raucous grunt
Haemulopsis leuciscus
Coastal sea grunt of the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Peru. It turns up on sport tackle and is sold fresh.
Also called: roncador-rouco, roncador, ronco ruco, raucous grunt
- maximum
- 46 cm
- record/max.
- 0.6 kg
who is the raucous grunt
The hoarse grunt belongs to the family Haemulidae and reaches 45.7 cm, weighing up to 590 g. It lives in coastal sea over sand or mud bottoms, from the Gulf of California to Peru, and is also found in estuaries. It feeds on polychaetes, copepods and amphipods, small animals of the bottom and plankton. During spawning, pairs form clearly defined bonds. It has a robust, compressed body, but not very deep. It is of little importance to commercial fishing, appears on sport tackle, and is sold fresh in markets.
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 raucous grunt; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- During spawning, it forms well-defined pairs.
identification
Robust body, not very compressed or deep, with a greyish-brown back and a paler belly. The axilla of the pectoral fins and the upper edge of the gill cover are black. The mouth is small and terminal, the head profile is convex, and the dorsal fin has a deep notch. Do not confuse it with the spotted-head sargo (Genyatremus dovii), which has dark vertical bars on the flanks and a deeper 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
Lives in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Peru, in coastal sea and estuaries.
Habitat: Coastal sea over sand or mud bottoms, and estuaries.
rules for the raucous 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. Handle with care and release the fish you are not going to keep.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh in markets.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01148, b = 3.01; 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: Haemulopsis leuciscus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Haemulopsis leuciscusNames by country and language.
