Family Latridae Gill

Diagnosis. Latridae can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters: body ovoid to elongate and compressed or round in cross-section; dorsal-fin elements XV–XXV, 22–44; anal-fin elements III, 7–37; pectoralfin rays 14 with ventral rays thick and unbranched. Gas bladder present; supraneurals never in the arrangement of Cheilodactylidae—all genera except Mendosoma with two supraneurals prior to first dorsal pterygiophore in arrangement of 0+0/2; no cirri on dorsal-fin elements. Latridae can be distinguished from all other cirrhitoids by having two supraneurals preceding the first neural spine, except for Mendosoma, which can be distinguished by having a single dorsal-fin spine articulating with the first dorsal pterygiophore (as opposed to two in all other families within Cirrhitoidei; Fig. 2). While not all larvae have been described, Latridae remains the only family in Cirrhitoidei to exhibit a late-larval ‘paperfish’ stage where larvae have deep bodies with a strong ventral keel adapted for pelagic life.