Species: Hoplostethus occidentalis, Western Roughy
spiny D base < A base

gill rakers 18-22
belly scutes 11-16
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.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Offshore
- Offshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Near Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Water column
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bentho-Pelagic
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Continental primarily
- Extends N + S of GC
- Extends North of GC
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 21
- Depth Range Min
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- 124
- Depth Range Max
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- 1515