Centrolophus

The black ruff has a robust fusiform body shape and can grow to a length . The dorsal fin has five spines and 37 to 41 soft rays, the anal fin has three spines and 20 to 24 soft rays. The bases of these fins have a fleshy sheath clad with scales that partially conceals the rays. The head is grey and the body colour violet-black, dark brown or purplish, with a paler belly. The fins are darker than the body colour. Sometimes there are indistinct spots or a marbled pattern. The otoliths of black ruff are thin and delicate, and about 15 mm in length for a 40 cm fish. ==Distribution and habitat==

The black ruff is known from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, where its range extends from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts, the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea; also from the southeastern Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, its range including South Africa and Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Southern Ocean. It is a pelagic fish, and has been caught at a wide range of depths, from close to the ocean surface to over 1000 m. ==Ecology==

Juvenile fish are believed to live in surface waters but adults live at greater depths where they may form small schools. Black ruff is a generalist feeder, preying on any available organisms of suitable size that are present. Prey items include small fish, crustaceans such as copepods and amphipods, squid, medusae and ctenophores. ==References==