Description: Pale olive or brassy-brown in color with indistinct black blotches that form vertical berrings (the blotch above pectoral fin darker); wavy blue lines on head; lips purplish-blue; caudal fin tri-lobed on adults; edge of nape unscaled.
Similar Fish: Rock sea bass, C. philadelphica; other Centropristis.
Where Found: Offshore in deep water with rocks and reefs.
Size: Usually 0.3 pounds (8 inches).
Remarks: Undergoes sex change, starting life as female, changing to male after three to four spawning seasons; feeds on the bottom, taking squid, crustaceans, and small fish.
