Santer Seabream

Cheimerius have an oval shaped body, albeit slightly elongated, which has a standard length which is between 2.2 and 2,5 times its depth. The dorsal fin is supported by 11 or 12 spines, with the first 2 spines being the shortest and the 3rd and 4th spines being the longest, and 10 or 11 soft rays. The anal fin contains 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The first fin ray in the pelvic fin is elongated. The dorsal profile of the head is convex. The front of each jaw bear 4-6 canine-like teeth with bands of bristle-like teeth behind them but there are no molar-like teeth. The body is pinkish above and whitish below with six or seven indistinct, dark, vertical bars along the back on juveniles. These fade and disappear as the fish matures. The santer bream has a maximum published total length of 75 cm (30 in) but 30 cm (12 in) is more typical.

Cheimerius is found in the Western Indian Ocean. It occurs along the coast of eastern Africa from the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba south to Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, South Africa. It also occurs around Madagasccar, Réunion and Mauritius, as well as in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and from Pakistan along the western coast of India to Sri Lanka. It is found over rocky substrates at depths between 60 and 100 m (200 and 330 ft) with juveniles seeking protection in estuaries at the approach of stormy weather.

Cheimerius suffixes cheima, which means "storm", with -ius, an adjectival suffix. IN South Africa this fish appears in estuaries prior to storms at sea, and in calm weather it is absent from these areas. Smith wrote that if this fish is "taken in nets, one may be certain of a storm at sea within twenty-four hours". The specific name nufar is the name given to this fish by fishers at Massawa.