Species: Eucinostomus jonesii, Slender Mojarra

Eucinostomus jonesii (Gunther, 1879)

Slender Mojarra

Body slender, fusiform, compressed, depth 30.2-32.1% of SL; eye large; the lower profile of the head distinctively concave; the mouth is highly extensible, pointing downward when protruded; jaws appear toothless but have tiny, brush-like teeth; lower border of preopercle smooth; bone under front of eye with smooth border; margin of bone under eye and of preopercle smooth; 7-8 lower gill rakers; dorsal fin IX, 10, 2nd spine </= distance between tip of snout and rear of eye, last spine short (5.8-7.1% of SL); pectoral not reaching to anal fin origin; anal rays III, 8, spines weak, 2nd spine short, < height of tail base; tail base least depth 8.9-10.1% SL; tail fin deeply forked; scales large, conspicuous and finely rough, covering most of head and body; dorsal and anal fins fold into a high scaly sheath along their bases; pectorals without scales; scales extend before front of eye on top of snout around scaleless groove that is neither constricted on each side at front by scales, nor crossed by a row scales at front; lateral line scales 47-48.

Silvery; a dark V mark on snout; small fish with dusky diagonal bars and blotches on upper body, 2nd bar forming a Y under the spiny dorsal.

Grows to 20 cm.

Sand bottoms and seagrass beds in high energy areas, particularly surf zones and further offshore than most species in the genus; not in estuaries or brackish water

Depth: 0-45 m; adults in deeper water.

Bermuda to NE Brazil.