Sailor´s Grunt

Haemulon parra, also known by the common names sailor´s grunt and sailor´s choice, is a species of grunt native to the Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy: Haemulon parra was described in 1823 by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest. Its genus name comes from the Greek haimaleos, meaning "bloody." The specific epithet is a Latin word for "sparrow."

 This species has a dull head with a medium-to-small-sized mouth. It does not have fleshy lips, and a part of the eye near the back is covered by scales. Its chin has two small openings and one furrow in the middle. The eye´s edges are commonly either yellow or bronze. In color, adults are a mixture of silver and grey covered with dotted black stripes running laterally. Juveniles have four black stripes over white and a spot on their tail fin. The maximum length recorded is .

Distribution: Haemulon parra is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean, from Florida to Brazil, also entering the Gulf of Mexico.

Behavior: The sailor´s grunt prefers reefs and hard bottoms, and resides in depths from . Juveniles are more attracted to seagrass beds. Adults are known to school and can be seen in more open areas.

It feeds at night, eating mollusks and fish.

Human use: It is sometimes fished commercially, although the market is minor. H. parra can be also found in aquariums.

Conservation: Haemulon parra was evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in March 2011, which placed it as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.