Genus: Hyperoglyphe, Driftfish Medusafish, Driftfishes, Barrelfishes

HYPEROGLYPHE

DRIFTFISHES, BARRELFISHES

Body moderately elongate (depth 30-35% of SL), compressed; head covered with pores; blunt, thick snout; eye large, without fleshy eyelid; bony ring around eye not well developed, iris is an entire golden ring; mouth large; most of top jaw hidden under bone above it; roof of mouth toothless; preopercle edge with numerous tiny spines; opercle thin, with 2 weak flat spines; gill rakers heavy, finely toothed on front surface, ~16 on lower arch; one continuous, long-based, low dorsal fin, VI-IX short stout spines of uniform length, 19-25 soft rays, origin over or a little behind pectoral base; anal origin under rear 1/2 of dorsal, III, 14-21; pelvic fins origin under base of pectoral, fin attached to body by membrane and folds into a groove; tail fin forked; pectorals rounded in young, pointed in adult; scales smooth, somewhat loose, covering bases of median fins; skin thin, with an extensive canal system underneath that opens to surface via small pores; lateral line arched, straightens out over anal fin.

This tropical to temperate genus contains about 5 species, and occurs in Atlantic and Pacific; 1 W Atlantic and 1 NW Atlantic species.