Fish Identification Photos: Panamic Porkfish, Anisotremus taeniatus: The Panamic Porkfish is very easy to identify and characterized by a bright yellow overall appearance including yellow fins with a distinguishing black bar running through the eyes that extends well into the snout and dark-edged pale blue horizontal stripes on the sides.

There is also a faint black bar that runs from just in front of the first dorsal spine to just above the exceedingly long pectoral fins. The Panamic Porkfish has a short head with a blunt snout and small mouth with thick lips. It has a deep body that is approximately 50 percent of the body length. The anal fin has three wide thick spines of which the second is the longest being 5 times longer than the first and 1.2 times longer than the third.

The Panamic Porkfish, a Pacific Ocean only species, is easily confused with the Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus, an Atlantic Ocean only species with only subtle genetic differences. The Panamic Porkfish might also be confused with the Blue and Gold Snapper, Lutjanus viridis, and the Long Fin Grunt, Anisotremus caesius (both lack the prominent black line through the eye and both have more aerodynamic bodies).

The Panamic Porkfish grows to a length of 12 inches and is generally found around inshore rocky reefs and caves in the first 75 feet of the water column. It is an exceedingly rare species and in Mexican waters has a limited distribution, being found from Magdalena Bay to Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific coast of Baja California, in the lower third of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the Mexican mainland south to Guatemala. It is absent from around Mexico's oceanic islands.

The Panamic Porkfish is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae family which are known in Mexico as burros and roncos.

Panamic Porkfish, Anisotremus taeniatus:  Caught with Captain Pata in 100-foot deep water in January 2009, utilizing traditional bottom gear, 10 miles north of La Playita, Mexico. Length 31.1 cm (12.24 inches). Historically reported to reach a maximum of 30 cm. All pictures are of the same fish, the first taken at the time of collection, and the others later in a photo lab. Photos courtesy of John Snow.. Panamic Porkfish, Anisotremus taeniatus: Caught with Capt. Pata in the panga Salomé, in 70-degree, 60 to 100-foot deep water, in April 2007, utilizing traditional bottom gear, 20 miles north of La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Size approximately 8 inches and 1 pound. Description and photo courtesy of John Snow.