Common Name
Triplespine Deepwater Cardinalfish
Year Described
Poey, 1861
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VII-VIII-I, 10
Anal Fin: III, 7
Pectoral Fin: 14-15
Lateral Line: 50-56
Gill Rakers: 22-24+1+8-9 (first arch)
Vertebrae: 10+15 = 25 total
Body elongated with a large head (mini barracuda). Snout pointed. Eye large. Edge of infraorbital serrated (smooth in all other epigonid genera). Jaw reaches anterior half of orbit. Teeth on palatine, vomer, and dentary. No teeth on premaxillary. Three strong spines on the opercle. Eighth spine of dorsal very reduced or absent. Caudal fin forked. Scales ctenoid. Body fully scaled. Branchiostegal rays 6.
Color
Body and head reddish becoming bright silvery on the ventral half. Dorsal and caudal fins red. Anal, pelvic, and pectoral fins pinkish.
Size
Maximum size to 92mm SL.
Habitat
Appears to be pelagic. Collected between 200-1750m.
Range
Scattered records from off the U.S. southeast coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and S. Brazil.
References
Suda, Y., & Y. Tominaga. Y. 1983. The percoid genus Sphyraenops, from the Pacific Ocean, with discussion on Scombrosphyraena. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, 30(3), 291-296.