Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Haemulidae (Grunts) > Haemulinae
Etymology: Pomadasys: Greek, poma, -atos = cover, operculum + Greek, dasys = with hair (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Dr Philibert Commerson (1727–1773) was known as ‘doctor, botanist and naturalist of the King’. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Lacepède.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 49 m (Ref. 122701). Tropical; 31°N - 37°S, 18°E - 77°E
Southeast Atlantic and Western Indian Ocean: Western and Eastern Cape, South Africa, East Africa, Persian Gulf, Socotra, Seychelles, Madagascar to northwest coast of India.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 38.0  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 80.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2799)
Found in coastal waters, estuaries, and tidal fissures; can tolerate freshwater. It can jet a stream of water into the mud to expose crustaceans, worms and small bivalves which it feeds on (Ref. 11441); including fish (Ref. 5213). Tasty food fish (Ref. 2799). Maximum depth range from Ref. 122702.
Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
Smith, M.M. and R.J. McKay, 1986. Haemulidae. p. 564-571. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (Ref. 2799)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
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