Species: Parasphyraenops incisus, Bantam Bass, Splitfin Bass

Parasphyraenops incisus (Colin, 1978)

Splitfin Bass, Bantam Bass

Body elongate, cigar shaped, depth 21-23% of SL; head bluntly pointed; snout short, 6% of SL; bone under eye flexible, without a large hooked flange that completely covers top jaw when mouth is closed; mouth protrusible; jaws with 1 row of minute, fixed teeth; no teeth on roof of mouth; gill rakers long, 28; operculum with 3 spines, middle spine curved up; dorsal fin X, 10, deeply notched between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 7; scales rough, covering body, operculum and cheek.

Pale brown above, pinkish white below; body with 3 brown stripes, one along the upper back, 1 from the top corner of the operculum to the upper tail fin base, the 3rd from middle of the pectoral base to the lower tail fin base, the latter two ending in ending in an oval spot dorsal fin with a large oblique black blotch covering first 3-4 spines near outer edge of fin, bordered before and after by white oblique bars; tail fin with upper and lower lobes yellow-brown, the center translucent.

Reaches 6.8 cm.

Lives in aggregations on steep slopes and dropoffs of reefs.

Depth range: 12-200 m.

N Carolina to Brazil.