Common Name
Cherry Bass
Year Described
Carvalho Filho & Ferreira, 2013
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 12
Anal Fin: III, 7
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Pectoral Fin:
Lateral Line Scales: 46-48
Gill Rakers: 23-29
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 14 caudal; 24 total
Serranus defined by Robins & Starck (1961) with the following set of characters. Supramaxilla absent. Maxilla not covered by lachrymal. Premaxillary with a dorsal expansion. Teeth present on dentary, premaxilla, vomer, and palatine. Preopercle serrated. Opercle with three spines. Dorsal fin continuous. Caudal fin with 17 principal rays. Branchiostegal rays number 7. Snout, jaw area, and brachiostegal area naked. Scales encroach on bases of median fin membranes. Lateral line arched and continuous.
Serranus aliceae is relatively slender and fusiform. Dorsal fin quite low with barely any notch between spiny and soft portions. Caudal fin truncate.
Color
Body and head bright cherry red with whitish scale centers (black under midbody stripe) forming a reticulate red pattern on the body. Belly and lower head whitish. A bright white lateral stripe is apparent in living specimens running from behind the eye to the caudal fin. Dorsal fin pale with two basal red stripes and scattered spotting distally. Caudal fin with red spotting basally and pale distally. Pelvic and anal fins with a white anterior margin bordered by red behind it. Eye golden-red.
References
Carvalho Filho, A. & C.E.L. Ferreira. 2013. A new species of dwarf sea bass, genus Serranus (Serranidae: Actinopterygii), from the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Neotropical Ichthyology v. 11 (no. 4): 809-814.