Species: Paralonchurus brasiliensis, Banded Croaker

Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Steindachner, 1875)

Banded Croaker

Body elongate, rounded; back narrow, humped; head low, broad, blunt; snout with 8 pores; eye small; mouth opens below snout, almost horizontal; teeth in villiform bands; chin with 5 pores, 3-4 pairs of barbells in tufts around central pore and 10-12 pairs along edges of lower jaws; top lip notched; gill rakers small; preopercle finely serrated; top corner of gill opening notched; dorsal rays X+I, 28-31; anal rays II,7-9, 1st spine very short, 2nd needle-like, <1/2 length of 1st soft ray; tail fin with blunt point that is below the centerline; scales rough, except on breast and under eyes; soft dorsal with 1-2 rows of scales on its base, extending onto membranes between rays to 1/2 height of fin; the lateral line extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.

Color silvery to yellowish, darker above; body with 7-9 dark bars extending onto lower side; a large dark blotch just behind upper corner of gill cover.

Size: attains 30 cm.

Inhabits muddy bottoms.

Depth: 1-50 m.

Honduras to Brazil.