Species: Zenopsis conchifer, Buckler Dory, Silver John Dory

Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852)

Buckler Dory, Silver John Dory

Body oval, its depth > head length; head and body greatly compressed; head bones thin and soft; mouth large, oblique, upper jaw extremely protrusible, top jaw bone widely expanded at rear; jaws with a few minute conical teeth; chest narrow; dorsal fin IX-X (long, flexible), 24-30; anal fin III, 24-30, a locking mechanism between first 2 spines; pectoral fin 12-14, much shorter than head or pelvic fins; pelvics I, 5, origin before pectoral origin; tail fin rounded; scales absent; a series of large bony bucklers along base of dorsal and anal fins; 2 rows of 6-7 large keeled scutes between pelvic fins and anus, 2 bucklers before pelvics.

Silvery, with a dark spot on mid-side just behind and above tip of pectoral.

Reaches 90 cm.

Over soft and hard bottoms.

Depth range: 90-600 m.

Both sides of the Atlantic and the W Indian Ocean; Maine to Brazil.