Bank Sea Bass, Centropristis ocyurus.

Bank Sea Bass, Centropristis ocyurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, July 2021. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

Bank Sea Bass,Centropristis ocyurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Big Pine Key, Florida, April 2020. Length: 14 cm (5.5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Bank Sea Bass, Centropristis ocyurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Sebastian, Florida, November 2021. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.

The Bank Sea Bass, Centropristis ocyurus, is a member of the Sea Bass or Serranidae Family, and is known as cabrilla serrana. Globally, there are five species in the genus Centropristis. of which three are found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Bank Sea Bass has a compressed oblong body. They are a pale olive-gray to brown dorsally and pale ventrally with at least seven dark brown vertical lines on their sides. Their head has rusty spots and blue stripes before the eyes and the tip of the jaw is purplish. Their upper body has rusty spots. The body and tail base have seven vertical rows of dark blotches forming indistinct bars and dark line between the blotches that form a grid pattern. Their anal fin has a broad central orange stripe; their caudal fin has rows of dark red-brown and pearly spots; and, their dorsal fin tips and filaments are orange and has a black saddle under the rear of the first dorsal fin that extends onto the fin; the balance of the dorsal fin has two pearly stripes and red-brown spots. The inside of the gill chamber is black and visible through the gill cover.

They have a large mouth that has extends to the center of the eye with teeth that are set in bands. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 6 to 13 rays; their caudal fin has trilobed with the upper, middle and lower rays being elongated; their dorsal fin has 10 spines, that are tipped with short filaments, and 11 12 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 15 to 21 rays. The juveniles have rounded caudal fins. They have 17 to 22 gill rakers on the first arch. They are covered with scales. The lateral line is prominent.

The Bank Sea Bass is common and abundant and found both inshore and offshore over and within mud, rocky and sand substrate at depths up to 243 m (620 feet). They are known to burrow in holes and crevices during cold water episodes. They reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches) in length with males being larger than females. They consume crustaceans, fishes and mollusks. They are known to be preyed upon by the newly introduced highly invasive Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans. The Bank Sea Bass are synchronously hermaphroditic possessing both males and female organs and capable of producing between 4,400 and 30,000 eggs and sperm at the same time. They have life spans of up to seven years. The Bank Sea Bass is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Bank Sea Bass is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean but has a limited distribution being found along the coast of Gulf of Mexico from the United States border south and east to Tabasco.

The Bank Sea Bass is similar to and possible confused with the Dwarf Sand Perch, Dipectrum bivittatum (lacks bars on the sides); the Rock Sea Bass, Centropristis philadelphica (lacks bars on the sides) and the Sand Perch, Diplectrum formosum (body with six thin blue lines).

From a conservation perspective the Bank Sea Bass is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable widely distributed populations. They are small in stature and of limited interest to most. They are caught as a bycatch of recreational fishermen and by commercial shrimp trawlers.