Species: Menticirrhus martinicensis, Caribbean Kingfish

Menticirrhus martinicensis (Cuvier, 1830)

Caribbean Kingfish

Body elongate, rounded in cross-section, belly flat; upper body profile slightly convex, without hump behind eye; head long, low; snout ~ conical, projecting beyond horizontal mouth, with slits and pores above mouth; teeth small & simple, no molar-like teeth in throat; outer row teeth of upper jaw distinctly enlarged; a short thick barbel on chin with a pore at its point and 2 pairs more at its base; preopercle smooth to weakly serrated; gill rakers short, knob-like, 7 (7-15); top corner of gill opening notched; dorsal rays X + I, 23 (22-26), longest spine seldom reaches past origin of 2nd dorsal; anal fin with short base, I weak spine, 7 (6-8) rays; pectoral rays 20 (19-23), fin reaching beyond tips of depressed pelvic fins; tail margin S-shaped; scales small, rough, not much smaller on breast than on rest of body; scales above lateral line 9 (7-11); soft dorsal with 1 row of scales along its base; the lateral line with 48-56 scales, extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.

Dusky silver, darker on back; belly white; often 8-9 faint oblique bars, bars change direction between the 2nd & 3rd bar, which form a V below 1st dorsal fin; no dark stripe on body; pelvic, anal and pectoral fins dusky; inside gill chamber black.

Size: grows to 42 cm.

Inhabits mud and sand bottoms of coastal waters, including bays and off sandy and surf beaches; juveniles in estuaries.

Depth: 1-60 m.

Belize to Argentina.