Hypoplectrus indigo

Last updated

Hypoplectrus indigo
Indigo Hamlet.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Serraninae
Genus: Hypoplectrus
Species:
H. indigo
Binomial name
Hypoplectrus indigo
(Poey, 1851)
Synonyms [2]
  • Plectropoma indigoPoey, 1851
  • Plectropoma bovinumPoey, 1852
  • Hypoplectrus bovinus(Poey, 1852)

Hypoplectrus indigo, the indigo hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the central western Atlantic Ocean. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

Contents

Description

Hypoplectrus indigo has a deep body and head which is highly laterally compressed with a straight forehead and a rather short snout and a protrusible upper jaw. It has an angular preoperculum which has serrations on its edge and a number of small forward pointing spines on its lower margin close to the angle. The continuous dorsal fin has ten spines and 14-17 soft rays. It has long pelvic fins which extend as far as or beyond the anus. The caudal fin is slightly forked. [3] The body and fins are dark blue and there is a pattern of seven dark blue-black vertical bars on the head and body. The details of the patterning and intensity of the blue background colour on the body and fins shows individual variation with some fish having barrow black stripes running along the upper and lower margins of the caudal fin. [4] This species attains a maximum recorded total length of 14.3 centimetres (5.6 in). [2]

Distribution

Hypoplectrus indigo is found in the western Atlantic. Its ranges extends from the Bahamas in the north through the Gulf of Mexico along the Florida Keys and from Tuxpan in Mexico and the northern Yucatan Peninsula to northwestern Cuba. In the Caribbean Sea it has been recorded throughout the Antilles as far south as Tobago. It also occurs along the mainland coasts of Central and South America from Mexico to Mamitupo in Panama and among the offshore islands of Venezuela. [1]

Habitat and biology

Hypoplectrus indigo is a solitary species of coral reefs [2] at depths of 3 to 45 metres (9.8 to 147.6 ft). The species in the genus Hypoplectrus are synchronous hermaphrodites and they have the ability to move between "male" and "female" roles when spawning. [1] The colour pattern of this species bears a slight resemblance to that of the blue species in the genus Chromis and it has been suggested that the indigo hamlet is an aggressive mimic of either the blue chromis (C. cyaneus) or C. insolata . However, neither of the Chromis species really resembles H. indigo with its darker blue-black bars and other workers are not convinced by this hypothesis. [4] These fish remain close to bottom and defend small territories on or near reefs. They are wary fish but can be curious, when approach they often retreat a short distance vut then often return and approach stationary divers. [5] This is a carnivorous species which feeds on other fishes and non-sessile benthic crustaceans. [3]

Taxonomy

Hypoplectrus indigo was first formally described as Plectropoma indigo in 1851 by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey (1799-1891) with Havana, Cuba given as the type locality. [6]

Utilisation

Hypoplectrus indigo is infrequently found in the aquarium trade. [1] It is said to thrive when house appropriately. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mycteroperca bonaci</i> Species of fish

Mycteroperca bonaci, the black grouper, black rockfish or marbled rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. Other fish are sometimes called the black grouper including the similar gag grouper, the misty grouper, and the critically endangered Warsaw grouper. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from the northeastern United States to Brazil.

Graysby Species of fish

The graysby is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries.

Belted sandfish Species of fish

The belted sandfish, also known as the dwarf sea bass or stubby sea bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae, classified as part of the family Serranidae which includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. This species is found in the aquarium trade.

Banded butterflyfish Species of fish

The banded butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to Bermuda. Common names include the banded butterflyfish, the butterbun, the butterflyfish, the Portuguese butterfly, the school mistress and the banded mariposa.

