Common Name
Peppermint Basslet
Year Described
Poey, 1861
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VIII, 12
Anal Fin: III, 8
Pectoral Fin: 12-13
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Gill Rakers: 16 (first arch)
Lateral Line Scales:
Vertebrae: 24 (10 precaudal, 14 caudal)
Color
Body with 4-5 dark reddish brown stripes about as wide as the interspaces, which are yellow with pinkish stripes above and below. This pattern runs onto caudal fin. There are two black blotches on the caudal lobes, connected with a narrow black submarginal line and a white posterior border. Fins are pale reddish. A dark blotch is present on the second dorsal and the anal fins. Tips of these fins bright white. Eye gold and red.
Size
Maximum size to 80mm TL.
Habitat
Coral reefs and deep rocky reefs from 2-43m.
Range
S. Florida to Venezuela, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Also Bermuda.
References
McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. 2005. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Volume 2: Scorpaeniformes to Tetraodontiformes. University of Texas Press, Austin. i-viii +1-1004.