Body ovate and compressed. An enlarged and strong spine at posteroventral corner of preopercle. Anterior soft rays of dorsal and anal fins produced into filaments. Caudal fin rounded. In adult body dark blue; scales behind pectoral fin edged with narrow pale yellow line; a large yellow blotch on base of pectoral fin; all fins dark blue; posterior margin of caudal fin pale yellow. In young body black with 5 crescentic yellow lines, the last line extending posteriorly and encircling caudal fin.
Distribution:
Both sides of Atlantic, in the western Atlantic from Bahamas to southern Brazil.
Remarks:
This species resembles P. arcuatus but differs from it by the following points:one or two more dorsal spines (9 spines in P. arcuatus), the caudal fin rounded, and a large yellow blotch on the base of the pectoral fin. These two species are closely similar to each other in juvenile, but the posterior marginal yellow line of the caudal fin is narrower in P. paru than in P. arcuatus. (Matsuura)