Family: Malakichthyidae, Ocean Bass, Temperate Ocean Basses

FAMILY MALAKICHTHYIDAE

TEMPERATE OCEAN BASSES

Body oblong, compressed, elongate; eye huge, longer than snout; broad and flat between eyes; mouth large, rear bone of top jaw expanded at rear & largely exposed when mouth is closed, oblique, ends under pupil; top jaws with pair of large front canines followed by band of fine, elongate teeth; lower jaws with a pair of large front canines, mid-side with 12-14 small canines, patches of fine elongate teeth behind and before those small canines; fine elongate teeth on center and sides of palate, rear of center with conical teeth; lower gill rakers 14-17; preopercle with smooth, weak, flexible edge; rear of opercle 2 weak spines, membranous edge; gill membranes separate, free from underside of head; dorsal fin IX + I, 9-10, 2 sections almost separate, last 2 spines very small; anal fin III, 7 rays; tail fin forked; pectorals longer than pelvics, 15; lateral line continuous, 42-45 tubed scales; scales smooth on body behind level of 1st dorsal fin, weakly rough over entire head and front body; fin bases scaled on soft parts.

Indo-central Pacific and Atlantic; 2 genera with 15 species; 2 of the same genus in the Greater Caribbean

PREPARED BY D ROSS ROBERTSON AND RODOLFO CLARO, AFTER HEEMSTRA (2002)