Genus: Peprilus, Butterfish Harvestfish, Butterfishes, Harvestfishes

PEPRILUS

BUTTERFISHES, HARVESTFISHES

Body highly compressed, an elongate oval; eye with a fatty ring around it; snout short; mouth small, oblique, ends before or under front of eye; jaw teeth compressed, 3-pointed, in 1 row, no teeth on roof of mouth; dorsal and anal fins long based, with II-IV small, flattened, leaf-like spines, front lobes variously elongate, curved if long; no pelvic fins but a small spine projecting from pelvis; pectoral fins long and pointed; tail fin deeply forked, stiff; scales very small, smooth, very easily shed; dorsal and anal fins covered with scales lateral line high, follows upper body profile, almost complete.

A new world tropical to temperate genus with 7 species; 3 species (1 endemic, 1 NW Atlantic and 1 W Atlantic) in our region.