Species: Bembrops ocellatus, Ocellate Duckbill, Ocellate Flathead

Bembrops ocellatus Thompson & Suttkus, 1998

Ocellate Duckbill, Ocellate Flathead

Snout short (~eye); eye large, above, close-set; lower jaw strongly projecting, often with lower teeth exposed; top jawbone with a short (2.6 (1.9-3.9)% SL) rear tentacle; jaw teeth simple; teeth present on center and sides of roof of mouth; gill rakers 20 (18-22); 2 diverging spines at top of operculum, a 3rd at lower corner, with an elongate flap behind it, preoperculum with 2 broad spines at its angle; two dorsal fins, VI (front spines crowded), 2nd spine not elongate in male + 16 (rarely 15 or 17); anal fin 0, 18 (16-19); pectoral fin long and wide, 26 (25-27) rays; pelvic fins I, 5, under operculum, wide between those fins; tail fin straight, with 10-11 branched rays; scales rough on head and body; lateral line arched at front; a spine at front of lateral line, a prominent keel on first few lateral line scales; lateral line 60 (58-63) scales; top of eye scaleless.

Two (rarely 4) wide black saddles on back, 1 under rear part of soft dorsal, the other on the rear of the tail base; 1st dorsal with a triangular black blotch on outer part of membranes I-III, and a large black, half-moon shaped blotch on the basal part of membranes I-V; 2nd dorsal with a black outer stripe, and a black base above each of the two body saddles; upper base of tail fin of female with a black ocellus, with a black wedge in male, top, rear & bottom edges black; anal fin transparent in both sexes; pectorals & pelvics with dusky rays.

Reaches 22.5 cm.

On the bottom.

Depth range: 223-705 m.

The central Caribbean to Guyana.