Species: Lipogramma trilineata, Threeline Basslet

Lipogramma trilineata Randall, 1963

Threeline Basslet

Elongate, compressed body; eye large, snout short; mouth at front; teeth on jaws, front and sides of roof of mouth; preopercle edge smooth; opercle with a flat projection; gill rakers long 13-18; dorsal fin XII, 10; anal fin III, 7; pectorals rounded, 15; pelvics I, 5, with 1st ray elongated, reaching past anal fin base; short, thick and spiny rays on upper and lower base of tail fin, 3 above; no lateral line; 25-29 lateral scales.

Upper head and back and spiny dorsal yellow to orange brown; rest of head, and body usually bluey-grey, but yellow can extend over most of body; a black-edged blue line along center of snout and nape, another from eye back along upper side to under end of spiny dorsal; a blue line along edge of dorsal fin; tail and pectoral fins pink; pelvic and anal fins pale blue with light yellow spots. Juvenile like adult but blue eye stripe extends along upper side to upper end of tail base; an additional blue stripe from upper pectoral base to end of lower part of tail base.

Reaches 3.5 cm.

Lives on deep reefs.

Depth range: 15-152 m.

The Gulf of Mexico to the S Caribbean.