Spot Tail Golden Bass

This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: D VIII,13; A III, 8; pectoral fin 15; 20-21 total gill rakers on first arch (including rudiments); 47-48 lateral-line scales; length of first dorsal spine, 2.9-4.2% SL; margin of spinous dorsal fin moderately indented posteriorly in adults (fourth spine 11-12% SL, fifth and sixth spines only slightly shorter than fourth, 6.9-10% SL); depth at origin of dorsal fin, 23-26% SL; least depth of caudal peduncle, 11-13% SL; orbit diameter, 9.4-12% SL; upper lip with yellow-orange stripe; approximately 13 white, chevron-shaped markings in a series on the ventral portion of trunk; a reddish-black blotch on distal portion of lower caudal-fin lobe (Ref. 95858).

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 8; Vertebrae: 24

Inhabits rocky slopes and ledges. When approached and illuminated by the submersible, it retreated into small caves and crevices (Ref. 95858).

Liopropoma santi, the spot-tail golden bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and classified within the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae. It has been collected from deep reefs off Curaçao, southern Caribbean; it is the deepest occurring Liopropoma species in the Atlantic Ocean.

Counts and measurements of holotype, if different from those of paratypes, are given in parentheses. Dorsal-fin rays VIII, 13; anal-fin rays III, 8; pectoral-fin rays (both sides) 15; pelvic-fin rays I, 5; principal caudal-fin rays 9+8=17; procurrent caudal-fin rays 9+9=18; pored lateral-line scales 48 (47), two additional pored scales present on base of caudal fin not included in total count; scales from lateral line to dorsal-fin origin 3 or 4 (3); gillrakers on first arch, including rudiments, 6+14-15 (6+14); upper limb with 3 rudiments + 3 rakers, lower limb with 11-13 rakers + 2-3 rudiments, total 20–21 (20); vertebrae 10 + 14. Body proportions expressed as percentage of SL. Body depth at origin of dorsal fin 23–26 (26); body width just behind gill opening 11–14 (14); head length 37–39 (37); snout length 7.4–9.1 (9.1), relative length increasing with increasing SL; orbit diameter 9.4–12 (9.4) relative diameter decreasing with increasing SL; bony interorbital width 4.5–5.5 (5.5); upper-jaw length 16–18 (18); greatest depth of maxilla 5.0–6.1 (6.1); least caudal-peduncle depth 11–13 (13); caudal-peduncle length 22–24 (23); lengths of dorsal-fin spines: (I) 2.9–4.2 (4.2); (II) 11–12 (12); (III) 13–15 (14); (IV) 11–12 (11); (V) 6.9–10 (10); (VI) 6.9–8.2 (8.2); (VII) 5.0–7.5 (7.5); (VIII) 4.8–6.9 (6.9); longest dorsal soft ray the 11th, length 15–20 (20); length of 3rd anal-fin spine 6.9–9.3 (9.3); longest anal soft ray the 5th, length 15–17 (16); caudal-fin length 23–28 (23), relative length decreasing with increasing SL; pectoral-fin length 27–30 (27), fin reaching vertical between anus and origin of anal fin, falling short of anal fin in all specimens; pelvic-fin length 18–20 (19), fin reaching vertical through base of 6th dorsal-fin spine, well short of anus. Interorbital region flat to slightly convex; mouth oblique, maxilla reaching vertical beyond posterior border of pupil; prominent bony projection on posteroventral corner of maxilla; lower jaw slightly projecting. Anterior nostril in thin, membranous tube, nostril situated just posterior to groove between tip of snout and premaxilla; posterior nostril a simple opening, nostril situated close to orbit (the distance approximately 1.5 nostril diameters). Lateral line strongly arched above pectoral fin, highest point below fourth and fifth dorsal-fin spines. Trunk covered with ctenoid scales, scales becoming weakly ctenoid anteriorly and cycloid on head. Head fully scaled except over branchiostegal area. Holotype with short column of scales on dorsal-fin spines III and IV, scales on basal portion of membranes between spines VI and VIII, three rows of scales covering basal portion of soft dorsal fin, and some scales extending distally onto soft dorsal-fin membranes; paratypes with same squamation except no scales present on spinous dorsal fin, and 42.0-mm SL paratype having only basal scale rows on soft dorsal fin. In holotype and larger paratype, anal fin with two or three rows of scales basally and additional scales that extend distally onto fin membranes and cover