As big of fans as we are of Caribbean drum fish, we’ve only recently learned of the gorgeous black bar drum, Pareques iwamotoi. Hailing from the coastal waters of the United States Mexico and Central America the black bar drum is not particularly rare but it is most often found living at depths beyond recreational diving and ornamental fish collection. If the deep diving Curasub in Curacao has taught us anything about the deep dwelling fishies living right in the general maritime neighborhood of the United States it’s that we don’t know jack about what’s really down there.
Like the spotted drum juvenile the black bar drum has super striking black and white coloration with a cute eye-catching dorsal, although it’s not as exaggerated as in Equetus punctatus. Belonging to another genus, Pareques iwamotoi retains its beautiful coloration in adolescence up to a length of five to six inches but unlike adult Equetus punctatus the black bar does grow into a standard looking adult fish that looks more like it belongs on your plate at the seafood shack than in an aquarium.
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