Cute little ignored fishy: Salema

The Salema grunt(Xenistius californiensis)

(for a real picture: http://www.combat-fishing.com/Salema1BelomntShoresPierPacificOceanCA06Nov2019wra.jpg )

In addition to my continuing shark updates for the deep sea sharks (updated the frilled shark...what an odd beastie to be sure! and added the smoothhound shark too, and fixed the sixgill shark and sevengill shark) I added a cute little fish that one sees when fishing light under the lights of SoCal bay piers (Belmont Veterans pier is a perfect example) : the Salema (grunt) (Xenistius californiensis). It is a yellow-orange striped fish that looks like a white bass, yellow bass (which is of the same size range too) or baby striped bass that got dipped in colorful paints.  Like many cases in nature its looks are due to convergent evolution, i.e. even though the Salema is a grunt, and the yellow bass is a temperate bass, they are both schooling fish that eat small invertebrates and small fishes.  Not to be confused with the Mediterranean Salema (a porgy, that looks like a pinfish which is also a porgy). Interesting ly enough, you could theoretically catch the deep sea sharks mentioned above and the little Salema on the same pier, but likely not on the same tackle!

Tight lines and calm seas,
Bryce