LADY FISH
Bodianus rufus
English: ladyfishes, skipjacks, Jack-Rashes, tenpounders, Spanish hogfish.
Spanish: Sabalos.
The Ladyfish is a shallow-water, inshore species with a long, slender, cylindrical, silvery body, blue reflections, an oval cross-section, and noticeable scales. The Ladyfish's mouth has a projecting lower jaw, and it has large eyes. It has one dorsal fin. The anal fin base is shorter than the dorsal fin base.
The pelvic fins are in the middle of the body, originating slightly ahead of the dorsal fin origin. The pectoral fins of the Ladyfish are very low on its sides and just behind the edge of the gill cover. It has a deeply forked caudal fin.
The Ladyfish reaches 36 inches in length, but is normally between 12 and 30 inches. It is normally found in the first 25 feet of the water column over sandy bottoms.