A review of 263 years of taxonomic research on Hypoplectrus (Perciformes: Serranidae), with a redescription of Hypoplectrus affinis (Poey, 1861)
Author
Puebla, Oscar
0000-0001-9700-5841
Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Ecology Department, Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany & Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse 9 - 11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), Balboa, Panama, Republic of Panama & oscar. puebla @ leibniz-zmt. de; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9700 - 5841
oscar.puebla@leibniz-zmt.de
Author
Coulmance, Floriane
0000-0002-8382-2610
Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Ecology Department, Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany & Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse 9 - 11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), Balboa, Panama, Republic of Panama & https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 8382 - 2610
Author
Estapé, Carlos J.
197 Gulfview Dr. Islamorada, FL 33036, USA
Author
Estapé, Allison Morgan
197 Gulfview Dr. Islamorada, FL 33036, USA
Author
Robertson, D. Ross
0000-0003-3972-149X
https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 3972 - 149 X
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-01-26
5093
2
101
141
journal article
2409
10.11646/zootaxa.5093.2.1
fac6a06c-c9c2-4064-9094-afaea12a173f
1175-5326
5905169
676BA7CF-006A-4C6C-BA7B-06D09E299841
Hypoplectrus affinis
Poey, 1868
Common names: English: bluelip hamlet
Spanish: vaca de labios azules
French: hamlet à lèvres bleues
Fig. 3
;
Tables 2
,
3
Plectropoma affine
Poey 1861:427
(
type
locality
Cuba
)
Hypoplectrus chlorurus
Poey 1868:290
;
Guitart 1977:361
;
Domeier 1994:105
Hypoplectrus puella
var.
affinis
Jordan
& Eigenman 1890:385
Hypoplectrus unicolor affinis
Jordan
& Evermann 1896:1193
Neotype
.
STRI 18986,
81.2 mm
SL,
Punta Juan
, Isla
Cristóbal
,
Bocas del Toro
,
Panama
(
9º17’54”N
82º17’22”W
),
8.5 m
depth
,
March 25 2005
, reef, microspear,
O. Puebla
and
B. Holt
(ERS8632037).
Additional material.
STRI 19174,
75.7 mm
SL,
Cayos Holandeses
,
Guna Yala
,
Panama
(
9º34’49”N
78º41’39”W
),
8.5 m
depth
,
May 7 2005
, reef, microspear,
O. Puebla
and
A. Castillo.
STRI 19293,
90.5 mm
SL,
Cayos Holandeses,
Guna Yala
,
Panama
(
9º34’35”N
78º43’45”W
),
12 m
depth
,
May 22 2005
, reef, microspear,
O. Puebla
and
D. Roche.
STRI 19294,
83.3 mm
SL,
Cayos Holandeses,
Guna Yala
,
Panama
(
9º34’35”N
78º43’45”W
),
12 m
depth
,
May 22 2005
, reef, microspear,
O. Puebla
and
D. Roche.
STRI 19519,
75.6 mm
SL,
Cayos Ingleses,
Guna Yala
,
Panama
(
9º17’27”N
78º8’25”W
),
6 m
depth
,
May 14 2005
, reef, microspear
.
Diagnosis.
Hypoplectrus affinis
is distinguished from all named congeners by colouration. The body and dorsal fin are brown, without dark vertical bars, the pelvic fins are bright smoky blue and anal fin ranges from smokyblue to brown with smoky blue tones (
Figure 3
). The lips are smoky blue and the iris is yellow. The most similarly coloured, unbarred hamlets are
H. randallorum
,
H. chlorurus
,
H. nigricans
and
H. atlahua
, which differ most from
H. affinis
in the ground colour of the body: lighter (tan) in
H. randallorum
(which also has large dark spots on the caudal peduncle and snout) and darker (black) in
H. chlorurus
,
H. nigricans
and
H. atlahua
(plus
H. chlorurus
has yellow pectoral and caudal fins).
Description.
