can make. There are several species which are hard 

 to tell apart. 



YELLOW GRLiNT (FRENCH grunt) : Haevudon fiavoUneatum—CoJoT Plate 5 



and Figure 131 



Size: Averages 6 to 8 inches. Up to 1 foot. 



Distribution: West Indies to the Florida Keys and Bermuda. 



Identification: The coloration consists of very striking longitudinal striping 

 of alternating blue-gray and yellow. The fins are all yellow. The eyes are large 

 and glassy, and the inside of the mouth is a brilliant red. 



Habits: This is one of the most common of West Indian fishes. It is usually 

 seen swimming around inshore reefs and wrecks and sandy shores. This species 

 and the species similar to it are the ones most frequently observed to "kiss." 

 Yellow grunts gather in large schools in the late summer breeding season. At 

 other times they travel in smaller schools or even singly. 



Similar Species: The white or common grunt, Haemidon pJiimieri, is the 

 most common grunt and one of the most common fishes from Cape Hatteras 

 to Florida; it is also common throughout the Caribbean. It averages under a foot 

 and reaches 18 inches. This fish is common almost everywhere, especially on 

 sandy shores. It is light bluish and has yellow and blue lines like the yellow 

 grunt, but on the head only. 



The blue-striped grunt (yellow grunt, boar grunt, ronco amarillo), Haevudon 

 sciurus, strongly resembles the yellow grunt, but the vertical fins are dark- 

 bordered, and the size is larger, averaging 8 to 12 inches and reaching 18 

 inches (fig. J3i). 



MARGATE FISH (sailor's CHOICE, bream) : Haeuudon album— Color Plate 5 



Size: Up to over 2 feet. 



Weight: Averages 1 to 2 pounds. Up to 10 pounds or more. 



Distribution: West Indies and the Florida Keys. 



Identification: The color is pearl-gray to olivaceous, faintlv bluish below with 

 olivaceous fins and a dark stripe running from the nose, through the eye, and 

 back to the tail. There are two more curved stripes running above this one. 

 Color phases occur in which the stripes are obscure. 



Habits: This is an offshore, reef species coming to shallow water to feed on 

 various invertebrates. The name "margate" is derived from the English seaport 

 of the same name, which was the original home of some of the inhabitants of 

 the West Indies. The spawning time is early summer, at which time this fish 

 schools. 