Caesar grunt Species of fish

The Caesar grunt, also known as the black grunt, blacktail grunt or redmouth grunt is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean

<i>Hypoplectrus gemma</i> Species of fish

Hypoplectrus gemma, the blue hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

Masked hamlet Species of fish

The masked hamlet is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean Sea and has been recorded from the coast of Central America from Quintana Roo in Mexico to Bocas del Toro in Panama and from Jamaica to Puerto Rico, as well as in the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. Its specific name refers to Providencia Island, Colombia where the type was collected. It was also recorded from other islands in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. They are a unique species in the Hypoplectrus genus, defined by their unique color morph. Their behavior is largely similar to that of other hamlets, especially in their diet and egg-trading spawning patterns.

<i>Cephalopholis fulva</i> Species of fish

Cephalopholis fulva, the coney or the butterfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries. It can be found in the aquarium trade.

<i>Serranus tortugarum</i> Species of fish

Serranus tortugarum, the chalk bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae, classified as part of the family Serranidae which includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. This species is found in the aquarium trade.

<i>Hypoplectrus puella</i> Species of fish

Hypoplectrus puella, the barred hamlet is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. This species is from the Western Central Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

<i>Hypoplectrus nigricans</i> Species of fish

Hypoplectrus nigricans, the black hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is native to shallow parts of the central Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It grows to about 15 cm (6 in) in total length. It is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, with a breeding strategy known as egg trading. One fish acts as a female and lays a batch of eggs which the other fertilises. The following night, the roles are reversed.

<i>Hypoplectrus unicolor</i> Species of fish

Hypoplectrus unicolor, the butter hamlet or yellowtail hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It occurs in the western central Atlantic Ocean and occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

Hypoplectrus gummigutta, commonly called the golden hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish. They are sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae and the greater family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. The golden hamlet was first described in 1852 by zoologist Felipe Poey (1799-1891) as Plectropoma gummigutta before being given its accepted name: Hypoplectrus gummigutta. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

<i>Hypoplectrus guttavarius</i> Species of fish

The shy hamlets are small Western Atlantic serranids of the genus Hypoplectrus, which belong to the subclass perciformes in the class Actinopterygii. To this date, seventeen species of the genus have been recognized, a third of which have been discovered in the past few years.

<i>Liopropoma rubre</i> Species of fish

Liopropoma rubre, the peppermint bass or swissguard basslet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and classified within the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. This species is utilised in the aquarium trade.

Bluestriped grunt Species of fish

The bluestriped grunt, also known as the boar grunt, golden grunt, humpback grunt, redmouth grunt or yellow grunt, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Acanthurus tractus</i> Species of fish

Acanthurus tractus, the five-band surgeonfish, ocean surgeon, or ocean surgeonfish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Acanthuridae found in the western Atlantic Ocean, Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Until recently, it was considered a synonym of Acanthurus bahianus, but its status as a separate species was resurrected in 2011.

The yellowmouth grouper, also known as the crossband rockfish, grey mannock, hamlet, harlequin rockfish, princess rockfish, rockfish, salmon grouper, salmon rock fish or scamp, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Caribbean and in the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also found in pockets in Brazil. It is a fairly large fish and it gets its name from the yellow around its mouth.

<i>Chromis enchrysura</i> Species of fish

The yellowtail reeffish is a species of damselfish in the family Pomacentridae.

Spanish flag (fish) Species of fish

The Spanish flag is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is the only species in the genus Gonioplectrus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, W.; Carpenter, K.E.; Gilmore, G.; Milagrosa Bustamante, G. & Robertson, R. (2015). "Hypoplectrus indigo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T16759066A16781778. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T16759066A16781778.en . Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Hypoplectrus indigo" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 "Species: Hypoplectrus indigo, Indigo hamlet". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 D. Ross Robertson (2013). "Who Resembles Whom? Mimetic and Coincidental Look-Alikes among Tropical Reef Fishes". PLOS ONE. 8 (1): e54939 Appendix S1. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...854939R. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054939 . PMC   3556028 . PMID   23372795.
  5. ↑ Paul Humann; Bed Deloach (1994). Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications. ISBN   1878348078.
  6. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Plectropoma guttavarium". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Indigo hamlet". www.aquariumdomain.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.