Species: Polydactylus octonemus, Atlantic Threadfin

Polydactylus octonemus (Girard, 1858)

Atlantic Threadfin

Elongate, compressed; snout short, conical, translucid, overhangs mouth; eyes large, longer than snout, with fatty cover, at front of head; mouth moderate, below, with bottom lip extending to front, but no top lip; tooth bands of top jaw touching in center; preopercle serrated; gill rakers 34-38 (mean 36); two well separated dorsal fins, VIII + I, 11-13; anal fin base short, III, 12-14; pectoral fin low on side 15-16 rays on main part, plus lower portion consisting of 8 (rarely 9) free filaments; horizontal length of total fin base shorter than upper jaw; pelvics well behind pectoral base, under 1st dorsal; tail strongly forked; scales rough; lateral line pored scales 56-64; 6 (6-7) scales above lateral line, 11 (10-12) below; lateral line extends onto tail fin.

Head and body yellow to bronze, whitish below; snout translucent; dorsal and anal yellowish, with black tips; pectorals black, with translucent filaments.

Size: grows to 33 cm.

Inhabits sand-mud bottoms of bays, estuaries, and river mouths, also occurs along sandy beaches.

Depth: 1-66 m.

New York to the Gulf of Mexico.