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)
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.
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.