Hypoplectrus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria
Ordo: Perciformes
Subordo: Percoidei
Superfamilia: Percoidea

Familia: Serranidae
Subfamilia: Serraninae
Genus: Hypoplectrus
Species (17): H. aberrans – H. atlahua – H. castroaguirrei – H. chlorurus – H. ecosur – H. floridae – H. gemma – H. gummigutta – H. guttavarius – H. indigo – H. maculiferus – H. maya – H. nigricans – H. providencianus – H. puella – H. randallorum – H. unicolor
Name

Hypoplectrus Gill, 1861: 98

Type species: Plectropoma puella ♂ Cuvier, 1828. Type by monotypy.
References

Gill, T.N. 1861: [Two new species of marine fishes.]. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 13: 98–99.
Lobel, P.S. 2011: A review of the Caribbean hamlets (Serranidae, Hypoplectrus) with description of two new species. Zootaxa, 3096: 1–17. Preview PDF
Hypoplectrus – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Hypoplectrus species list in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2024. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 02/2024.

Vernacular names
English: Hamlets

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 come in a variety of colors.
Species

There are currently 17 recognized species in this genus:

Hypoplectrus aberrans Poey, 1868 (Yellowbelly hamlet)
Hypoplectrus atlahua Tavera & Acero P, 2013 (Jarocho hamlet) [2]
Hypoplectrus castroaguirrei Del-Moral-Flores, J. L. Tello-Musi & J. A. Martínez-Pérez, 2012
Hypoplectrus chlorurus G. Cuvier, 1828 (Yellowtail hamlet)
Hypoplectrus ecosur Victor, 2012
Hypoplectrus floridae Victor, 2012
Hypoplectrus gemma Goode & T. H. Bean, 1882 (Blue hamlet)
Hypoplectrus gummigutta Poey, 1851 (Golden hamlet)
Hypoplectrus guttavarius Poey, 1852 (Shy hamlet)
Hypoplectrus indigo Poey, 1851 (Indigo hamlet)
Hypoplectrus maculiferus Poey, 1871
Hypoplectrus maya Lobel, 2011 (Maya hamlet)
Hypoplectrus nigricans Poey, 1852 (Black hamlet)
Hypoplectrus providencianus Acero P & Garzón-Ferreira, 1994 (Masked hamlet)
Hypoplectrus puella G. Cuvier, 1828 (Barred hamlet)
Hypoplectrus randallorum Lobel, 2011 (Tan hamlet)
Hypoplectrus unicolor Walbaum, 1792 (Butter hamlet)

Reproduction

Hamlets are simultaneous hermaphrodites (or synchronous hermaphrodites): They have both male and female sexual organs at the same time as an adult, meaning that they function as a male and female, making them one of the few vertebrates that are male and female at the same time. They seem quite at ease mating in front of divers, allowing observations in the wild to occur readily. They do not practice self-fertilization, but when they find a mate, the pair takes turns between which one acts as the male and which acts as the female through multiple matings, usually over the course of several nights. Hamlets preferentially mate with individuals of their same color pattern.[3]
References

Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Hypoplectrus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
Tavera, J. & Acero P., A. (2013): Description of a new species of Hypoplectrus (Perciformes: Serranidae) from the Southern Gulf of Mexico. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 19 (1): 29-38.
Bernal, M.A.; Rocha, L.A. (2012). "Speciation with Gene Flow in Coral Reef Fishes". In: Steller. D., Lobel. L., Eds. Diving for Science 2012. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, 31st Symposium. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013.