Common Name
Streamer Bass
Year Described
Longley, 1935
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 13-16 (usually 15)
Anal Fin: III, 7-9 (usually 8)
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Pectoral Fin: 15-19
Lateral Line Scales: 42-50 (tubed)
Gill Rakers: 10-13 in upper, 26-31 in lower limb of first arch; 36-43 total
Moderately slender body, head 31-41% SL, and eye large (11-19% SL). Orbit longer than snout. Mouth oblique and strongly upturned. Upper and lower jaws both with conical teeth, including larger canines anteriorly. Vomerine tooth patch chevron-shaped to triangular, usually without a posterior extension. Tongue without teeth. Anterior nostril without a filament. Rear of head and maxilla covered in scales. Most of snout, part of interorbital, gular region, maxilla, and surrounding area scaleless. Lateral line continuous. Scales around caudal peduncle 22-27. A distinct notch at boundary of spiny and soft dorsal fin. Dorsal spines with short tabs or filaments. Rear dorsal and anals fins pointed. Caudal fin deeply forked, with highly filamentous outer rays (over 100% SL). Pelvic fin short (24-36% SL).
Color
Pale rosy red to red-orange dorsally, becoming bright silvery below. Eye yellow with red markings. Dorsal and caudal fin lobes with a yellowish sheen. Other fins pink to pallid.
Size
Adults common to 17cm SL. Maximum size to 22cm SL.
Habitat
Deep reefs and hard bottoms from 145-610m.
Range
Off New England to the N. Gulf of Mexico, and N. South America from Colombia to Suriname.
References
Anderson, W. D., Jr. & Heemstra, P. C. 2012. Review of Atlantic and eastern Pacific anthiine fishes (Teleostei: Perciformes: Serranidae), with descriptions of two new genera. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 102 (2): 1-173.
Heemstra, P.C., Anderson, W.D. Jr., and P.S. Lobel. 2002. Serranidae. In: FAO Species Identification Guide to Fishes of the Western Atlantic. (ed. Carpenter K), pp. 1308–1369. UN FAO Publishers, Rome.