Common Name
Masked Hamlet
Year Described
Acero P. & Garzón-Ferreira, 1994
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 15
Anal Fin: III, 7
Pectoral Fin: 13
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Lateral Line: 54
Gill Rakers: 13 (total 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 pale tan, grading to white on the belly. A black triangular bar under the eye is prominent, with blue lines bordering it. The upper rays of the pectoral fin are always black, with some individuals having completely black pectoral fins. There is frequently a black blotch on the caudal peduncle. The tail ranges from all black to having black only on the upper/lower margins. The dorsal fin is pale blue grading to yellowish distally. The pelvic and anal fins are bright blue.
Size
Maximum size to 13cm SL.
Habitat
Coral reefs from 7-15m.
Range
Fairly widespread in the Caribbean Sea from the S. Bahamas to the Central American coast and the Lesser Antilles.
References
Del Moral Flores, L.F., J.L. Tello-Musi, and J.A. Martínez-Pérez. 2012. Descripción de una nueva especie del género Hypoplectrus (Actinopterigy [sic]: Serranidae) del Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano, suroeste de Golfo de México. Revista de Zoología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México v. 22: 1-10.
Other Notes
More study with complete taxon sampling, many specimens from all over the Caribbean, and for multiple genes are required to determine just how many “species” of Hypoplectrus actually occur in the Caribbean Sea. The species are morphologically almost identical, and have weak genetic signatures indicating a recent radiation.