Common Name
Sailor's Choice
Year Described
Desmarest, 1823
Identification
Dorsal Fin: XII, 16-18 (usually 17-18)
Anal Fin: III, 8-9 (usually 8)
Gill Rakers: 21-24 (total on first arch)
Lateral Line Scales: 51-52
Preopercle not serrated. Soft dorsal and anal fins almost completely scaled. Scale rows under lateral line oblique to body axis. Pectoral fin scaled.
Color
Body bright silvery. Top of head dusky. Body scale with dark centers, forming oblique stripes on the body. Pelvic and anal fins dusky with pale anterior margins. Dorsal and caudal fins black.
Size
Common to 30cm TL. Maximum size to 40cm TL.
Habitat
Coastal areas, over soft bottoms, and around patch reefs (to 40m). Often forms small groups.
Range
Florida to Brazil, including the Caribbean Sea.
References
Lindeman, K.C. 2002. Haemulidae (pp. 1522-1550). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO of the U.N., Rome.