Archosargus probatocephalus

Archosargus probatocephalus
Sheepshead – Archosargus probatocephalus
FamilyScientific NameAuthorYearCommon Name
SparidaeArchosargus probatocephalus(Walbaum)1792Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus

Unique Characters: Four to seven dark bars on body (no dark spot near origin of lateral line, no yellow stripes on sides). Front teeth in jaws very broad incisors, strongly flattened, not conical. No dark blotch on caudal peduncle; a forward-projecting spine at base of front of dorsal fin, sometimes covered with skin. Incisors in front of jaws not notched, or only a shallow notch in large adults. Molars in sides of jaws mostly in 3 rows in upper jaw. Dorsal fin usually with 12 spines.

Similar Species:

Sea Bream Archosargus rhomboidalis. Front teeth in jaws incisors, strongly flattened, not conical. Front teeth in jaws very broad incisors. Body with dark spots, stripes, or bars. No dark blotch on caudal peduncle; a forward-projecting spine at base of front of dorsal fin, sometimes covered with skin. Incisors in front of jaws not notched, or only a shallow notch in large adults. Molars in sides of jaws mostly in 3 rows in upper jaw. Dorsal fin usually with 13 spines; a dark spot near origin of lateral line, yellow stripes onside (no dark bars on body).

Archosargus rhomboidalis
Sea Bream – Archosargus rhomboidalis
Photo Credit: G.W. Link

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