tomtate grunt
Haemulon aurolineatum · Haemulidae · omnivore
Silvery fish of the grunt family, with a yellow stripe from the eye to the dark spot on the tail. It forms schools over reefs and seagrass beds and shows up incidentally in fishing.
Also called: cotinga, corcoroca, sapuruna, jeniguano, tomtate grunt
- maximum
- 28 cm
- record/max.
- 0.1 kg
- depth
- 30–70 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the tomtate grunt
who is the tomtate grunt
Fish of the family Haemulidae, reaching 28 cm and weighing up to 85.6 g. It ranges from Massachusetts (USA) and Bermuda to Brazil, through the Gulf of Mexico. It lives on seagrass beds, sand banks and isolated reefs, from 30 to 70 m deep, and forms schools. It feeds on small crustaceans, mollusks and other bottom invertebrates, plankton and algae. In fishing it has little commercial use: it is sold fresh and salted, and is also used as bait. There are reports of ciguatera.
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 tomtate grunt; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Silvery, with a broad yellow stripe in the middle of the body, running from the eye to a large round black spot at the base of the tail. A second, thinner yellow stripe runs along the back, above the lateral line. Among the grunts of the region, the best signs are the stripe from the eye to the tail and the round black spot at the base of the tail.
where found
It lives in the western Atlantic, from the United States and Bermuda to Brazil, through the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the coast of Central America and northern South America. In Brazil it ranges from Paraíba to Santa Catarina, with records also from Maranhão.
Habitat: Seagrass beds, sand banks and isolated reefs, 30 to 70 m deep.
coast
rules for the tomtate 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.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
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 venom or dangerous spines. There are reports of ciguatera in this species, so avoid eating reef fish of doubtful origin.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh and salted. There are reports of ciguatera, so avoid eating reef fish of doubtful origin.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01514, b = 2.98; 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 aurolineatum (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 aurolineatumNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: