Spotted Drum

The spotted drum has an oblong-shaped body, deep at the head, which tapers to a slender caudal peduncle. They have a low head with a snout which protrudes over the small, horizontal mouth. The first, spiny part of the dorsal fin is short-based and very high with between 12 and 14 spines, the second part of the dorsal fin is long-based and is supported by a single spine and between 45 and 47 soft rays. The anal fin contains 2 spines and between 8 and 8 soft rays. The body is covered in ctenoid scales and the lateral line extends to the centre of the caudal fin. The caudal, anal and soft-rayed part of the dorsal fins are dark coloured with white spotting. The head and the spiny part of the dorsal fin are marked with vertical white and dark brown bars, which curve to create longitudinal stripes along the body.

The spotted drum is found in the western Atlantic where it occurs in the Bahamas, in the Gulf of Mexico where it is found from the Florida Keys and off the coast of Mexico from Tuxpan in Veracruz and from the Yucatan to Cuba, then throughout the Caribbean Sea. Reports from Bahia, Brazil and Bermuda need to be confirmed. This species occurs at depths between 3 and 30 m (9.8 and 98.4 ft) and is associated with coral reefs.