The morphometric measurements and meristic counts of the
neotype
and additional material are presented in
Table 2
. Dorsal X, 15; anal III, 7; pelvic I, 5; pectoral rays 13; mouth terminal. Morphometrics as percentage SL (mean, min–max): body depth 39.8% SL (37.3–43.9); body compressed, width 15.6 (13.5–18.2); head length 36.4 (34.9–38.7); snout length 11.6 (10.3–13.3); orbit diameter 8.7 (8.6–8.8); interorbital width 8.7 (8.4–9.2); upper jaw length 15.9 (14.7–17.0); caudal–peduncle depth 13.6 (13.0–14.1); caudal–peduncle length 11.4 (10.6–12.2); predorsal length 36.4 (35.0–38.5); prepelvic length 36.9 (35.4–38.9); prepectoral length 34.7 (32.6– 37.0); base of dorsal fin 51.4 (49.0–54.3); base of anal fin 16.7 (15.4–18.1); longest dorsal spine 14.6 (13.6–15.6); longest anal spine 14.0 (13.3–14.6); longest anal ray 17.1 (16.1–18.8); caudal fin length 23.6 (20.4–25.5); pectoral fin length 29.5 (27.9–31.3); pelvic fin length 23.9 (22.5–25.1). Morphometrics as percentage HL (mean, min–max): snout length 31.9 (28.5–34.5); upper jaw length 43.8 (38.0–47.2) interorbital width (24.0, 21.8–26.5); orbit diameter (24.0, 22.4–25.4). Body moderately deep, caudal fin truncate, pelvic fins elongate ovals with rounded tips.
A detailed summary of the morphological characteristics that are common to all
Hypoplectrus
species
is provided in
Lobel (2011)
. This summary is repeated here for completeness with minor modifications relevant to
H. affinis
: body deep, compressed, depth 2.1–2.7 times in SL. Head pointed, forehead oblique and straight, large fish with a low hump on rear of nape; nostrils closer to eye than jaw. Mouth large, oblique, opens slightly above midline, lower jaw slightly projecting, reaches under about center of eye, upper jaw moderately protrusile; supramaxilla absent, posterior process of premaxilla broad and near tip of alveolar ramus. Jaw teeth fixed (not depressible), distinct, small canines; vomer and palatines with villiform teeth arranged in rows. Preopercle angular, not expanded posteriorly, with serrae along ventral and posterior margins and several small antrorse serrae on ventral margin near angle. Branchiostegal rays 7; gill rakers on first arch moderately long and slender, 6–8 on upper limb and 11–15 on lower limb. Dorsal fin X, 14–16, interspinous fin membranes not incised or notched; no elongate dorsal spines; anal fin III, 7; pectoral fins elongated and rounded; pelvic fins with rounded blunt tips, reaching to or beyond anus but not relatively elongate; caudal fin truncate. Scales ctenoid, cover all body and head, except snout and preorbital region naked; no scaly flap of skin joining upper part of pectoral base to body; soft dorsal and anal fins mostly naked. Vertebrae 10 + 14; lateral-line gradually arched anteriorly, with 48–54 pored scales.
Live colouration (
Figure 3
).
The ground colour of the head and body ranges from grey-brown to yellowishbrown to reddish-brown to greenish-brown, typically with the lower half of the body darker than the upper half, often with a broad darker zone along the mid-flank; a faint pale bar under the eye occasionally present; the large iris is bright yellow to orange-yellow; the lips are smoky blue, colour that extends along the ventral body profile to the origin of the anal fin, and sometimes up onto the flank; the dorsal fin varies from the same colour as the upper body to paler, with a thin bluish line along the outer margin, often with an area of dense fine blue-grey lines running obliquely across the soft dorsal; caudal fin translucent brown to yellowish-brown, to grey-brown, with thin dark upper and lower margins; the pectoral fins are translucent, with a small dark spot at the upper corner of the fin base and a thin dark line along the upper fin margin; the pelvic fins are bright smoky blue; the anal fin ranges from bright smoky blue to brown with smoky blue tones, with a thin blue line along the outer margin. Juveniles and small adults have similar colours to adults, but with less developed blue coloration on the pelvic and anal fins and lower body profile, and sometimes, as in juveniles of other hamlets, with a dark spot at the upper rear corner of the caudal peduncle. Courting and spawning adults have more blanched colors than outside the reproductive period.
Colouration in preservation.
Uniformly light brown.
