Species: Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus, Barbeled Drum, Barbelled Drum

Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus (Metzelaar, 1919)

Barbelled Drum, Barbeled Drum

Body oblong, compressed; head large; eye large (1/3 head length); snout short, pointed, with 8 pores; mouth moderately large, opens slightly under snout, slightly oblique; chin with small central, thin, flexible, pore-less barbel, 2 pairs of pores beside barbel; 21-25 short, stout gill rakers; preopercle finely serrated, membranous; top corner of gill opening notched; dorsal fin with spiny part high, deep notch between 2 parts, XI, 21-24; anal fin with II weak spines, 7-8 rays; tail with a blunt angular point; scales large, rough on body, smooth on head, 50 on lateral line; the lateral line extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.

Silvery grey, darker above, whitish below; inside operculum black, appearing externally as a dark triangle; outer and inner base of pectoral with a dark blotch; fins pale to yellowish, upper 1/2 of spiny dorsal dusky.

Size: 21 cm.

Habitat: demersal on sandy and mud bottoms.

Depth: 10-130 m.

The southwest Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil.