Fish / White Pomfret
Black pomfret
Body deep and compressed; dorsal and ventral profiles of body strongly and equally convex. Scales smll and deciduous, and almost completely covering dorsal and anal fins. Mouth terminal with upper jaw unrestricted dorsally and ending below and slightly before anterior margin of eye; both jaws with a single row of small conical teeth. Gill openings unrestricted laterally and ventrally. Dorsal fin with 4-5 short spines (embedded and not apparent in adults) followed by I + 41-44 soft rays. Anal fin with 2 (embedded and not apparent in adults) followed by I + 35-39 soft rays; profile of second dorsal and anal fins nearly identical, with elevated, broadly rounded anterior lobes. Pelvic fins absent in specimens larger than about 10 cm fork and falcate. Lateral line very weakly arched anteriorly, with junction of straight and curved parts below posterior third of dorsal fin; straight part of lateral line with 8 to 19 weak scutes, forming a slight keel on caudal peduncle. Colour in life, adults uniformly silvery-grey to bluish-brown (yellowish-brown when deciduous scales are missing); fins with dark edges. Young with dark vertical bars and long black jugular pelvic fins.