Comparisons.
Hypoplectrus affinis
is distinguished from most of its congeners by colouration. The most similarly coloured species are
H. randallorum
,
H. chlorurus
,
H. nigricans
and
H. atlahua
, from which
H. affinis
differs by the colour of the body: lighter (tan) in
H. randallorum
and darker (black) in
H. chlorurus
,
H. nigricans
and
H. atlahua
(plus
H. chlorurus
has yellow pectoral and caudal fins). The range of morphometric measurements and meristic counts of the
H. affinis
neotype
and other specimens versus
H. puella
(
n
= 5),
H. nigricans
(
n
= 5),
H. unicolor
(
n
= 5),
H. aberrans
(
n
= 5),
H. indigo
(
n
= 5) and
H. guttavarius
(
n
= 1) are presented in
Table 3
: as for the other hamlet species (except
H. gemma
and
H. atlahua
), these measurements and counts largely overlap.
Hypoplectrus affinis
has body and fin shapes and sizes similar to the great majority (but not all) of its congeners. The exceptions to that pattern, which have semilunate caudal fins and vary in body depth and in the size and form of the pelvic fins are
H. gemma
and a “black” hamlet from the northeastern Caribbean (see below).
Taxonomic remarks.
This species was originally described from
Cuba
in an addendum published on the last page of the second tome of Poey’s
Memorias sobre la historia natural de la
Isla
de
Cuba
(
Poey 1861
, p. 427). Poey first mentioned that this species is close to
H. nigricans
(
Poey 1861
)
, then made it a variety of
H. chlorurus
(
Poey 1868
, p. 290)
, and finally considered it a distinct species which he renamed
Hypoplectrus affinis
(
Poey 1875
, p. 98)
. Poey maintained this position in his
Ictiología Cubana
, finalized in 1883 and published post-mortem in 2000, where
H. affinis
was described as a separate species in a very brief description focused on its colour pattern (
Poey 2000b
, p. 90). The
type
specimens of the original description have been lost.
Hypoplectrus affinis
was later synonymized with
H. chlorurus
by
Guitart (1977)
and
Domeier (1994)
. It is not clear on what basis though since Cuvier’s original description of
H. chlorurus
described a black fish with a yellow tail and yellow pectoral fins.
Fischer (1980a)
briefly described the coloration of this species, which he observed in
Jamaica
and
Panama
(
Guna Yala
and
Bocas del Toro
) And named it the “bluelip” hamlet.
TABLE 2.
Morphometric measurements and meristic counts of
Hypoplectrus affinis
.
Neotype |
STRI 18986 |
STRI 19519 |
STRI 19174 |
STRI 19294 |
STRI 19293 |
Bocas del Toro |
Guna Yala |
Guna Yala |
Guna Yala |
Guna Yala |
Panama |
Panama |
Panama |
Panama |
Panama |
Morphometrics
|
Total length (mm) |
96.4 |
91.1 |
93.0 |
104.8 |
114.4 |
Standard length (mm) |
81.2 |
74.6 |
75.7 |
83.3 |
90.5 |
Head length (mm) |
30.1 |
28.9 |
26.6 |
30.2 |
31.6 |
Percentage of standard length
|
Body depth |
37.6 |
38.2 |
37.3 |
42.1 |
43.9 |
Body width |
13.7 |
13.5 |
16.6 |
15.8 |
18.2 |
Head length |
37.1 |
38.7 |
35.2 |
36.3 |
34.9 |
Snout length |
12.1 |
13.3 |
12.1 |
10.3 |
10.3 |
Orbit diameter |
8.6 |
8.6 |
8.8 |
8.8 |
8.8 |
Interorbital width |
8.9 |
8.4 |
8.6 |
8.4 |
9.2 |
Upper jaw length |
15.0 |
14.7 |
16.3 |
17.0 |
16.5 |
Caudal peduncle depth |
13.5 |
14.1 |
13.5 |
13.0 |
13.9 |
Caudal peduncle length |
12.2 |
11.0 |
11.6 |
10.6 |
11.6 |
Predorsal length |
35.0 |
38.5 |
37.5 |
35.9 |
35.2 |
Prepelvic length |
36.2 |
38.9 |
37.2 |
36.6 |
35.4 |
Prepectoral length |
33.6 |
35.9 |
37.0 |
32.6 |
34.1 |
Base of dorsal fin |
50.2 |
51.3 |
49.0 |
54.3 |
51.9 |
Base of anal fin |
16.4 |
16.8 |
16.9 |
18.1 |
15.4 |
Longest dorsal spine |
13.6 |
14.3 |
14.7 |
14.5 |
15.6 |
Longest anal spine |
14.2 |
13.7 |
14.6 |
13.3 |
14.0 |
......continued on the next page
TABLE 2.
