Species: Rypticus carpenteri, Slope soapfish
many dark spots: head, chest, body, fins
Rypticus carpenteri Baldwin & Weigt, 2012
Slope soapfish
Body elongate, very compressed; forehead oblique; 2 pairs of nostrils, anterior tubular; lower jaw prominently projecting, 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 (8-10); dorsal fin III-IV (usually IV), 21 (20-23); anal fin 0, 14 (13-15); pectoral rays 15 (14-16); median fins thick, fleshy; rounded tail and pectoral fins; scales imbedded.
Head and body pale yellow-brown; pectoral fins and edges of dorsal, anal and tail fins yellow; head and body with many dark spots, rear spots small; a single spot slightly behind upper part of each eye; belly with dark spots; tail fin and sometimes soft dorsal and anal fins with at least a few, often tiny spots.
Size: to 10 cm.
Inhabits coral and rocks on steep slopes and walls
Depth: 3-40 m, usually between 6-30 m.
Bermuda 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
- Bottom only
- 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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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species..
- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 10
- Depth Range Min
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- 3
- Depth Range Max
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- 40
