Species: Hypoplectrus ecosur, Spotted Hamlet

Hypoplectrus ecosur Victor, 2012

Spotted 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 17-19; dorsal fin X, 14-15, no notch after spines, membranes between spines not indented; pelvics long, reach to or beyond anus; tail fin slightly forked; lateral line scales 52; soft dorsal and anal fins mostly scaleless.

Pale tan; blue spots on side of snout, blue lines on sides of head and chest, body with thin blue bars; 2 dark red-brown to grey-brown bars on head, a long one through eye, a short one across nape; body with one distinct bar, broad, long and intense, under spiny dorsal fin, this followed by 4-5 small, round dark spots along the upper back and tail base, those spots superimposed on 3 faint bars on the rear of the body; base of the tail fin with a pair of dark round spots, one above the other, pelvics dark brown, with a blue outer edge; median fins yellowish, with thin blue lines.

Reaches probably ~15 cm.

Lives on reefs.

Depth range: 3-20 m?

Across the entire northern coast of the Yucatan.