Common Name
Maculated Hamlet
Year Described
Poey, 1871
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 14-15
Anal Fin: III, 7
Pectoral Fin: 13-14
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Lateral Line: 48-53
Gill Rakers:
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
Bluish black above, grading to yellow on the lower head, body, and caudal peduncle. A dark blotch in front of eye and on top of caudal peduncle. Rear of dorsal fin yellow. Fins with thin blue margins. Anal fin, pelvic fin, pectoral fin, and tail yellow.
Size
Maximum size to 12cm SL.
Habitat
Coral reefs.
Range
Cuba to the Lesser Antilles.
References
Lobel, P.S. 2011. A review of the Caribbean hamlets (Serranidae, Hypoplectrus) with description of two new species. Zootaxa No. 3096: 1-17.
Other Notes
It is likely that this species is simply a form of Hypoplectrus aberrans with both sets of dark blotches present. There seems to be no geographic or genetic pattern to it’s distribution. More work is needed to determine how many hamlets are present in the Caribbean and which species are actually valid.