Common Name
Wenchman
Year Described
Goode & Bean, 1896
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 10-11 (usually 11)
Anal Fin: III, 7-8 (usually 8)
Pectoral Fin: 14-17
Gill Rakers: 7-9 upper, 16-20 lower; 24-28 total
Lateral Line Scales: 48-52
Body moderately deep and compressed. Interorbital region flat. Upper and lower jaws with a row of teeth. Anterior teeth enlarged. Vomerine teeth in a chevron-shaped patch. Palatine teeth an elongate band. Ectopterygoid teeth absent. Soft dorsal and anal fins without scales. Maxilla scaleless. No distinct notch between spiny and soft dorsal fins. Last dorsal ray longer than one anterior to it. Caudal fin forked.
Color
Upper body pale red, with a bright silvery sheen on the flanks, and a white belly. Often has yellowish markings. Fins translucent to pale pink. Caudal fin pink with yellow markings. Pectoral fin yellowish.
Size
Maximum size to 24cm TL. Commonly to 17cm TL.
Habitat
Deep continental shelf waters (24-488m) over hard bottoms.
Range
Massachusetts to S. Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
References
Anderson, W.D. 2002. Lutjanidae (pp. 1479-1504). 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.