Sailor's Choice

Haemulon parra is a subtropical species of grunt native to the western Atlantic Ocean.

Description

Coloration: silvery, the edges of the scales are narrowly brown, the centers on upper half of body is with a spot which may vary in color from yellow through bronze to dark brown (forming oblique dotted lines following scale rows). Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-18; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. It commonly grows to a length to 30 cm, and its maximum recorded length is 41,2 cm.

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Bahamas, Florida (USA), and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.

Habitat

It inhabits shallow coastal reefs. The young are on seagrass beds, adults are in schools in relatively open areas. Rare at oceanic islands. It feeds at night on mollusks and small fishes.