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Tripletails
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BODY oblong, compressed; snout short; eyes well forward; no teeth on palate; soft parts of dorsal and anal fins equal and opposite, the former preceded by a much larger spinous portion; vertebrae 12+12.
This family contains but 2 or 3 species, large fishes closely allied to the Serranidae, but lacking the vomerine and palatine teeth, and with the fore part of the head very short. Our only important species is the flasher or tripletail, which is found from Surinam northward among the West Indies and occasionally to Cape Cod. It has been recorded also from the Mediterranean, India, and China. It is only of rare occurrence on our coast. In Indian River, Florida, it is taken only occasionally and is not well known to the fishermen. It is not uncommon about Porto Rico. The tripletail is an interesting and attractive fish, reaching a length of 3 feet and a weight of 25 or 30 pounds, and is a good food-fish. We know nothing as to its game qualities.
The Lobotes on the Pacific coast of Central America (L. pacificus) seems to differ from the tripletail chiefly in the narrower interorbital and the smaller preopercular serrations. Little is known of its habits.