Family: SPARIDAE, Porgy, Porgies, Seabreams

FAMILY SPARIDAE

PORGIES, SEABREAMS

Sparids, small to medium sized fishes up to 75 cm, have the body oblong to oval, compressed; chin without pores; mouth small; bone under front of eye overlaps rear bone of top jaw; jaw teeth conical or incisiform at front, molars on sides; no teeth on roof of mouth; margin of preopercle smooth; dorsal fin XI-XIV, 10-15; anal fin III, 8-14, spines often thick; pectorals long, pointed; tail fin concave to forked; scales smooth to weakly rough; cheeks and opercles usually scaly, but no scales on snout or between the eye and mouth; lateral line continuous.

Porgies are a worldwide family that occurs in all temperate and tropical seas; approximately 116 species are known from 38 genera. There are 19 species from 6 genera in the Greater Caribbean.