Species: Gramma melacara, Blackcap Basslet
Gramma melacara Bohlke & Randall, 1963
Blackcap Basslet
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 XIII-XIV, 8-9; anal fin III, 6-10; pectorals rounded, 16-18; pelvics I, 5, with 1st ray elongated, sometimes reaching past anal fin base; tail fin strongly concave; 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.
Head and body bluey-purple; a black cap with an oblique lower edge covers snout, nape and front of back, and onto front part of dorsal fin and along its outer edge; sometimes 2-3 gold lines run back from eye; upper and lower edges of tail fin sometimes with black lines.
Reaches 11 cm.
Lives on reefs.
Depth range: 15-180 m.
The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Caribbean endemic
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 11
- Depth Range Min
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- 15
- Depth Range Max
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- 180
