Common Name
Shy Hamlet
Year Described
Poey, 1852
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 brilliant golden yellow to dirty yellow-brown anteriorly and ventrally with a broad area of black to dark brown covering the entire rear part of the body. The dark area often has a blue wash. The fins are bright yellow and contrast with the dark rear body. The snout has a black blotch bordered by bright blue lines and sometimes a few other blue spots.
Size
Maximum size to 15cm SL.
Habitat
Coral reefs from 3-30m.
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.