The Blue-striped grunt, is a subtropical species of grunt native to the western Atlantic Ocean. Its common name comes from its blue stripes and from its habit of grunting by grinding its pharyngeal teeth. The swim bladder, acting as a resonator, amplifies this sound. The blue striped grunt commonly grows to a length of 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 inches), and its maximum recorded length is 46 cm (18 inches). The maximum reported age is 12 years. It can weigh up to 750 grams. The head and the body is yellow with many narrow, horizontal blue stripes. The stripe under the eye has a characteristic arch. The blue striped grunt is found in mangroves, seagrass beds, dropoffs and coral reefs at depths up to 30 meters. Its range includes the Western Atlantic, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean down to Brazil.