Chaetodipterus

Chaetodipterus spadefishes have a highly compressed disc shaped body with a blunt snout and a small terminal mouth which bands of brush like teeth in its jaws. They have a continuous dorsal fin with 9 low, well developed spines and between 18 and 23 soft rays. The spiny part of the dorsal fin is separated from the soft rays part by a deep incision. The anal fin is supported by 3 spines and 16 to 20 soft rays. The front portions of the soft dorsal fin and anal fin are elongated. The pectoral fins are short while the long pelvic fins sit under these. The caudal fin is slightly concave. The head body and most of the fins are covered in scales and the lateral line is complete.^[6] The largest species is the Atlantic spadefish, with a maximum published total length of 91 cm (36 in) while the smallest is the West African spadefish, which has a maximum published total length of 31 cm (12 in).^[5]

Chaetodipterus comprises three allopatric species, the Atlantic spadefish in the western Atlantic, the West African spadefish in the eastern Atlantic and the Pacific spadefish in the eastern Pacific.^[5]