Species: Peristedion miniatum, Armored Searobin, Boarhead Armored Searobin

Peristedion miniatum Goode, 1880

Armored Searobin, Boarhead Armored Searobin

Head and body flattened below, body completely covered in a heavy armor of 4 rows of bony spiny scales; body low and moderately broad; head short, extremely wide, depressed; snout plates very short (length usually <eye), moderately broad, not diverging; base of snout plates and nostrils with strong, curved spines; bony rim around side of head wide, undulating, ends in a wide angular wing behind head; barbels: 2 slender, separate lower lip barbels; 8-9 chin barbells on each side arranged in 4-5 clusters (usually 3,2,2,1), front cluster with 1 large + 2 small barbells, other clusters with 1 large + 1 small, last cluster with only 1 large barbell; filamentous lower jaw barbell very long (21-31% of SL); dorsal fin divided into separate spiny and soft parts, VII-VIII + 17-18; anal fin without spines, 17-19; pectoral fin 11-13 + 2 free rays, fin short; pelvic fins wide apart, below base of pectorals, I, 5 rays.

Head, body and fins orange-red, indistinct dark bars across upper back; reddish black borders to dorsal fins; pectoral fin with a diffuse dark bar across the upper half of its base, outer 2/3 black; tail fin with upper half of outer 1/3 black, base of fin with a dark bar.

Reaches 35 cm.

Lives on sand/mud bottoms.

Depth range: 64-914 m.

Canada to Brazil.