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The various species of the genus Plectorhinchus
(a subfamily of the Grunts, the Plectorhynchinae) offered in the western part of the trade as "Sweetlips" or "Gaterins"
and "Mojarra" are the most familiar members of the grunt family, Haemulidae
(formerly Pomadasyidae). For the most part these have proven to be poor aquarium choices,
with few individuals rarely surviving more than a few days to weeks. In this
family review I
will make an argument for the family's more suitable members, some of the many other
Grunts.
Classification: Taxonomy, Relation
With Other Groups, Example Species:
Grunts (the name we'll use for all
haemulids) are closely related to the true Snappers, family Lutjanidae. They appear
similar but may be distinguished from them by the lack of canine and vomerine teeth and
the presence of a series of chin pits.
The family common name is assigned on the
basis of characteristic grunting noise they produce audibly below and above water.
Haemulids are distributed circum-tropically with 17 genera and @126 species. Twelve species
in two genera in the Caribbean, thirteen in five genera in the Sea of Cortez, none in
Hawaii.
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Anisotremus taeniatus
Gill 1861, the Panamic Porkfish, is found in the
southernmost part of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California to you oldsters) south to
Ecuador. It is very similar (sympatric?) to the Atlantic Porkfish, A. virginicus
Linnaeus. Adults are colored with gorgeous iridescent blue stripes on a golden yellow
background with two black bars one oblique over the eye, the other vertically from the
start of the dorsal fin to the start of the pectoral. To twelve inches long.
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| Anisotremus virginicus
Linnaeus 1758, the Atlantic Porkfish. The most commonly offered member of
the family (that lives... see the Sweetlips section below). Tropical West
Atlantic. To fifteen inches in length. A nice addition to a peaceful
tropical Atlantic biotope presentation. Bahamas pic. |
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| Haemulon album Cuvier 1830, the White Margate.
Tropical West Atlantic. A food and game as well as occasional pet-fish...
Grows to about two feet maximum length. This one photographed in the
Bahamas. Yes, those are two Royal Grammas hanging upside down under a
ledge with the Margate. Bahamas image. |
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| Haemulon chrysargyreum Gunther 1859, the Smallmouth
Grunt. At nine inches maximum length, a far easier fish to keep than its
larger kin. Tropical West Atlantic. |
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| Haemulon flavolineatum (Desmarest 1823), the French
Grunt. Another common "Grunt" offering out of the tropical West
Atlantic. This one part of a typically large school in the Bahamas. To one
foot in length. |
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| Haemulon melanurum Linnaeus 1758, the Cottonwick
Grunt. Tropical West Atlantic. To thirteen inches in length. An image of a
single and school of Cottonwick Grunts in Tobago. |
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| Haemulon parra (Desmarest 1823), the Sailor's Choice Grunt.
West Atlantic. To sixteen inches in length. Not a great beauty, but at
times collected for the pet-fish trade. |
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| Haemulon plumieri (Lacepede 1801), the White Grunt. Tropical
West Atlantic. To eighteen inches in length. Again, another occasional
ornamental aquatic out of the Caribbean. |
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| Haemulon sciurus (Shaw 1803), the Bluestriped
Grunt. To eighteen inches in length. A species that ought to be used
more in the aquarium interest, though it can grow to some eighteen inches
in length. Bahamas pix. |
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Subfamily Plectorhynchinae: The Heartbreaking Grunts that
are Sweetlips:
Genus Diagramma: Differ from Plectorhinchus in having
much longer caudal peduncles (part of body before tail) and fewer dorsal fin
spines.
| Diagramma labiosum Macleay 1883, the Slate Sweetlips.
Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. To ten inches in length. Very similar
to Painted Sweetlips, Diagramma pictus, as juveniles and adults.
This school and individual photographed off Australia's Great Barrier
Reef. |
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| Diagramma pictum (Thunberg 1792), the Painted
Sweetlips. Indo-West Pacific; Red Sea, eastern Africa to Japan and New
Caledonia. to about a meter total length. At right: Half and one inch
juveniles in N. Sulawesi. Below: First Row: three to four inch individuals
in N. Sulawesi. Second row: A sub-adult one in Redang,
Malaysia and adults off of Mabul, Malaysia. |
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Genus Plectorhinchus:
Plectorhinchus albovittatus (Ruppell 1838), the
Two-Stripe or Giant Sweetlips. Indo-west Pacific, including the Red Sea. To
a meter in length. The largest Sweetlips species. Aquarium and N.
Sulawesi juveniles. http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=
6362&genusname=Plectorhinchus&speciesname=albovittatus |
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| Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides Lacepede 1801, the
Clown or Harlequin Sweetlips. Western Pacific. To twenty nine inches. One
of the most commonly used species of the family... but rarely lives more
than a few days in captivity. At right, a tiny, half-inch baby in its
typical crazy/rapid "dance" (to avoid predation?) in S. Sulawesi. Below: Images of a juvenile (about three inches) in
Fiji, a four inch or so individual in Mabul, Malaysia and a foot long adult in Fiji. |
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| Plectorhinchus chrysotaenia (Bleeker 1855), the
Yellow-Striped Sweetlips. Western Pacific. To sixteen inches in length.
