Pygmy Sea Bass, Serraniculus pumilio

Pygmy Sea Bass, Serraniculus pumilio. Fish caught from coastal waters off Palm Beach, Florida, December 2022. Length: 8.4 cm (3.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.

The Pygmy Sea Bass, Serraniculus pumilious, is a member of the Sea Bass or Serranidae Family, that is known in Mexico as serrano pigmeo. Globally, it is the sole member of the genus Serraniculus, and it is found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Pygmy Sea Bass has an elongated spindle shaped body with a long, pointed head that has a mouth that reaches to the center of the eye that is equipped with bands of simple teeth and a moderately protrusible jaw. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 6 or 7 rays; their caudal fin is slightly rounded; and, their first dorsal fin has 10 spines and is separated from the second dorsal fin that has 10 or 11 rays. They have 9 to 13 gill rakers. They have a prominent lateral line that parallels the curved part of the upper body profile. They are covered with rough scales. Their head and body are mottled with brown and red-brown. They have a dark bar between the eyes and another from the eye to the snout, and two more from the eye to the mouth, two broad irregular bars on the body with one under the rear of the first dorsal fin and the second under the rear of the second dorsal fin. They have a white bar in the center of the belly, a row of small black spots along the lateral line, and the dorsal fin has a row of small black spots on the first spine. Their anal and pelvic fins are black, the caudal fin has a white base and the fin has several small back spots along the top edge, a black spot on the center of its base, with a white blotch above and below.

The Pygmy Sea Bass is found over sandy and shell substrate and within seagrasses at depths up to 165 m (540 feet). They reach a maximum of 8.6 cm (3.4 inches) in length and are virtually weightless. They feed primarily on benthic crustaceans. The Pygmy Sea Bass are synchronously hermaphroditic possessing both males and female organs and capable of producing both eggs and sperm at the same time.  The Pygmy Sea Bass is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Pygmy Sea Bass is most likely confused with the Belted Sandfish, Serranus subligarius (four prominent dark bars posteriorly) and the Lantern Bass, Serranus baldwini (four rectangular black blotches, each with red bar below with a white background on the lower sides).

The Pygmy Sea Bass is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean but is limited to the coastal waters from Veracruz to Campeche and is not common.

From a conservation perspective the Pygmy Sea Bass is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable widely distributed populations. They are too small to be of interest to most. They are utilized by the aquarium trade at a nominal level.