Description: Color olive-bronze, with dark blotches forming vertical bars; dark black blotch on middle of dorsal-fin base; tip of lower jaw purplish; bright blue and orange stripes and markings on head and fins; fully scaled nape; tail tri-lobed in adults.
Similar Fish: Bank sea bass, C. ocyurus; other Centropristis.
Where Found: Offshore; differs from other sea basses in that it is often found on sandy or muddy bottoms.
Size: Small species, rarely more than 10 inches.
Remarks: Spawns January through March; young adults are predominantly female, transforming into males as they grow older; maximum size about 10 inches.
