Body elongate and compressed. Body depth 2.8 in SL. Posterior edge of upper jaw reaching to below center of eye. Two pores and a median groove on chin. Preopercle finely serrated. Soft portions of dorsal and anal fins scaled to their margins. Scales below lateral line arranged oblique to body axis. Caudal fin emarginate. Body dusky silver dorsally, silver-white ventrally; center of each scale on body silver-white; a black blotch on base of caudal fin; a prominent black blotch beneath free margin of preopercle; fins dusky.
Distribution:
From Panama to Brazil.
Remarks:
This species is distinguishable from other species of Haemulon by the following characters:soft of anal fin densely scaled to its margin, a prominent black blotch beneath free margin of preopercle, circum caudal peduncle scales 25〜26 in number.