most of fin. In smaller paratype, scales confined to basal portion of fin. Caudal fin completely scaled in holotype except for distal tips of rays; larger paratype with scales covering only proximal half of fin; smaller paratype with scales confined to basal portion of fin. Scales present on pectoral-fin base, and elongate scales present on proximal portion of fin. Scales present on pelvic-fin base and on proximal portion of fin; pelvic axillary scales present. Jaw teeth small and depressible; upper and lower jaws with bands of villiform teeth, bands widest anteriorly, largest teeth in innermost row. Vomer with a chevron-shaped patch of small teeth. Palatines with several rows of small teeth in a long, narrow band. Opercle with three flattened spines, only the middle one conspicuous. Margin of upper limb of preopercle and angle with small serrations, lower limb smooth. Prior to preservation (Figs 2, 3), background color of upper portions of trunk and caudal peduncle yellow, grading to pale pink around midbody, then to white ventrally; no abrupt transitions between those colors; many individual scales on upper half of body marked with orange spots in adults, densely so in holotype; a series of about 13 narrow, bright-white, chevron-shaped bars that point posteriorly present on lower half of trunk, series extending from just behind pectoral-fin base to vertical through center or posterior portion of anal fin; upper arms of white bars more strongly defined; nape yellow from dorsal midline ventrally to about mid-eye level (with some orange spots on scales in adults), grading anteriorly into an irregularly shaped area of purplish-pink over and behind eye, on upper portion of iris, and on snout; a yellow blotch present behind center of eye (in adults) and a smaller one present on dorsal midline of snout just anterior to orbit; iris mostly orange-yellow, grading to fine inner yellow ring; prominent, mostly deep-yellow (adults) or mostly orange (juvenile) stripe along outside of entire upper lip, this pigment spreading slightly above lip along anterior half of jaw in adults and merging with the pink/orange pigment on snout of juvenile; inside of lower lip with small blotch of yellow pigment in adults, inside of upper lip with stripe of yellow (adults) or orange (juvenile); photographic angle did not permit characterization of pigment on inside of lower lip of juvenile; lower jaw and lower two thirds of head white, with pinkish cast in holotype; in adults, dorsal fin with yellow spines and mostly white inter-spinous membranes; soft dorsal-fin rays yellow, membrane between anterior rays yellow, and membrane between rays of remainder of fin with small to large pale area centrally, size of pale area increasing posteriorly such that membrane between posteriormost rays completely pale; some rays and membranes in posterior portion of soft dorsal fin with pale rose pigment in smaller adult; a thin white margin extending along outer edge of entire dorsal fin, this margin appearing blue-white when fish photographed against black background (Fig. 3); in juvenile, inter-spinous membranes of dorsal fin mostly pale and soft dorsal mostly pale except for yellow stripe at the base and yellow stripe near outer margin of fin; caudal fin mostly yellow in holotype, central portion of fin with pale outer margin and with pale to pinkish-orange membranes between rays; thin pinkish-orange stripe present along dorsal and ventral margins of fin; distal tip of lower lobe with reddish-black blotch, a few thin streaks of black extending proximally from this blotch; pigment on caudal fin of smaller adult similar but with less pinkish-orange pigment, and caudal fin of juvenile mostly clear with a large, oval-shaped, oblique yellow blotch on outer half of both upper and lower lobes; dark spot on distal portion of ventral caudal lobe relatively larger in juvenile; anal fin white, with faint pinkish-yellow streak on first through fifth rays in holotype, little or no color in smaller adult and juvenile; pelvic fin white; pectoral fin translucent with pale pinkish-orange cast; general coloration most intense in the holotype and least intense in the juvenile. In alcohol (see Fig. 6A), body pale, the only pigment a dark blotch on distal tip of ventral caudal-fin lobe.

Known only from Curaçao, southern Caribbean.