Credit: Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles
Family Serranidae
Description: basic color dark brown or black; dorsal fin has rows and stripes of white on black; large males have iridescent 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 in INSHORE finger channels
Size: common to 1.5 pounds (13 inches)
Remarks: spawns January through March; protogynous hermaphrodites, older females becoming breeding males; omnivorous bottom feeders, diet including small fish, crustaceans, and shellfish
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