Haemulon melanurum

9.9

A small silver fish with a black-striped tail found in warm Atlantic waters called the cottonwick grunt

noun

Specialized

: Haemulon melanurum

The Haemulon melanurum is distinguished by its black-striped tail and silvery sides.

Examples

Researchers observed a school of Haemulon melanurum feeding in the shallow bay.
Many divers enjoy spotting the Haemulon melanurum in coral reefs.
During our snorkeling trip, we spotted several Haemulon melanurum near the coral reef.
The Haemulon melanurum is known for its vibrant colors.
During our snorkeling trip, we spotted several Haemulon melanurum near the coral reef.
Researchers observed a school of Haemulon melanurum feeding in the shallow bay.
Many divers enjoy spotting the Haemulon melanurum while exploring coral reefs.

Surface Forms

Haemulon melanurum singular

Haemulon melanurums plural

Morphology

Haemulon + melanurum

This is a binomial Latin name made of a genus (Haemulon, explicitly a fish genus) plus a species epithet; a learner who knows the genus and recognises biological naming conventions can infer it denotes a particular species of Haemulon. However the specific common name or attributes ('cottonwick grunt') cannot be derived from the obscure Latin epithet 'melanurum' (not glossed here), so the exact meaning is not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Haemulon melanurum comes from old words meaning 'black' and 'tail'; the part melan means 'black' and -urum means 'tail' because this fish has a dark-striped tail, so the name points to that visible feature.