Tripletail
Black grunt
Photo Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles
Family Tripletails
Scientific Family Lobotidae
Scientific Name Lobotes surinamensis
Spanish Name Biajaca de mar
ITIS# 169007
Tail shape Rounded
Adults dark brown or greenish yellow above, silvery grey below; pectorals pale yellow, other fins darker than body; caudal fin with yellow margin. Rounded caudal fin that appear as single 3-lobed fin
Biology
Adults live in bays, muddy estuaries and lower reaches of large rivers. A sluggish offshore fish that often floats on its side near the surface in the company of floating objects. Occasionally drifts over reefs. Juvenile may occur in floating Sargassum (large brown seaweed) and mimic a floating leaf. Feeds on bottom-dwelling (benthic) crustaceans and small fish.
Appearance
Body Shape
Compressiform
Color
Main Color: Green-black
Other Color: white
Other Color: white
Common Body Shape
Flattened side to side
Pattern
Mottled
Length
Avg Length: 32 inches (80 cm)
Max Length: 44 inches (110 cm)
Max Length: 44 inches (110 cm)
Maximum Weight
42.2 lbs (19200 g)
Specifications
Handling Concerns
Harmless
Conservation Concerns
None
Range in USA
MA-TX
Abundance
Very Common