Description: basic color
dark brown or black; dorsal fin has rows and stripes of white on black;
large males have irridescent blue and ebony markings, and fatty hump in
front of dorsal fin; females may have indistinct vertical barrings;
topmost ray of caudal fin much elongated in adults; caudal may be
tri-lobed; sharp spine near posterior margin of gill cover.
Similar Fish: bank sea
bass C. ocyurus; other Centropristis.
Where found:
structure-loving fish, associated with reefs and rubble OFFSHORE; smaller
specimens often found INSHORE finger channels.
Size: common to 1.5
pounds (13 inches).
*Florida Record: 5 lbs.,
1 oz.
Remarks: spawns January
through March; protogynous hermaphrodites, older females becoming breeding
males; omnivorous bottom feeders, diet including small fish, crustaceans,
and shellfish.
* The Florida records
quoted are from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's
printed publication, Fishing
Lines and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are
provided as only as a benchmark.
