The masked hamlet (''Hypoplectrus providencianus'') is a species of marine
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 ...
, a sea bass from the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Serraninae which is part of the
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 ...
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 ...
, which also includes the
grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.
Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...
s and
anthias
Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange, and yellow reef fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The name Anthi ...
.
This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and has been recorded from the coast of
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
from
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
in Mexico to
Bocas del Toro in Panama and from
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, as well as in the
Turks and Caicos
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...
and the
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
.
Its
specific name refers to
Providencia Island, Colombia
Isla de Providencia, historically Old Providence, and generally known as Providencia, is a mountainous Caribbean island that is part of the Colombian department of Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina and the municipality ...
where the
type was collected.
It was also recorded from other islands in the
Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina
The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina ( es, Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina, ), or San Andrés and Providencia, is one of the departments of Colombia, and the only one in North America. It cons ...
.
[ (English Abstract)] They are a unique species in the
''Hypoplectrus'' genus, defined by their unique
color morph
In biology, polymorphism is the occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms, also referred to as alternative ''phenotypes'', in the population of a species. To be classified as such, morphs must occupy the same habitat at the s ...
.
Their behavior is largely similar to that of other hamlets, especially in their diet and egg-trading spawning patterns.
Anatomy and Morphology
![Masked Hamlet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Masked_Hamlet.jpg)
''H. providencianus'' can reach lengths of up to 13 cm.
[Hollingworth, Chuck (2005). ''The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Atlantic.'' Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. Fish and Fisheries.] This species’ body plan is similar to that of
unicolor hamlets.
''H. providencianus'' possesses a spine at the base of the dorsal fin, a protruding upper jaw, a flattened head, and a lateral line running down the flank.
Presumed to be unique to ''H. providencianus'' is a streak of black that surrounds the eye.
In addition to this, black coloration is present in most areas of the pectoral fins, being accented around the upper edges of the fin.
The caudal fin is also black, with a darker shade of black being present in the upper and lower lobes of the fin.
Also, a black caudal saddle may be present, or completely absent entirely.
The body is white in areas lacking black pigmentation.
Also, in comparison to other hamlets, ''H. providencianus'' lacks spots on the
rostrum
Rostrum may refer to:
* Any kind of a platform for a speaker:
**dais
**pulpit
* Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects
* Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ships
* Ros ...
.
Due to the similarities between the morphology of ''H. providencianus'' in comparison to that of its relatives, it is a difficult to classify the various species of the ''Hypoplectrus'' genus.
[Lobel, Phillip (2011). "A review of the Caribbean hamlets (Serranidae, Hypoplectrus) with description of two new species". ''Zootaxa''. 3096: 1-17.] It is believed that ''H. providencianus'' is a color morph of the genus ''Hypoplectrus''.
Distribution and Habitat
''H. providencianus'' resides in coastal waters of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, including near
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
,
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
,
Turks and Caicos
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...
,
the Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, and the
Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina
The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina ( es, Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina, ), or San Andrés and Providencia, is one of the departments of Colombia, and the only one in North America. It cons ...
.
''H. providencianus'' commonly makes its habitat in patch corals inside lagoons in relatively shallow waters of depths of about three to ten meters below sea level.
While the species may be present in the offshore waters of islands, they are the only member of the ''Hypoplectrus'' genus that is completely absent from
continental shelves. In addition, there is a lack of specific areas where ''H. providencianus'' congregate.
[Holt, B. G.; Côté, I. M.; Emerson, B. C. (2010). "Signatures of speciation? Distribution and diversity of Hypoplectrus (Teleostei: Serranidae) colour morphotypes". ''Global Ecology and Biogeography''. 19: 432-441.] The masked hamlet tends to swim in lower sections of the water column near its habitat.
In terms of diet, ''H. providencianus'' feeds on
crustaceans
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
and other small fish, much like the diets of other species in the ''Hypoplectrus'' genus.
Behavior
Hamlets, as a genus, are generally territorial and eat invertebrates by gleaning (plucking them off from structures).
[Fischer, Eric (1980). "Speciation in the Hamlets (Hypoplectrus: Serranidae): A Continuing Enigma". ''Copeia''. 4: 649-659.] Each species in the genus generally exhibits the same feeding behaviors, except for the ''
H. indigo'' which mostly eats ''
Chromis cyaneus''.
This species lives a primarily solitary life and interacts with others during mating periods.
Hamlets, including ''H. providencianus'', are simultaneous
hermaphrodites
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have sep ...
, which means they can produce both sperm and eggs at the same time, and each individual can play the role of male or female.
They egg trade which is the process of switching gender roles during a spawning session while exchanging gametes.
They spawn multiple times during each session.
It is unknown exactly how frequently they switch off roles, but in ''Hypoplectrus sp.'', it has been hypothesized that each individual swaps their gender role after each successive spawn, one releasing sperm and the other releasing eggs.
They
broadcast spawn, which means they release the gametes into the water.
To figure out when to release their gametes, they use sounds to communicate with their partner.
Hamlets are able to colonize new areas because their
pelagic
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...
larvae move throughout the water column.
Hamlets spawn at dusk.
[Lobel, Phillip; Neudecker, Steve (1985). "Diurnal periodicity of spawning activity by the hamlet fish, Hypoplectrus guttavarius (Serranidae)". ''The Ecology of Coral Reefs, NOAA Symp. Ser. Undersea Res.'' 3: 71-86.] There are a few hypotheses as to why this is, including that it limits
predation
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...
on the embryos and that UV light from the sun can’t harm the embryos at the surface at night.
Hamlets are able to
hybridize
Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to:
*Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid
*Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals
*Nu ...
and mate with other species of hamlets, but this is very rare.
They prefer to mate with fish of the same color morphs; however, they will mate with individuals of other hamlet species if it is their only option.
Hamlets mate with the same partner for multiple years in a row.
Taxonomy
''Hypoplectrus providencianus'' is one of the 17 currently defined species of hamlets (genus ''
Hypoplectrus
''Hypoplectrus'' is a genus of fishes commonly known as hamlets, found mainly in coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, particularly around Florida and the Bahamas. They are a popular choice for hobbyist saltwater aquariums, and ...
'') and was identified by Acero P. and Garzón-Ferreira in 1994.
Each species of hamlet is distinguished by its unique color pattern.
''
H. unicolor'' was originally placed in the genus ''
Perca''. ''
H. puella'', ''H. chlorurus'', and ''
H. unicolor'' were reclassified into the genus ''
Plectropoma'' in 1828.
They were categorized under their own genus, ''Hypoplectrus'', in 1861 after the discovery and description of ''
H. indigo,
H. gummigutta,
H. nigricans'', and ''
H. guttavarius''.
There are many genetic similarities between each species of hamlet because they recently
diverged (split into distinct species).
Each species generally has its own
distribution Distribution may refer to:
Mathematics
*Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations
* Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...
, but a geographic barrier is not the likely cause of the
speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution within ...
of hamlets.
Rather, evidence suggests that the hamlets diverged because of
competition
Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
between different
morphotypes for resources, food, etc.; ecological roles, specifically in habitats; and preference for mating with fish of similar color-morphs.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q307799
Hypoplectrus
Fish of Colombia
Endemic fauna of Colombia
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Fish described in 1994