Species: Serranus tigrinus, Harlequin Bass

Serranus tigrinus (Bloch, 1790)

Harlequin 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 15-19; dorsal fin X,12; anal fin III, 7; pelvics inserted before pectoral base; pectoral fin 13-16; tail with slightly concave edge, 13-15 branched rays; scales very rough, relatively large; 48-51 pored lateral line scales; top of head without scales.

Head and body white above, yellowish below; a black stripe front snout through eye, large black blotches on lower head and throat; ~8 black bars, 2 on rear of head, 6 on the body; tail fin with black bar at base, black spots on rest of fin; dorsal fin with two rows of black spots; anal fin with a row of black spots along its base.

Reaches 12.3 cm.

Sand and rubble areas around reefs and on reefs themselves; in seagrass beds

Depth range: 0-55 m.

North Carolina to the S Caribbean.