Barred grunt
A Western Atlantic grunt targeted by commercial fisheries.
Conodon nobilis, the barred grunt, is a marine fish in the Haemulidae family. It lives in the Western Atlantic and is caught by some commercial fisheries.
The fish has a sturdy, elongated body that is flattened from side to side, with a large eye. Its upper body is brownish, the belly whitish, and yellowish horizontal lines run along its sides. Typically, eight wide dark vertical bars appear on its back. The soft parts of the dorsal fin, the anal fin, and the pelvic fins are yellow. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 13 soft rays; the anal fin has 3 spines and 7 soft rays. The maximum total length is 33.6 cm (13.2 in), though 25 cm (9.8 in) is more usual.
Its range in the western Atlantic stretches from northeastern Florida to the upper Florida Keys, along the Gulf of Mexico coast from Louisiana to the northern Yucatán Peninsula, and through the Caribbean from Hispaniola to Tobago. It also occurs along Central and South American coasts from Mexico down to Argentina.
The barred grunt lives at depths up to 100 m (330 ft). It is most common in sandy coastal areas but also appears along rocky shores and in brackish or estuarine waters. It mainly uses the surf zone as a nursery rather than estuaries. It feeds at night, mostly on small fish and crustaceans—mysids are the most important crustaceans in its diet, with amphipods also significant. Recruitment seems to peak in spring.
The species was first formally described in 1758 as *Perca nobilis* by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of *Systema Naturae*. In 1830, French anatomist Georges Cuvier described a species he named *Conodon antillanus*, creating the new genus *Conodon*. Later, Cuvier’s *C. antillanus* was found to be a synonym of Linnaeus’s *Perca nobilis*, making this fish the type species of *Conodon*. The specific name *nobilis* means “notable,” “majestic,” or “excellent,” though Linnaeus did not explain his choice.
The barred grunt is targeted by commercial fisheries, with the catch sold fresh. It is also frequently taken as bycatch in other fisheries, such as the shrimp fishery off Mexico and Brazil. It is caught for sport fishing and appears in the aquarium trade. Fishermen use seine nets, trawls, and hook and line to catch it.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Conodon nobilis
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The barred grunt has a relatively robust, elongate, laterally compressed body with a large eye. Its upper body is brownish, the abdomen whitish, and it has yellowish horizontal lines along the flanks. It normally shows 8 wide dark vertical bars on the back. The soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin, the anal fin, and the pelvic fin are yellow.
Conodon nobilis was first formally described in 1758 as Perca nobilis by Carolus Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The French anatomist Georges Cuvier described a species he named Conodon antillanus in 1830, creating a new genus, Conodon, for it. Cuvier's C. antillanus was later shown to be a synonym of Linnaeus's Perca nobilis, making this species the type species of the genus Conodon. The specific name nobilis means 'notable', 'majestic', or 'excellent', though Linnaeus did not explain why he chose this adjective.
It is found at depths down to 100 m, largely in sandy coastal areas, though also along rocky shores and in brackish and estuarine waters. It mainly uses the surf zone as a nursery instead of estuaries. It feeds at night, mostly on small fishes and crustaceans, with mysids being the most important crustaceans in the diet, and amphipods also important. There appears to be a peak of recruitment into the spring.
Reader's Guide
The barred grunt is a target for commercial fisheries, with the catch sold fresh. It is also frequently caught as bycatch in other fisheries, for example commonly caught in the fishery for shrimp off Mexico and Brazil. It is a quarry for sports fishing and appears in the aquarium trade. It is caught using seine nets, trawls, and hook and line. Its range extends from northeastern Florida to the upper Florida Keys and along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico westwards from Louisiana to the northern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, south through the Caribbean Sea from Hispaniola to Tobago, and along the coast of Central and South America from Mexico south to Argentina. The species attains a maximum total length of 33.6 cm, though 25 cm is more typical. Its role as both a target and bycatch species highlights its economic importance in the region.
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