Species: Rypticus subbifrenatus, Spotted Soapfish

Rypticus subbifrenatus Gill, 1861

Spotted Soapfish

Body elongate, very compressed; forehead oblique; 2 pairs of nostrils, anterior tubular; lower jaw prominently projecting lower jaw with a fleshy knob at front; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without accessory bone above it; pores on lower jaw in patches; simple teeth in bands on jaws; 1-3 spines on preopercle; 3 spines on operculum; gill opening restricted above, most of upper part of operculum bound to body by skin; gill rakers 9 (6-11); dorsal fin III-IV, 22 (21-25); anal fin 0, 14 (11-15); pectoral rays 16 (13-16); median fins thick, fleshy; rounded tail and pectoral fins; scales imbedded.

Head and body brown, sometimes a faint yellow tint to head; fins the same color or darker than the body; in young adults pectoral and vertical fins with a narrow yellow edge; one spot on top part of eye, a second spot immediately above and behind the first, touching the upper border of the eye; often a dark stripe or row of large spots behind the center of the eye; body varies from few to numerous dark spots, those smaller in larger fish; belly usually without spots; tail fin usually without spots, but 1 or 2 sometimes on its base; a few small spots sometimes present on dorsal and anal fins.

Size: to 18 cm.

Inhabits shallow patch reefs, tide pools, shallow spur and groove formations.

Depth: 0-30 m, usually in 1-2 m.

The E and W Atlantic; Bermuda to southern Brazil.