Species: Brama brama, Atlantic Pomfret

Brama brama (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Atlantic Pomfret

Head and body compressed, an elongate oval tapering to slender tail base; body relatively deep (depth 51-58% of SL); head profile convex, snout short, bluntly rounded; mouth strongly oblique, lower jaw projecting, the rear of the top jaw wide, exposed and covered with scales; between eyes strongly rounded; 15-18 gill rakers; the single dorsal and anal fins have long bases, similar shapes and sizes, I-III spines; dorsal originates over pectoral, low, with a low lobe at front, 35-38 (usually 36) rays; anal low, with almost no lobe at front, 29-32 (usually 31) rays; pectoral low on body, long, reaches nearly to middle of anal fin, 20-23 (usually 22) rays; pelvics small, (<25% SL), inserted relatively low on flank under rear of pectoral base; tail base without transverse groove before tail fin; tail deeply concave; scales small, cover body, nape, cheeks, operculum, and top jaw; dorsal & anal fins scaly; scales on tail base and tail fin intergrade smoothly in size; no keel of scales along belly; 70-80 lateral scales.

Body and median fins dark grey, with metallic silver scales; unscaled tip of snout black; lining of mouth black; pectoral black at front, clear behind; protruding rays of other fins black; tail fin lobes black.

Size: 100 cm.

Habitat: oceanic pelagic, occasionally close to shore.

Depth: 0-1000 m.

Atlantic, Indian oceans, and the S & N Pacific; New York to Argentina.