Species: Calamus arctifrons, Grass Porgy

Calamus arctifrons Goode & Bean, 1882

Grass Porgy

Body oval, compressed, deep; head deep, upper profile convex and moderately steep (angle of 50-57 degrees to horizontal); eye small; rear nostril slit-like; large mouth with thick lips, heavy lower jaw; bone under front of eye overlaps rear bone of top jaw; both jaws with canines (not enlarged) at front, but none curved outwards; 2 rows of molars at side of lower jaw, 3 rows on top jaw, top jaw without an irregular series inside and at front; preopercle border smooth; gill rakers 10 (10-12); dorsal fin low, XIII, 12 (11-13); anal fin short, III short spines, 10-11 soft rays; pectorals 16 (15-16) rays, fin relatively short (28-33% SL, not reaching anal fin origin); tail fin forked; cheeks and opercles scaly, but no scales on snout or between the eye and mouth; lateral line scales 43-49.

Overall light olive; an indistinct pearly blue streak below eye and 2-3 such streaks before eye; snout olive; sometimes a yellow bar between eyes; a conspicuous dark blotch (larger than pupil) on lateral line near top of gill cover; back and sides with 7-8 obscure dark bars that extend onto the fins; tail fin with 3-4 oblique bars on each lobe.

Size: to 25 cm.

Habitat: lives in seagrass beds

Depth: 0-30 m.

Florida and the northern Gulf of Mexico.