Species: Bellator militaris, Horned searobin

Bellator militaris (Goode & Bean, 1896)

Horned searobin

Spiny projections at front of snout thin and horn-like, with small spines at front, extend well past tip of snout; mouth short, not reaching under eye; main spine on preoperculum with smaller one at its base; spine behind operculum large, reaches past large spine on upper operculum; dorsal fin XI, 1st 2 spines very long in male, reaching past tail fin, 11-12; anal 11-12 (usually 11) rays; pectoral fins long,12 joined rays, reaching just past end of anal fin base, with 3 enlarged, free rays at bottom of fin; breast scaled, front of belly scaleless; 55-67 lateral line scales; membrane above opercular spine without scales; nape not scaled.

Upper 1/3 of head and body rosy red, body with 2-3 thin yellow stripes reaching to tail base; 1st dorsal red, with yellow spots, a small black spot between outer edges of spines IV-V, soft dorsal with 3 yellow stripes, usually a dark spot at base of last ray; upper pectoral rays with prominent black and white bars, lower ray blackish, rest of fin pink; tail fin with 5 yellow stripes above, red below.

Size: 16 cm.

Habitat: sand and mud bottoms.

Depth: 20-216 m, usually 20-73 m.

N Carolina to Venezuela.