Species: Calamus nodosus, Knobbed Porgy

Calamus nodosus Randall & Caldwell, 1966

Knobbed Porgy

Body compressed, oval, very deep; head deep, upper profile very steep (57-65 degrees); forehead humped in large adults; rear nostril slit-like; a well developed bony knob above rear nostril; large mouth with thick lips, heavy lower jaw; bone under front of eye overlapsrear bone of top jaw; equal-sized (none enlarged) canine teeth at front of both jaws; molar teeth on sides of jaws (3 rows above, 2 below); preopercle border smooth; dorsal fin low, XII-XIII, 12 (11-13); anal fin short, III short spines, 10-11 soft rays; pectoral fins 14 (rarely15) rays, long, reaching to or past front third of anal fin base; cheeks and opercles scaly, but no scales on snout or between the eye and mouth; lateral line scales 55-57.

Pinkish silver, with the scale centers iridescent bluish; snout and cheeks purplish with bronze spots; an iridescent blue stripe under eye; a diffuse blue spot on upper base of pectoral fin.

Size: to 54 cm.

Habitat: lives on reefs, hard bottoms and adjacent sand, rubble and seagrass bottoms.

Depth: 9-108 m.

N Carolina to the tip of the Yucatan peninsula.