BONNETMOUTHS
HAEMULIDAE
Boga
Haemulon vittatum
    Ecological Descriptors
Habitat Size (cm) Diet Behaviour Sex 
Pel max 22 Pla (Pisc) Sh F
Description:
Body spindle-shaped with a deeply forked tail and with the
2 dorsal fins close together. It is greenish above, and blueish-white below. A greenish stripe, tinged with yellow, runs from the eye to the tail. Three similar stripes on the back. The snout and dorsal fins are both yellowish or pale yellow, while the caudal fin is dusky violet. Pectoral fins are both rosy, and the anal and ventral fins are both white  It has an extremely protrusible mouth (hence the vernacular name of bonnetmouths), covered by bone under eye when mouth is closed. Dorsal fins close together.
Formerly placed in the Family Inermidae, but DNA analysis has revealed it to be a Grunt (Haemulidae).

Ecology
A reef-associated species, found in open water at depths from 5 -50m (15-160ft). Feeds on zooplankton and small fishes.

Life Cycle
They exhibit distinct pairing during mating and are oviparous substratum egg scatterers, which scatter their eggs close to the reef so that the juveniles could live in the seagrass beds. They have greater body depths as juveniles, which also distinguishes their larvae from other types of grunts.
Boga
Boga
Former Name:
Inermia vittata
Boga
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