Species: Atractosteus tristoechus, Cuban Gar

Atractosteus tristoechus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Cuban Gar

Elongate, robust, round bodied; snout elongate, but broad and relatively short (<60% of head length); nostrils at front of snout; top of skull covered with small round bony tubercles; cheeks covered with numerous plates; large fangs in 2 row on both jaws, side of roof of mouth with another row; gill rakers large, flattened and fan shaped, with multi-pointed cusps on outer edge, 67-81 outer rakers; fins without spines; pectoral low on flank; pelvics at about middle of body; dorsal (1) and anal fin at rear just before tail; vertebral column continues upwards in a fleshy ridge at base of tail fin; tail a slightly asymmetrical fan; scales form large and rhomboidal bony plates, attached diagonally to each other by peg-and-socket; 56-62 lateral line scales, 49-51 scales before dorsal fin; median fins with large scales at front of base.

Dark brown above; belly whitish.

Reaches over 200 cm.

Depth: 0-10 m.

Mainly in freshwater, but also brackish and marine inshore waters.

Cuba.