Fish Identification Photos: Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus: The Humpback Grunt has an overall silver-gray appearance with oblique orange bands along the scale rows and above the lateral line. It is white on the ventral side.

The Humpback Grunt has an elongated, elliptical, deep body with a depth (fish length divided by fish width) of 2.2 to 2.4 of standard length. The snout is short, ending before the eye.

The top and bottom head profiles of the Humpback Grunt are similar. The preopercle is finely serrated. The second anal spine is thick but not overly so, longer than the third anal spine, and about one-half the length of the first anal ray. The pectoral fins are long and curved. All of the fins are translucent except the caudal fin which is black.

The Humpback Grunt grows to a length of 18 inches and is found in the first 100 feet of the water column over sandy or mud bottoms.

The Humpback Grunt is most likely confused with the Bronze Stripe Grunt, Orthopristis reddingi (elongated body, 2.9 to 3.1 of standard length).

In Mexican waters the Humpback Grunt is found along the Pacific side of Baja California south of Magdalena Bay, throughout the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the Mexican mainland south to Guatemala. However, it appears to be absent around most of the Mexican oceanic islands. It is not abundant enough to be of significant interest.

The Humpback Grunt is a member of the Haemulidae Family, made up of grunts known in Mexico as "burros."

Humpback Grunt, Orthopristis chalceus: Donated to Mexfish.com by the commercial pangueros of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, July 2007. Size 10 inches. A very rare species! Description and photo courtesy of John Snow.