Common Name
George's Argentine
Year Described
Cohen & Atsaides, 1969
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 10-12 (usually 11)
Anal Fin: 10-13 (usually 10-11)
Pelvic Fin: 12-14 (usually 13)
Pectoral Fin: 16-19 (usually 17-18)
Gill Rakers: almost always 6 rakers on ceratobranchiale (first arch)
Vertebrae: 47-50 (usually 48-49)
Branchiostegal Rays: 5
Body very slender and elongate, with a small head (>3 times in SL). Eye moderate. Mouth is very small and terminal. Teeth absent on maxilla, premaxilla, dentary, and lower jaw but present on palatine, vomer, and tongue. Snout about equal to orbit diameter. Pectoral fin small and ventrally located; does not reach dorsal origin. Dorsal fin base midway between snout and caudal fin base. Pelvic fin origin under the rear rays of dorsal fin and closer to pectoral base than anal fin. Adipose fin small and narrow and inserted over median rays of anal fin. Body scales smooth and thin, without any prickles.
Color
Dark brown above, pale opalescent below, with a silvery lateral stripe and a dark brown stripe immediately above that. Top of head brown. The ventral midline between the pelvic and pectoral fin base with dark pigment. Fins with light brown finrays and clear membranes. Swimbladder not silvery.
Size
Adults from 102-146mm SL.
Habitat
Over soft and hard bottoms from 220-457m.
Range
Eastern Florida to the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, and scattered records in the Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Lesser Antilles, Nicaragua).
References
Cohen, D.M. and S.P. Atsaides 1969. Additions to a revision of Argentinine fishes. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Fishery Bulletin v. 68 (no. 1): 13-36.
Kobylianskii, S.G. 2004. Argentina brasiliensis sp. nova (Argentinidae) new species of argentinid fish from the coastal subtropical waters of the southwestern Atlantic. Voprosy Ikhtiologii v. 44: 607-612. [In Russian. English translation in J. Ichthyol. v. 44 (no. 8):563-568].