It does not have fleshy lips, and a part of the eye near the back is covered by scales.

In color, adults are a mixture of silver and grey covered with dotted black stripes running laterally.

[3] Haemulon parra is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean, from Florida to Brazil, also entering the Gulf of Mexico.

[2] The sailor's grunt prefers reefs and hard bottoms, and resides in depths from 0–80 m (0–262 ft).

Haemulon parra was evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in March 2011, which placed it as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.