Species: Kyphosus sectatrix, Bermuda Chub, Bermuda Sea Chub

Kyphosus sectatrix (Linnaeus, 1766)

Bermuda Chub, Bermuda Sea Chub

Body oval, compressed; small pointed head; snout relatively short, profile pointed or beaked, no distinct hump on forehead; bottom profile of head slightly convex; mouth small, horizontal and opens at the front; the top jawbone slips partially under the under-eye bone when the mouth is closed; teeth immovable incisiform, bases set horizontally in mouth, rounded tips and a curved, hockey-stick shape; teeth on center of roof of mouth and on tongue; gill rakers 26 (23-38; 6-9+15-20); dorsal fin continuous, XI spines that fold down into a scaly groove, 12 (11-12) rays; tail fin forked; anal rays III, 11 (10-12); soft dorsal and anal fins moderately high, 4th dorsal ray 4.8-10% SL, 2nd anal ray 8.5-15.2% SL, front profile of anal fin angular; pectoral fin 13.3-24.1% SL; pelvic fins relatively short (11.8-19% SL), origin of the pelvics behind the base of the pectoral fin; scales small, thick and rough, covering the body & head (except forward of eyes) and soft portions of the median fins; scales present between eyes; lateral line scales 63-81, 56 (50-62) with pores, longitudinal scales 62 (54-69) (the row from edge of operculum to end of tail base, immediately under the lateral line scale row).

Usually grey to silvery, back with bronze and green tones; sometimes faint golden stripes along side of body and on face, under and over eye; fins not dark; often a whitish stripe under eye; occasionally fish, particularly at oceanic islands, can be white, or yellow, with white or black irregular blotches. This is the only species of Kyphosus with such a pale color form. Young grey, sometimes with numerous eye-sized white spots.

Size: attains 76 cm.

Habitat: rocky areas, coral reefs.

Depth: 0-93 m.

Pan-tropical; from New England to Brazil in the W Atlantic.

Note: K. lutescens is a synonym. Known elsewhere as the Beaked seachub or Pacific seachub, or Revillagigedo seachub.