Common Name
Blue-spotted Basslet
Year Described
Baldwin, Tornabene, Robertson, Nonaka, &Gilmore, 2018
Identification
Dorsal Fin: XII, 9
Anal Fin: III, 8
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Pectoral Fin: 15-16
Caudal Rays: 9+8 principal, and 3 upper and lower procurrent and 1 hybrid ray
Gill Rakers: 3-4 upper, 8-10 lower; 12-14 total
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 15 caudal; 25 total
Lateral Scale Rows: ~21
Body stout with pointed snout. Lateral line absent. Preopercular margin smooth. Pelvic fin extends well past anal fin origin when depressed. Caudal fin emarginate.
Color
Body straw to golden yellow with 9-12 yellow-brown bands on side. Bands are a little wider than interspaces. Eye blue and yellow. Median fins bright golden with many blue line markings and/or spots and blue edges. A large ocellus ringed with blue on the soft dorsal fin. Pelvic fins blue with yellow spots. Pectoral fins clear. There is a thin, pale line running down the nape from dorsal origin to snout, and a faint golden band under the eye edged with whitish.
Size
Maximum size to 28mm.
Habitat
Deep reef habitats from 90–249m. Found within rocky areas.
Range
Known only from Curacao.
References
Baldwin, C.C., Tornabene, L., Robertson, D.R., Nonaka, A., & R.G. Gilmore. 2018. More new deep-reef basslets (Teleostei, Grammatidae, Lipogramma), with updates on the eco-evolutionary relationships within the genus. ZooKeys, (729), 129.