Genus: Microspathodon, Yellowtail Damselfish, Damselfishes

MICROSPATHODON

DAMSELFISHES

Body deep, oblong, thick, compressed; 1 pair of nostrils; preorbital bone (before & under front of eye) very broad, deep, with pronounced notch over top jaw; margins of preopercle and suborbital bone under rear of eye smooth, scaled; mouth small, protrusible, opens at front; teeth in single row, thick upper teeth flexible, forming a brush; a single continuous dorsal fin, XII; anal fin with II spines; no projecting short spines at upper and lower base of tail fin;  caudal fin bluntly forked; scales are moderately large and rough; body scaled, head largely scaled, as are the basal parts of the median fins; lateral line incomplete, ends under end of dorsal fin base.

This genus has 5 species in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic; the single W Atlantic species in our area.