Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

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Species: Gramma loreto, Fairy Basslet, Royal Gramma

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

front 1/2 purple, back 1/2 yellow
D: black spot at front

Gramma loreto Poey, 1868

Fairy Basslet, Royal Gramma

Elongate, compressed body; eye large, snout short; mouth at front; teeth on jaws, and front and sides of roof of mouth; preopercle serrated; opercle with 2 short, flat spines; gill rakers long, 15-35; dorsal fin XI-XIII, 9-11; anal fin III, 6-10; pectorals rounded, 14-17; pelvics I, 5, with 1st ray elongated, sometimes reaching past anal fin base; short rays on upper and lower base of tail fin not thick and spiny; lateral line in two parts, upper part ending under end of dorsal fin base, lower part on tail base; 33-40 + 6-15.

Head and front half of body and spiny dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins purple; rear of body, and soft dorsal, tail and anal fins yellow; a large black spot at front of dorsal fin; 3 yellow lines radiate from eye – 1 forward, 2 backward.

Reaches 8 cm.

Lives on reefs.

Depth range: 2-130 m.

North Carolina to the S Caribbean.

Note: Its Brazilian sister species is G. brasiliensis.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef only
  • Rocks
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
  • Ectoparasite cleaner
  • Planktivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
  • Ectoparasites
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 8
Depth Range Min
  • 2
Depth Range Max
  • 130