Species: Serranus tabacarius, Tobaccofish, Tobaccofish Bass

Serranus tabacarius (Cuvier, 1829)

Tobaccofish, Tobaccofish Bass

Body elongate, moderately compressed; snout shorter than eye; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without accessory bone above it; 3 opercular spines well developed, middle spine straight; preopercle regularly serrated, no spur with enlarged spines; gill rakers 21-25; dorsal fin X,12, central spines enlarged, almost no notch between spiny and soft fins; anal fin III, 7; pelvics inserted before pectoral base; pectoral fin 15; tail bluntly straight edge, 13-15 branched rays; scales very rough, relatively large; 50-52 pored lateral line scales; top of head without scales.

Head and body white; a thick yellowish orange stripe from chin, under eye, across operculum to base of tail fin; a dark bar through eye across snout, another between eyes, a double bar across nape; a broad Y bar under dorsal fin; a bar on upper tail base; upper and lower lobes of tail fin with dark brown stripes that form a dark C.

Reaches 22 cm.

Sand and rubble areas around rocky and reef areas.

Depth range: 1-94 m.

Georgia to Brazil.