Caesar grunt (Haemulon carbonarium)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Eupercaria incertae sedis · Family: Haemulidae · Genus: Haemulon.

Accepted name: Haemulon carbonarium · Authority: Poey, 1860 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 275724.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275724 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Haemulon carbonarium. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 36 cm · Common length: 20 cm · Depth range: 3–25 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 26 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: public aquariums.

FishBase notes: Occurs in clear rocky or coral reefs (Ref. 5217) and mangroves (Ref. 26340). Often forming schools (Ref. 3798). Nocturnal feeder on crabs, gastropods, starfish and annelid worms (Ref. 5521). Marketed fresh (Ref. 3798).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 1131) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Haemulon-carbonarium.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

25,039 georeferenced occurrence records for Haemulon carbonarium are published through GBIF from 36 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 101 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 23 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: United States of America (21,233); Puerto Rico (2,598); Mexico (248); Virgin Islands (U.S.) (220); Colombia (118).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2382506) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2382506&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275724 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Haemulon carbonarium Poey, 1860 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 194416) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194416/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2382506) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2382506/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The Caesar grunt has an oblong, compressed body with a deep, blunt-snouted head. The moderately sized mouth is horizontal and does not have very fleshy lips. It has a continuous dorsal fin, which has a slight notch at its centre. The base of soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin and of the anal fin are scaled.

The dorsal fin contains 12 spines and 15-16 soft rays while the anal fin has tree spines and eight soft rays. The overall colour is silvery white broken by longitudinal orange-brown stripes, these are broader and more obvious above the lateral line. Also, they have a black spot at the base of their caudal fin, which is characteristic of this species. The anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins are transparent, while the caudal fin is dark.

The dorsal fin is also transparent, but it has an orange-brown margin on the spiny part, while the soft-rayed part has a dark margin. The head is marked with bronze-yellow stripes and spots. The flesh on the inside of the mouth is orange. This species attains a maximum total length of 36 cm, although 20 cm is more typical.

Distribution

The Caesar grunt is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is distributed from Cape Canaveral in Florida and Bermuda in the north southwards through the Bahamas, to the Gulf of Mexico including the Florida Keys, the Florida Middle Grounds, along the mainland coast from Tuxpan in Mexico along the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula to northwestern Cuba, and throughout the Caribbean Sea. Claims from Brazil are likely to be misidentifications.

Habitat and biology

The Caesar grunt is found at depths from 2 to 30 m. This species is found in clear water on rocky or coral reefs and in mangroves. They are social Fish which form schools, feeding nocturnally on benthic invertebrates such as crabs, gastropods, starfish and polychaetes. Caesar grunts are oviparous, forming distinct pairs to spawn and have pelagic larvae.

Systematics

The Caesar grunt was first formally described in 1860 by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey (1799–1891) with the type locality given as Havana. The specific name carbonarius means "coal-like", a reference to its Cuban Spanish vernacular name of Ronco carbonero, named for its dark fins.

Uses

The Caesar grunt is targeted by commercial fisheries in some parts of its range, it is also caught for the aquarium trade. They are caught using traps, hook-and-line, and seines, but catch statistics are not collected. They are mainly sold fresh.

Source: Wikipedia: Caesar grunt — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_grunt (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.