Grammatidae is a small

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

es which were formerly placed in the order

Perciformes Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means ...

but are now regarded as being ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' in the subseries

Ovalentaria Ovalentaria is a clade of ray-finned fishes within the Percomorpha, referred to as a subseries. It is made up of a group of fish families which are referred to in ''Fishes of the World's'' fifth edition as'' incertae sedis'', as well as the order ...

in the

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

Percomorpha Percomorpha () is a large clade of ray-finned fish that includes the tuna, seahorses, gobies, cichlids, flatfish, wrasse, perches, anglerfish, and pufferfish. Evolution Percomorpha are the most diverse group of teleost fish today. Teleosts, an ...

. They are commonly known as basslets. They are marine fish found in the tropical western

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. They are characterized in part by a broken or absent

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

. The largest species reach around 10 centimeters in maximum length. Some basslets are colorful and are kept in marine aquaria. There are two genera: * '' Gramma'' * ''

Lipogramma ''Lipogramma'' is a genus of fish in the family Grammatidae native to the Atlantic Ocean. Species There are currently 10 recognized species in this genus: * '' Lipogramma anabantoides'' J. E. Böhlke, 1960 (Dusky basslet) * '' Lipogramma evides ...

'' A number of other species may be called "basslets", in particular members of

Serranidae The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae). Although many species are small, in some case ...

, where they may be called "fairy basslets".

Gallery

Black Cap Basslet.jpg, ''

Gramma melacara The blackcap basslet (''Gramma melacara''), or blackcap gramma, is a species of fish inhabiting reefs in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It c ...

'' Lipogramma trilineatum, Adult (Threeline Basslet).jpg, ''

Lipogramma trilineata ''Lipogramma trilineata'', the three-lined basslet, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Grammatidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from the waters off southeastern Florida south through the Bahamas into the Gulf of Mexico ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1401006 Marine fish families Taxa named by David Starr Jordan Taxa named by Barton Warren Evermann Ovalentaria