Spotted Hamlet, Hypolectrus ecosur
Spotted Hamlet, Hypolectrus ecosur. Fish photographed underwater off Isla Contoy within the Contoy Parque Nacional, Quintana Roo, Mexico, August 2004. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Bruce Carlson, Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Spotted Hamlet, Hypolectrus ecosur, is a member of the Sea Bass or Serranidae Family, that is also known as the Contoy Hamlet and in Mexico as mero de Contoy and vaquita punteada. Globally, there are 23 species of the genus Hypolectrus all of which are found in the Caribbean Ocean, of which 15 are found in Mexican waters. This fish was introduced to science in 2012 by my good friend and longtime contributor and consultant Dr. Benjamin Victor, Coralreeffish.com.
The Spotted Hamlet has wide and broadly oval compressed body that has a width that is 40%to 44% of standard length. They are an overall pale tan color with two dark red-brown to gray-brown bars on the head, blue spots on the side of the snout, thin blue lines and bars on the sides of the head and chest, thin blue bars. They have a pair of symmetrical dark rounded spots as the base of the caudal fin placed above and below the mid-line. a series of four dark brown to black spots along the upper rear body comprising one smaller rounded spot at the dorsal edge of the narrow mid-body bar (fourth bar), a larger vertically elongated oval blotch at the anterior upper end of the fifth bar, a smaller flattened spot at the rear upper edge of the fifth bar below the base of the last dorsal-fin rays, and finally a narrow squared blotch on the upper caudal peduncle filling the space between two thin blue bars. They have an orange bar under the eyes. Their pectoral fins are yellowish with thin blue lines and their pelvic fins are dusky with a blue outer margin.
Their head is large with a steep straight profile, large round eyes with a straight forehead and a relatively short snout with a protrusible top jaw with several forward pointing spines on the lower edge of the rear corner. Their mouth is large that extends to the rear of the eyes and equipped with small teeth. Their anal fin is short and broadly rounded and has 3 spines and 7 rays; their caudal fin is slightly forked; their dorsal fin has a long back and the first dorsal fin has 10 spines and is continuous with the second dorsal fin that has 14 or 15 rays, their pectoral fins have 13 or 14 rays; and, their pelvic fins are short and have 1 spine and 5 rays. They have 17 to 19 gill rakers. They are covered with small ctenoid scales. Their lateral line is complete with high arch over the pectoral fins and straight on the caudal peduncle.
The Spotted Hamlet is found shallow coastal reefs at depths up to 20 m (65 feet). They reach a maximum of 15 cm (5.9 inches) in length. They feed primarily on benthic crustaceans. The Spotted Hamlet 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 Spotted Hamlet is very similar to the Florida Hamlet, Hypoplectrus floridae (not a Mexican resident; pale with six dark bars with the fourth breaking into two). They can also be confused with the Barred Hamlet, Hypoplectrus puella (adults lacks spotting on the caudal peduncle; fourth bar is broken).
The Spotted Hamlet is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean but is limited to the coastal waters along the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula having been documented around Isla Contoy and within the Madagascar Reef on the Campeche Banks.
From a conservation perspective the Spotted Hamlet is currently considered to be Data Deficient due to it’s limited distribution. They are too small to be of interest to most. Their populations and long-term viability are currently being adversely affected by the recent introduction of the Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans, which competes for prey and space.