Genus: Carapus, Pearlfish, Pearlfishes
tip snout: no skin flaps
front of jaws: no large fangs
CARAPUS
PEARLFISHES
Slender, short, cylindrical to compressed body, long slender tail; no small fleshy flaps on tip of snout; top jaw bone not bound to side of head by skin; no enlarged fangs at front of top or bottom jaws, small, slender teeth present on jaws; gill opening extends above mid-side, gill membranes not united below; gill rakers well developed, except in C. dubius; dorsal origin well behind origin of anal; anal fin rays longer than dorsal fin rays opposite them; well developed pectoral fin; no pelvic fins; anus and origin of anal fin before base of pectoral fin; dorsal and anal fins confluent with tail fin.
A circumtropical genus with 5 species; 1 W Atlantic representative in our region.
