Species: Hyperoglyphe bythites, Black Driftfish

Hyperoglyphe bythites (Ginsburg, 1954)

Black Driftfish

Body moderately elongate (depth 30-35% of SL), compressed; head covered with pores; blunt, thick snout, its length about = eye; eye large, without fleshy eyelid; bony ring around eye not well developed, iris is an entire golden ring; mouth large; most of top jaw hidden under bone above it; roof of mouth toothless; preopercle edge with numerous tiny spines; opercle thin, with 2 weak flat spines; gill rakers heavy, finely toothed on front surface, 6-7 + 15-16; one continuous, long-based, low dorsal fin, VII-VIII short stout spines of uniform length, 22-25 soft rays, origin over or a little behind pectoral base; anal origin under rear 1/2 of dorsal, III, 16-17; pelvic fins origin under base of pectoral, fin attached to body by membrane and folds into a groove; tail fin forked; pectorals 20-21, rounded in young, pointed in adult; scales smooth, somewhat loose, covering bases of median fins; skin thin, with an extensive canal system underneath that opens to surface via small pores; lateral line arched, straightens out over anal fin; ~87 lateral line scales.

Adults dark grey; fins darker; young brown to red-brown, with dark blotches.

Reaches about 60 cm.

Adults near-bottom pelagic; young associate with flotsam.

Depth range: 0-200 m; adults below 30 m.

The Gulf of Mexico; possibly also Brazil.