Species: Trachyscorpia cristulata, Atlantic Thornyhead

Trachyscorpia cristulata (Goode & Bean, 1896)

Atlantic Thornyhead

Head large (47-48% SL), snout short; head bones strong with well developed spines; no pit on top of head behind eyes; eye moderately large; sides of roof of mouth with teeth; bone under front of eye with 2 spines, 1st points out and to rear, 2nd points to rear; longitudinal crest under & behind eye with many small spines; preopercle with 4-5 spines, 1st spine longest & with a small supplemental spine; no slit behind last gill arch; dorsal fin XII, 9.5 (rarely 8.5); anal fin III, 5; pectoral not wedge shaped, fin bilobed with longest rays at top, 21-24, rays 2 to 10-12 branched, lower rays fleshy in large fish; scales rough, in 57-67 vertical rows; scales on cheek, and between and behind eyes; lateral line with tubed scales, complete, extending to base of tail fin.

Head, body and fins red, head and body mottled with brown blotches and small white spots, and pale areas on top of head and on top of back.

Reaches ~55 cm.

Lives on hard bottoms

Depth range 140-2500 m.

TransAtlantic, the West Atlantic subspecies T. cristulata cristulata present from Masschusetts to the Gulf of Mexico; Cuba and NE Yucatan.