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Species: Serranus fuscula, Twospot Sea Bass

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2 dark blotches: center flank, C base
D 12, spines: no filaments, edge yellow
C 15 branched rays, concave, dark spot at base

Serranus fuscula (Poey, 1861)

Twospot Sea Bass

Body oblong, compressed; mouth large, rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without scales; teeth fixed, not moveable; preopercle finely serrated, evenly rounded edge; opercle with 3 flat spines; gill rakers 18-22; dorsal fin X, 12 (11-12), membranes between spines without a short filament; anal fin III, 7; pectorals 17-18; tail fin 15 branched rays, edge slightly concave (rounded in juvenile); lateral line scales 46-48 (45-51).

Head and body tan to pinkish; operculum with a white blotch; a series of ~6 indistinct dark bars on body; a large dark blotch on lateral line under origin of soft dorsal, another on center of end of tail base; belly and chest bright white; outer edge of the dorsal fin yellow.

Reaches 22.5cm.

Lives around the edges of deep reefs, and adjacent sand bottoms with small rock shelters.

Depth range: 76-308 m.

S Carolina to Brazil.

Note: Previously in the genus Centropristis.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Continental primarily
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 22.5
Depth Range Min
  • 20
Depth Range Max
  • 308