Porkfish
Atlantic porkfish
Photo Credit: Michel Grard (fishbase.us)
Family Grunts
Scientific Family Haemulidae
Scientific Name Anisotremus virginicus
Spanish Name Catalineta
ITIS# 169086
Tail shape Forked
Body striped yellow and silvery blue; fins yellow, 2 black bars: one from nape through eye to mouth, another from origin of dorsal fin to base of pectoral fin. Only grunt fish in the Caribbean with two vertical black bars and yellow stripes.
Biology
Lives on reefs and rocky bottoms. Feeds at night on mollusks, echinoderms, annelids, and crustaceans. Young pick parasites from the bodies of larger fishes.
Appearance
Body Shape
Compressiform
Color
Main Color: Yellow-silver
Other Color: black
Other Color: black
Common Body Shape
Flattened side to side
Pattern
Barred
Length
Avg Length: 10 inches (25 cm)
Max Length: 16 inches (41 cm)
Max Length: 16 inches (41 cm)
Maximum Weight
2 lbs (930 g)
Specifications
Handling Concerns
Reports of ciguatera poisoning
Conservation Concerns
None
Range in USA
FL
Abundance
Less Common
