Species: Serranus fuscula, Twospot Sea Bass

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.