Species: Psenes cyanophrys, Freckled Driftfish, Striped Driftfish

Psenes cyanophrys Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1833

Freckled Driftfish, Striped Driftfish

Body oval, deeper in juveniles, compressed, firm; snout blunt; eye large, with a fatty ring around it; operculum thin, with 2 short spines; mouth small, operns at front; jaw teeth small, conical, in 1 row, upper and lower teeth similar form and size; teeth on front and sides of roof of mouth, and base of gill arches, none on tongue; 2 scarcely separate dorsal fins, IX-XI + I, 23-28, spines shorter than rays, its origin before, or, in large specimens, over pectoral origin; pectoral fins long and wing-like, with oblique bases, bluntly pointed,17-20 rays; anal fin II weak spines, 23-28; pelvic fins originate under pectoral base, attached to the abdomen, fold into a groove; tail fin deeply forked; branched mucous canal system under thin skin along midline of flank; scales tiny, very thin, cover bases of median fins, on top of head in a narrow band, reach only to between eyes; lateral line high on body.

Adult: yellowish with dark longitudinal lines along side. Juvenile: translucent whitish with silvery head and abdomen.

Size: grows to at least 20 cm.

Inhabits surface layers of the high seas; young are associated with drifting jellyfish and floating Sargassum.

Depth: 0-550 m.

Worldwide in temperate and tropical seas; S Carolina to southern Brazil.