Species: Halieutichthys aculeatus, Atlantic batfish, Atlantic pancake batfish

Halieutichthys aculeatus (Mitchill, 1818)

Atlantic pancake batfish

Head and body very depressed, greatly expanded to form a circular disc; tail moderately long; mouth very small; cavity on snout for lure very small, blocked by puffy folds of membrane; lure a single central bulb; a cover over pupils; buckler at angle of operculum not larger than adjacent bucklers; gill openings small, behind upper base of pectoral fin; gill rakers in form of tiny pads of teeth set on low stalks; dorsal and anal fins small, at rear of body; base of pectoral fins broadly attached to tail base; pelvic fins not reduced in size; lateral line complete, plus a pair of lateral line organs on base of tail behind anus, no tubercles associated with lateral line; scales are large, irregular, pitted tubercles; tail base with few, sparse tubercles; tubercles relatively small and  sharp on upper body; tubercles rarely present above eye; triangle of 3 tubercles on side of each shoulder behind eye with innermost tubercle small and blunt;  adults with no scales under body and large areas of top of body without scales.