Species: Hypoplectrus floridae, Florida Hamlet

Hypoplectrus floridae Victor, 2012

Florida 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 16-21; dorsal fin X, 14, 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 lines on sides of head, blue spots on side of snout; 6 dark brown to red-brown to yellow-brown bars on head (2) and body (4); 1st body bar wide, deep and intense; 2nd body bar reduced to a dark blotch on top of back and a dark spot on mid-flank; base of the tail fin with a pair of dark round spots, one above the other, pelvics dark brown, red-brown to yellow-brown, with a blue outer edge.

Reaches probably ~15 cm.

Lives on reefs.

Depth range: 3-20 m?

The Florida peninsula.