Genus: Brama, Pomfret, Pomfrets

BRAMA

POMFRETS

Head and body compressed, an elongate oval tapering to slender tail base; head profiles convex, snout short, bluntly rounded; between eyes strongly rounded; mouth opens at front, strongly oblique, lower jaw projecting, the rear of the top jaw wide, exposed and covered with scales; lower jaws meet along entire centerline underneath head; the single dorsal and anal fins have long bases, similar shapes and sizes, I-III spines; dorsal originates over pectoral base, low with distinct lobe at front; anal low, without front lobe; pectoral low on body, long, reaches to ~ middle of anal fin; pelvics small, inserted under rear of pectoral base; tail base, without transverse groove before tail fin; tail deeply concave; scales small, cover body, nape, cheeks, operculum, and top jaw; dorsal & anal fins scaly; 57-75 scales along side; scales on tail base and tail fin intergrade smoothly in size; no keel of scales along belly; dorsal and anal fin rays scaled at least partway.

A worldwide tropical to temperate genus with 8 species; 2 circumtropical and 1 W Atlantic species in our region.