Centropristis is a genus of fishes in the family Serranidae. There are five species distributed in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Fishes of this genus are known commonly as sea basses. Black sea bass (C. striata) is of economic importance in commercial and recreational fishing in the waters off of the East Coast of the United States. Species in genus Centropristis include: \n* Centropristis fuscula – twospot sea bass \n* Centropristis ocyurus – bank sea bass \n* Centropristis philadelphica – rock sea bass \n* Centropristis rufus \n* Centropristis striata – black sea bass