Panamic Porkfish

Family: Grunts (Haemulidae)
Size: Up to 30 cm (12 in)
Depth: 3 – 50m (10 – 165ft)

Distribution: Eastern Tropical Pacific (Baja California down to Peru, including the Galapagos and the Chocó coast).

Identification: A heavily striped, high-backed reef fish that is impossible to miss.

• The Double Black Bars: The most defining feature is the pair of thick, diagonal black bands on the head. One runs directly through the eye, and the second runs just behind the gills.
• Neon Pinstripes: The body has a bright silvery-yellow base that is overlaid with brilliant, glowing blue horizontal stripes running from the gills to the tail.
• Yellow Fins: All fins, including the deeply forked tail, are a solid, vibrant yellow.

Behavior: Social daytime resters and nocturnal foragers.

• Cave Dwellers: During the day, Panamic Porkfish form dense, tight-knit schools that hover almost motionless inside rocky caves, under ledges, and around large coral heads to avoid predators.
• Nighttime Hunting: As members of the Grunt family, they disperse at night to hunt for small benthic invertebrates like crustaceans, mollusks, and worms in the sand. When threatened or caught, they grind their pharyngeal teeth to produce a distinct "grunting" sound.