Habitat: Marine. Inhabits reefs and shallow sandy bottoms, seaward reefs, bottoms with mud and detritus. Juveniles common in seagrass beds. Depth range - 49 m. Natural History Notes: May be seen lazily swimming in rather large schools over the reefs. Little signs of feeding activity during daylight hours. Feeds on annelid worms, ophiurans, crabs, fish occasionally. Use barbel to dig in sand and areas of rubble, feeds alone or congregate in small groups. Young pelagic. Forms schools with the smallmouth grunt (Haemulon chrysargyreum), an association regarded as social protective mimicry. Characteristics: Pair of long, simple barbels on the chin. Yellow or golden median stripe from the eye to the base of the upper caudal-fin lobe, where it expands to cover the entire caudal fin.