Common Name
Yellowtail Hamlet
Year Described
Cuvier, 1828
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 14-15
Anal Fin: III, 7
Pectoral Fin: 13-14
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Lateral Line: 48-53
Gill Rakers: 6-8 (upper), 12-13 (lower) on first arch, 18-21 total
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 and fins dark brown, often with a bluish cast. A series of blue lines on face variably expressed or absent. Caudal fin and pectoral fin rays bright yellow.
Size
Maximum size to 15cm SL.
Habitat
Coral reefs from 3-74m.
Range
Bahamas to the Caribbean Sea.
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.