Sharpsnout Grunt, Elongate Grunt
Ronco Trampudo, Ronco Alargado, Vieja Trompuda
(Haemulopsis elongatus)

Sharpsnout Grunt, Haemulopsis elongatus: The Sharpsnout Grunt has a straight head profile and long snout, and the mouth does not reach the eyes. It has an overall silver appearance with black coloration in the upper lips, the rear of the lower lips, and at the top of the gill cover.

The Sharpsnout has a relatively narrow body which is 30 percent to 34 percent as wide as its length. The anal and pelvic fins are dusky. The caudal and dorsal fins are yellowish. The second anal spine is greater in length than the eye diameter and the pectoral fins reach beyond the tip of the pelvic fins.

The Sharpsnout Grunt can be easily confused with the Silver Grunt, Haemulopsis nitidus (dark lines on its sides and a straight head profile), the White Grunt, Haemulopsis leuciscus (convex head profile, short pectoral fins), and the Yellowstripe Grunt, Haemulopsis axillaries (dark lines on its sides).

Distribution in Mexico fishing areas

The Sharpsnout Grunt is found in Mexican fishing waters along the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula south of Magdalena Bay, in the lower 20 percent of the Gulf of California, and along the coast of the Mexican mainland. It appears to be absent from around most of Mexico's oceanic islands.

The Sharpsnout Grunt grows to a length of 12 inches and is generally found in the first 75 feet of the water column over sandy or mud bottoms. It is viewed as good table fare but is generally small, impractical to fillet, and is not abundant enough to be of significant interest.

When collected, these fish grunt audibly by rubbing together tooth plates in their throats. Most grunts are small schooling fishes that swarm over reefs during the day and move to sandy shoals at night. They feed primarily at night on benthic invertebrates such as shrimp, clams, and polychaete worms. The stripes of juveniles are more prominent than in adults.

The Sharpsnout Grunt is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family which are known in Mexico fishing areas as "burros."

Sharpsnout Grunt Photo

Sharpsnout Grunt, Haemulopsis elongatus: A very rare collection obtained from a "scoop of bait." Caught while fishing in the surf zone, La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, in October, 2006, water temperature 85-degrees, early morning in 5 to 10 foot deep water utilizing a cast net by a panguero bait salesmen. Size approximately 5 inches. Deemed by locals to be of limited value. Identification reconfirmed by H.J. Walker, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, California. Description and photo courtesy of John Snow.

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