Diagnosis_Genus: Menticirrhus Gill. Body elongated, with the dorsal outline arched, very gradually descending from the dorsal to the snout, and slowly descending to the end of the second fin. Abdominal outline nearly straight. Head rather elongated, with the profile oblique, and before the eyes slightly arched. Snout convex and considerably protuberant. Eyes of moderate size, situated entirely in the anterior half of the head. Mouth horizontal and inferior. Supramaxillary bone ending nearly under the posterior border of the eye's pupil, chiefly concealed under the suborbitals. Preopercular margin finely denticulated. Lower jaw with a single barbel, with a pore in front, and with two lateral pores on each side. Teeth in both jaws villiform; in the upper one, the band of villiform ones is surrounded by a row of larger curved ones. Anterior dorsal fin sustained by ten or twelve spines, the third of which is frequently more or less prolonged. Anal fin generally with only one very slender spine. Caudal unequally lobed, with the inferior lobe convex and largest. Pectoral fins pointed and scaly at their bases. Ventral shorter and inserted much behind the pectoral. The teeth of the pharyngeal bones are elongated and conical. The setae of the first pair of ceratohyals are generally obliquely compressed and short. The dentiferous plates of the branchial arches are thick and ridge-like. The American Umbrinae form a very natural group, distinguished from the typical species by their elongated and very gradually tapering head, the more slender body, the more unequally emerginated caudal, the inferior insertion of the pectorals and their scaly bases, and the posterior origin of the ventrals, as well as the presence of only one very slender anal spine.

Diagnosis_Species: Johnius saxatilis Bloch & Schneider. Caput totum squamatum, squamae laeves, pinnae dorsales vicinae. J. corpore argenteo, striis transversis violaceis, capite obtuso, unica serie dentium minimorum, maxilla superiore prominente, operculo anteriore subserrato, linea laterali prope dorsum, recta, pinnis sanguineis, caudali squamata, lunata. P. 17. V. 8. A.8. C. 17. D. 9/9. 25. Habitat cum praecedente, Rock-Fish appellatus, pedalis latidudine biuncialis.

Other description (Ralph, 1982): Head 3.05 to 4.10; depth 3.65 to 4.30; D. X-I, 24 to 27; A. I, 8 (sometimes 9); scales 91 to 96 (counting vertical series between enlarged scale at upper angle of opercle and base of caudal). Body elongate, compressed; back elevated; ventral outline nearly straight; head low; profile slightly depressed above the eyes; eye small; snout conical, projecting beyond mouth; mouth horizontal, inferior; chin with a single short, thickish barbel; maxillary reaching opposite middle of eye, 1.35 to 2.85 in head; teeth in jaws in bands, outer teeth in upper jaw somewhat enlarged; preopercle serrate; gill rakers very short, about six more or less developed on lower limb of first arch; scales small, firm, strongly ctenoid, not reduced in size on the breast; dorsal fins contiguous, the first with slender, flexible spines, the third spine produced in the adult, reaching far beyond the anterior soft rays when deflexed; soft dorsal rather long and low; caudal fin with concave upper lobe and somewhat produced lower lobe, proportionately longer in young than in adult; anal fin moderate, with a single slender spine; ventral fins rather short, inserted about a half an eye's diameter behind base of pectorals; pectoral fins reaching to or a little beyond tips of ventrals, 1.0 to 1.45 in head. Color dusky above, silvery underneath; some specimens much darker than others; back and sides with distinct dark oblique cross bands running downward and forward, the anterior one at the nape extending downward, meeting the second and thus forming a V-shaped blotch on each side; a dark lateral streak bounding the pale color of the belly, most distinct posteriorly; and extending on lower lobe of caudal; inside of gill cavity scarcely dusky; pectorals and spinous dorsal mostly black; other fins plain to dusky, varying among individuals.

Body_adults_common: 30 cm
Body_adults_max: 46 cm
Body_larvae_preflexion_length: 2.09-3.72 mm (Ditty, 1989)
Body_larvae_flexion_length: 3.72-4.56 mm (Ditty, 1989)
Body_egg_length: 0.76-0.92 mm (spherical) (Welsh & Breder, 1924)
Body_larvae_newly_hatched_length: 2-2.5 mm (Welsh & Breder, 1924)
Weight_max: 1.1 kg (Fishbase)