Common Name
Yellowbelly Hamlet
Year Described
Poey, 1868
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 14-17
Anal Fin: III, 7
Pectoral Fin: 13-14
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Lateral Line: 48-53
Gill Rakers: 17-23 on first arch
Body robust and laterally compressed. Steeply sloping head profile. Dorsal fin continuous with no obvious notch between spiny and soft portions. Anal fin much smaller than dorsal fin. Caudal fin is typically truncate to slightly emarginate. The mouth is large and terminal, with the lower jaw often slightly projecting. Jaws bear villiform teeth, with an inner band of enlarged canines. Scales are ctenoid and cover the body and much of the head. The lateral line is continuous and curves gently along the upper body.
Color
Body golden yellow grading into brown on the back. The extent of brown and yellow pigment is usually equal. The brown area often has a bluish sheen, giving the back a purplish look. Other markings are variable or absent, including a brown blotch anterior to the eye, a blotch on the caudal peduncle, and blue spots and lines on the head. Fins are yellow except for the anterior dorsal fin (which is brown to bluish) and the anterior margin of the pelvic fin (bright blue).
Size
Maximum size to 12.3cm SL.
Habitat
Coral reefs from 3-15m.
Range
Bahamas to the Caribbean Sea.
References
Lobel, P.S. 2011. A review of the Caribbean hamlets (Serranidae, Hypoplectrus) with description of two new species. Zootaxa No. 3096: 1-17.