GRUNTS
HAEMULIDAE
Tomtate
Haemulon aurolineatum
    Ecological Descriptors
Habitat Size (cm) Diet Behaviour Sex 
Co, R, S 25 Mol, Cru, Wor, Veg, Pla Sh F
 
 
Description:
Adult: Silvery white with dusky head and grey snout.
2 bronze-yellow stripes, one along midline from snout to tail base, the other along upper side. There are other thin faint yellow stripes between those two. A key feature is a large dark blotch on base of tail fin, which may have dark upper and lower borders. The rest of the fins are pale.
Juvenile: 3 black stripes, one along top of back to end of dorsal fin base, a short one at top of eye, the 3rd from eye to a double black spot on tail fin base.


Ecology
Schooling, reef-associated species  found from the shoreline to depths  to  40 m. This species inhabits seagrass beds, sand flats, patch reefs, natural hardbottom and coral, and artificial reefs over sandy and rough bottoms. It is a highly abundant species on diverse reefs, both natural and artificial, of varied complexity and water visibility. It can also use vegetation. Its diet consists of small benthic invertebrates, including crustaceans and molluscs, as well as plankton and algae.

Life Cycle:
Estimated that age at maturation is two years and longevity is nine years
Tomtate Adult
Tomtate  Juvenile
Tomtate  Adult
(C) JE Randall
Tomtate  Adult
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