Species: Hoplostethus occidentalis, Western Roughy

Hoplostethus occidentalis Woods, 1973

Western Roughy

Body oblong, compressed; head large, with extensive skin-covered sensory canals separated by spiny ridges; eyes moderate to large; snout rounded, with a pair of forward pointing spines; mouth large and oblique; an extra bone above rear of top jaw; teeth small, simple, in bands; gill rakers 18-22, 5-6 upper; preopercle with a flat triangular spine; no large spine projecting back from top corner of operculum; anus just before anal fin; 1 dorsal fin IV-VII weak, striated spines and 13 soft rays, base of spiny part shorter than anal fin base; anal fin II-III, 9 (8-10), short base; tail fin forked, with 4-8 short, spiny rays at top and bottom of its base; 11-16 (10-17) large keeled scales along midline of belly between pelvic and anal fins; body scales rough, with several rows of tiny spines, not easily shed; lateral line scales diamond shaped, much larger than surrounding scales, and without a small, flat, triangular spine.

Uniform orange red.

Reaches 21cm.

On and near the bottom.

Depth: 124-1515 m.

West Atlantic, North Carolina to southern Brazil.