Fish Identification Photos: Bridled Sand Perch, Diplectrum rostrum: The Bridled Sand Perch has an elongated body with an overall tan coloration, white belly, and a series of characteristic markings that include a series of yellow lines through and under the eyes (as pictured below giving rise to it’s name), a yellow ring around the pupil of the eye, a large purple spot on the gill cover, five to seven faint dark bars on its sides, and two black spots at the top of the tail base.

The Bridled Sand Perch reaches eight inches in length and is found at depths between 50 and 250 feet over sandy bottoms.

As it is a small, rare, and deep water species, not much is known about its behavior.

The Bridled Sand Perch can be easily confused with the Gulf Sand Perch, Diplectrum sciurus (two or three rows of yellow spots on its soft dorsal, eight to ten dark bars on its side, irregular small yellow spots on the tail), the Mexican Sand Perch, Diplectrum macropoma (yellow bar under its eye, orange-red pelvic fins, yellow and black gills), or the Pacific Sand Perch, Diplectrum pacificum (facial orange spots, pink blotch above the anal fin origin).

In Mexican waters the Bridled Sand Perch is found from Magdalena Bay south along the Pacific side of Baja California, in the lower one-third of the Sea of Cortez, and along all parts of the coastal Mexican mainland south to Guatemala. Its appears to be absent from around Mexico's oceanic islands. The size of the Bridled Sand Perch makes it of limited interest to most.

The Bridled Sand Perch is a member of the Serranidae Family which includes perches, groupers and sea basses which in Mexico are known as cabrillas and meros.

Bridled Sand Perch, Diplectrum rostrum: A rare species caught with Capt. Pata in the panga Salomé, in 73-degree, 200-foot deep water, in April 2003, utilizing traditional bottom gear on cut squid bait, 10 miles north of La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Size approximately 13 inches and 2 pounds and was an average fighter. Upon collection the fish had a golden yellow coloration which quickly faded. Fish identification courtesy H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif. Description and photos courtesy of John Snow.