spottail grunt
Haemulon maculicauda
Grunt of coastal reefs in the eastern Pacific, with blue dots on each scale and a large spot on the tail. Sold fresh, with small-scale fishing.
Also called: roncador-de-cauda-manchada, burro rasposo, roncador esmeralda, spottail grunt
- maximum
- 30 cm
- record/max.
- 0.6 kg
who is the spottail grunt
The spotted-tail grunt belongs to the family Haemulidae, the grunts. It reaches 30 cm, and its common size is 25 cm. It lives in the eastern Pacific, from Baja California to Colombia, on coastal reefs. It has an oblong, compressed, deep body, with a large, terminal mouth. By day it forms schools near the reefs and at night spreads over sandy bottoms. Commercial fishing takes it on a small scale.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the spottail grunt; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Dark brown body, with a pearly blue dot on each scale, and the dots form lines that follow the rows of scales. The fins are yellowish, and the caudal peduncle has a large spot. It can be confused with Haemulon scudderii, silvery grey with dark dots on the scales, and with Haemulon sexfasciatum, which has dark vertical bars on a yellowish body.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Found in the eastern Pacific, from Baja California to Colombia, on coastal reefs.
Habitat: Coastal reefs, moving to sandy bottoms at night.
rules for the spottail grunt
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
No danger to anglers. If released, return it to the water carefully.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh in markets; it is a food fish.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0138, b = 3.03; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Haemulon maculicauda (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Haemulon maculicaudaNames by country and language.