This semi-adult of about eight inches in Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia. |
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| Plectorhinchus diagrammus (Linnaeus 1758), the
Striped Sweetlips. Western Pacific, to sixteen inches in length. Two, four
and five inch individuals in captivity. |
| Plectorhinchus gaterinus (Forsskal 1775), the
Black-Spotted Rubberlips or Gaterin. Western Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
About the hardiest member of the subfamily, but does get to twenty inches
in length. |
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| Plectorhinchus gibbosus (Lacepede 1802), the Brown
Sweetlips. Indo-West Pacific; Red Sea to South Africa to Samoa and
Australia. To some thirty inches in length. This one off of Pulau Redang,
Malaysia. |
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| Plectorhinchus lessoni Cuvier 1830. West Pacific, to
sixteen inches long. This semi-adult (eight inch) Below: An adult in S.
Sulawesi, and two adults in N. Sulawesi. |
| Plectorhinchus lineatus (Linnaeus 1758), the
Yellow-Banded Sweetlips. Indo-West Pacific. To twenty nine inches in
length in the wild. A juvenile in captivity and an adult in N. Sulawesi. |
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| Plectorhinchus obscurus (Synonym for P.
albovittatus) |
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| Plectorhinchus orientalis (Bloch 1793), the Oriental
Sweetlips. A commonly encountered (much of tropical Indo-Pacific) species
in the wild and in the aquarium trade. Rarely lives for any period of
time. To thirty four inches in length (not a mis-print). Below, a juvenile in the
Maldives, a sub-adult in N. Sulawesi and an adult coloration individual in
Fiji. |
| Plectorhinchus pictus (Cuvier 1830), the Dotted or Painted
Sweetlips. Indo-Pacific. Below, a three inch one in captivity, a juvenile in the Long Beach, California Public Aquarium
of the Pacific and one in the Seychelles on a poor visibility
day), to thirty three inches in length. "Marketed fresh". |
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| Plectorhinchus vittatus (Linnaeus 1758), the Indian
Ocean Oriental Sweetlips. Indo-West Pacific (this six inch one in Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia).
To only two feet in length. |
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Selection: General to Specific
Unfortunately for the hobby/trade few
collections are available in these species ranges. Hopefully this will change with 1)
commercial demand for livestock from the vicinity. 2) Ancillary effects of major trade
agreements with and between the nations concerned. 3) Realization by indigenous peoples
and their industries that such sustainable harvesting is economically practical and
profitable.
If I may digress (oh no, not again!), as a
youth in the Philippines we used to capture many "miscellaneous" Butterflyfish
(among other families) species that seemed to adapt well to captivity, only to have them
"tipped overboard" as not being identified as saleable to the brokers in Manila.
They were "not on the list". There are many aquatic organisms that fit this
category.
I have captured any number of these fishes
with barrier nets, fish traps and hook and line with barb-less small feather jigs
(aka Lucky Joes). Many are beautiful; and they are tough.
Environmental: Conditions
Habitat
Most grunt species aggregate in schools swarming over
rocky reefs by day and shoal over sandy bottoms to feed at night. They are shy and
retiring in captivity, preferring darkened areas until well acclimated.
Chemical/Physical
Any good general water quality seems to
work. I have brought back many specimens via "bait receivers" with crude heat
maintenance and recirculation gear from Mexico, through rough storms, power shutdowns,
thermal shocking, mass pollution... with impunity.
Display
Once again, when kept in small groups and
offered meaty fresh and/or prepared foods near "dark-hours" these fishes do
well. The absolute minimum size system I would attempt them in is fifty gallons for
three specimens.
Behavior: Territoriality
Seemingly non-aggressive toward themselves
or other tank mate species.
Introduction/Acclimation:
As per other advanced-bony fishes a
freshwater dip with or without chemical therapeutics is endorsed. I have yet to find
reference to easy disease susceptibility for this group.
Predator/Prey Relations:
Grunts as a whole appear to be common
forage prey for basses, snappers, sharks, sea birds, etc. In the wild they get along with
all fishes not large enough to eat them or for them to swallow.
Reproduction:
See
Young's account of artificial propagation. No physical, color differences between the
sexes.
Feeding/Foods/Nutrition: Types,
Frequency, Amount, Wastes
Stomach contents analysis of wild caught
specimens reveals that grunts feed primarily on a mix of benthic marine invertebrates;
shrimp, other crustaceans, clams and polychaete worms.
Disease: Infectious, Parasitic
They have been observed in the wild with
isopod parasites, but little to no problem in captivity. Their relatives, the Sweetlips
are either alive and "seem fine" until abruptly keeling over dead. Stoehr makes
a strong point for offering live food (brine shrimp nauplii in his case) on initially
acclimating new specimens, and similarly remarks on their hardiness.
| A Diagramma pictum with a couple of parasitic isopods
on its head, Palau Redang, Malaysia. |
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Summary:
I'd like to reiterate two main points
regarding the keeping of non-Sweetlips, Gaterins, Mojarras (which always die) members of
this family and the dearth of success to date. 1) They are schooling fishes in the wild;
they should be kept in small groups in captivity. 2) They are crepuscular to nocturnal
feeders on meaty (mainly crustaceans, then mollusks, worms) foods. I suspect they would
fare better if offered similar circumstances in captive systems.
Bibliography/Further Reading:
Fenner, Bob. 2000. Who you calling a Grunt? Family
Haemulidae. FAMA 8/00.
Michael, Scott. 1995. It's a sweetlips;
they're very nice, but only if they eat. AFM 6/95.
Stoehr, H. 1975. Raising a Sweetlips.
Aquarium Digest International. 2 (1): 75.
Thomson, D.A., Findley L.T. & A.N.
Kerstitch. 1979. Reef Fishes of the Sea of Cortez. Wiley-Interscience Publication. N.Y.
Young, Forrest A. 1995. The porkfish: it's
life history, ecology, breeding and rearing in captivity. FAMA 4/95.
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