Species: Hypoplectrus affinis, Blue-lip Hamlet

Hypoplectrus affinis (Poey, 1861)

Blue-lip Hamlet

Head and body deep, strongly compressed; forehead straight; snout relatively short; top jaw protrusible; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without accessory bone above it; teeth fixed; preoperculum angular, serrated, several small forward pointing spines on lower edge near the corner; gill rakers 17-23; dorsal fin X, 14-17, no notch after spines, membranes between spines not indented; pelvics long, reach to or beyond anus; tail fin slightly forked; lateral line scales 48-53; soft dorsal and anal fins mostly scaleless.

Reddish-brown above, paler below; sometimes a vague dark stripe along the side of the flank; mouth, throat and belly pale mauve to bluish; a black spot on the base of the pectoral fin; dorsal, and tail fins brown, top and bottom margins of tail fin often with black stripes; pelvics and front of anal fin whitish mauve to bluey white; iris orangish.

Reaches 13 cm.

Lives on reefs.

Depth range: 3-18 m.

The Florida Keys to the Caribbean.