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Species: Rypticus carpenteri, Slope Soapfish

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yellowish body and fins
many dark spots: head, chest, body, fins
behind upper eye: 1 spot

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.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
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
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • 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)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 10
Depth Range Min
  • 3
Depth Range Max
  • 40