Genus: Astrapogon, Cardinalfishes, Cardinalfish

ASTRAPOGON

CARDINALFISHES

Body oblong, compressed; head large, snout short; eye large; moderately large oblique mouth that opens at the front; top jaw wide, partly concealed when mouth is closed, scaleless; teeth small, usually present on center and sides of roof of mouth; preopercle with a smooth ridge before the smooth edge; dorsal fin VI + I, 9; anal fin II, 8; pectoral fin rays 14-16 (rarely 13 or 17); inner pelvic ray mostly free from body; tail fin usually concave; body scales smooth; no row of scales on centerline of  nape before dorsal fin;  23-45 pored lateral line scales, last few scales on tail fin; lateral line complete, extends onto base of tail fin.

A W Atlantic genus with 3 species, all in the Greater Caribbean, 1 of them as an endemic.