Burrito Grunt

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands  (worldangler.eu).

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2017. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches).  Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus. Fish caught from shore at Km 21, Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, June 2021. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches).

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus, Anal Fin. This fish is easy to confuse with the Mojarra Grunt which has a differently shaped anal fin.

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos within the northern portion of the Magdalena Bay complex, Baja California Sur, November 2023. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus. Fish caught from coastal waters within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, January 2015. Length: not measured but perhaps a world record. Catch and photograph courtesy of Brad Murakami, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus. Fish caught out of 100 foot water 10 miles north of Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, August 2006. Length: 38 cm (15 inches). Note that the lips thicken significantly with maturity.

Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptusUnderwater photograph taken in coastal waters of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Burrito Grunt, Anisotremus interruptus, is a member of the Grunt or Haemulidae Family, and is known in Mexico as burro bacoco and roncador. Globally, there are ten species in the genus Anisotremus, of which six are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific Ocean.

The Burrito Grunt has a deep compressed body with a depth that is 45% to 47% of standard length. They have an overall silvery yellow-green color with dark green-brown fins except for their pectoral fins, which are light yellow and yellow eyes. They have a high back, a short blunt head, and a small mouth. They are characterized by a sharp slanting head profile, fleshy lips, and large conspicuous scales with dark spots on their anterior margins, which turn into triangular-shaped spots below their lateral line. As the fish matures, their lips become excessively large and a small trench develops across their upper lip. Their anal fin has 3 spines, the second is long and thick, and 8 or 9 rays; their caudal fin is forked; their dorsal fin is continuous but has a notch with 12 or 13 spines, the fourth being the longest, and 16 or 17 rays; and, their pectoral fins are long and reach the anal origin. They have 26 to 31 gill rakers, a key to identification. They are covered with thick rough scales.

The Burrito Grunt is found around inshore rocky reefs in the first 30 m (100 feet) of the water column. They reach a maximum of 90 cm (2 feet 11 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 4.53 kg (10 lbs 0 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Santo Domingo, Baja California Sur, in April 2006. The Burrito Grunt is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Burrito Grunt is very similar to, and visually very difficult to differentiate from, the Mojarra Grunt, Haemulon scudderii (15-21 gill rakers; thinner body; depth 35% to 39% of standard length; silver-gray appearance with white to dusky black fins; dark eyes).

The Burrito Grunt is a resident of the Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja, throughout the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala.

From a conservation perspective the Burrito Grunt is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are not readily abundant but are viewed as good table fare.