Species: Alphestes immaculatus, Pacific hamlet, Pacific mutton-hamlet
Alphestes immaculatus Breder, 1936
Pacific mutton-hamlet, Pacific hamlet
Body deep, strongly compressed; large eyes; snout short; forhead with straight profile; preopercle serrated, with large forward-curving spine at lower front corner; 3-5 rows of small teeth on each jaw, a pair of small canines at front of both jaws, most of teeth movable; 21-24 gill rakers; dorsal with XI spines, 18 rays, with little or no notch between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 9; pectoral 17; tail rounded; flank scales smooth.
Rusty brown with darker brown blotches forming irregular bars on side; numerous dark brown and pale spots, and larger pale blotches on head and body; pectoral fins with rows of dark spots.
Size: reaches 30 cm.
Habitat: a secretive nocturnal predator found hiding in rocky crevices or amongst weed during the day.
Depth: 3-32 m.
Southern Baja and the Gulf of California to central Peru, the Revillagigedos, Galapagos, Malpelo and Cocos.
Closely related and sometimes confused with A. afer from the western Atlantic.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef only
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Submerged vegetation
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- All species
- Island (s)
- TEP endemic
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 30
- Depth Range Min
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- 3
- Depth Range Max
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- 32
