Common Name
Maori Basslet
Year Described
Baldwin, Tornabene, Robertson, Nonaka, & Gilmore, 2018
Identification
Dorsal Fin: XII, 9
Anal Fin: III, 8
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Pectoral Fin: 16-17
Caudal Rays: 9+8 principal, and 3 upper and lower procurrent and 1 hybrid ray
Gill Rakers: 3-4 upper, 8-9 lower; 11-13 total
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 15 caudal; 25 total
Lateral Scale Rows: ~25-27
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 pale brown with 7-8 brown body bars that are about the same width or thinner than interspaces. Scales with darker edges. Head with a brown eyeband of uniform width running to lower head and edged with whitish. Whitish to bluish scrawling on nape (not a line). A large ocellus with whitish outer ring of soft dorsal fin base. Median fins translucent to blue with yellow spots and a blue edge. Pelvic fins blue with small yellow spots. Pectoral fin clear with a dark base.
Size
Maximum size to 62mm.
Habitat
Deep reef habitats from 156-290m. 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.