Genus: Taractichthys, Bigscale Pomfret, Pomfrets

TARACTICHTHYS

POMFRETS

Head and body moderately compressed; body deep (depth 48-58% of SL); snout blunt; head profile curved; head arched and rounded between eyes; eyes large, more than ½ eye diameter below the nearest part of the upper head profile; mouth at front, strongly oblique, the rear of the top jaw wide, exposed and covered with scales; small curved canine teeth in bands on both jaws; the single dorsal and anal fins have long bases, similar shapes and sizes, I-III spines; dorsal and anal fins low, with large curved, pointed lobes at front; pectoral low on body, long, reaches well past front lobe of anal fin; pelvics small (length 7-9% of SL), inserted just before pectoral base; tail deeply concave; tail base without a keel, but with a well developed transverse groove before tail fin; scales large (34-46), about 5 rows along the flank are ridged; dorsal & anal fins scaly, no scaly sheath along base of those fins; adults without lateral line.

A circumglobal genus with 2 species; one widely distributed Atlantic species in our region.