Leiognathus Lacepède, 1803
Description (by C. Roux)
Body oblong, compressed; depth 2.4 and head 3.6 in SL; snout 2.8 in head; eye 2.7 and inter-orbital 2.9-3.1 in head length. Mouth very protractile and, when protracted, directed downwards; protractile part equal to half the length of head or longer. Dorsal fin long, originating above pelvics, with 7 spines, the second the longest, and 15-16 rays; anal finrays III + 15-16; soft dorsal and anal with scaly sheath. Gillrakers 3-4 + 12-14. Scales cycloid.
Colour: dorsal part of body mottled grey with pink patches on the sides, belly silvery, black line along each side of dorsal base; black border on lower edge of preorbital, iris golden.
Size: to 11 cm SL.
Distribution
In coastal waters; feeding on bottom invertebrates.
Species included on this CD-rom:
Leiognathus blochi (Valenciennes)
Leiognathus brevirostris (Valenciennes)
Leiognathus equulus (Forsskål)