(Continued)
Neotype |
STRI 18986 |
STRI 19519 |
STRI 19174 |
STRI 19294 |
STRI 19293 |
Bocas del Toro |
Guna Yala |
Guna Yala |
Guna Yala |
Guna Yala |
Panama |
Panama |
Panama |
Panama |
Panama |
Longest anal ray |
16.1 |
16.8 |
16.4 |
17.3 |
18.8 |
Caudal fin length |
20.4 |
22.3 |
24.5 |
25.2 |
25.5 |
Pectoral fin length |
28.9 |
27.9 |
28.7 |
30.6 |
31.3 |
Pelvic fin length |
23.4 |
22.5 |
23.3 |
25.1 |
24.9 |
Percentage of head length
|
Snout length |
32.6 |
34.5 |
34.4 |
28.5 |
29.5 |
Upper jaw length |
40.5 |
38.0 |
46.4 |
47.0 |
47.2 |
Interorbital width |
23.9 |
21.8 |
24.4 |
23.2 |
26.5 |
Orbit diameter |
23.3 |
22.4 |
25.0 |
24.2 |
25.4 |
Meristics
|
Dorsal fin |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
Anal fin |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
Pelvic fin |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
Pectoral fin |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
TABLE 3.
Comparative morphometrics and meristics of
Hypoplectrus
from Panama.
H. affinis
|
H. puella
|
H. nigricans
|
H. unicolor
|
H. aberrans
|
H. indigo
|
H. guttavarius
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n=1 |
Morphometrics
|
Total length (mm) |
91.1–114.35 |
87.2–90.75 |
86.65–99.85 |
91.15–115.2 |
91.25–113.85 |
89.3–143.9 |
89.35 |
Standard length (mm) |
74.6–90.5 |
69.6–73.5 |
72.4–83.2 |
75.65–95.95 |
74–92.3 |
74.2–119.5 |
73.85 |
Head length (mm) |
26.6–31.55 |
27.8–30.75 |
29.75–32.7 |
28.15–35.7 |
28.5–35.7 |
28.4–44.75 |
27.85 |
Percentage of standard length
|
Body depth |
37.3–43.9 |
37.9–40.4 |
38.3–39.7 |
42.8–45.5 |
40.7–42.8 |
38.8–44.3 |
41.0 |
Body width |
13.5–18.2 |
12.5–13.9 |
12.5–13.9 |
14.7–17.4 |
14.2–16.8 |
16.0–17.9 |
16.1 |
Head length |
34.9–38.7 |
39.6–41.9 |
39.3–41.1 |
36.2–29.9 |
36.9–39.1 |
36.2–38.3 |
37.7 |
Snout length |
10.3–13.3 |
11.5–13.1 |
12.4–13.8 |
11.8–12.5 |
11.1–12.2 |
11.5–11.7 |
11.1 |
Orbit diameter |
8.6–8.8 |
9.3–10.5 |
9.5–10.3 |
9.0–9.9 |
9.4–10.3 |
8.5–9.9 |
9.6 |
Interorbital width |
8.4–9.2 |
7.5–8.8 |
7.3–8.4 |
9.5–12.0 |
10.9–12.9 |
10.3–12.0 |
11.0 |
Upper jaw length |
14.7–17.0 |
15.9–17.1 |
13.7–17.0 |
16.2–17.1 |
16.7–17.3 |
17.3–18.5 |
16.1 |
Caudal peduncle depth |
13.0–14.1 |
13.0–14.2 |
12.2–13.3 |
17.3–18.4 |
17.5–18.4 |
16.7–17.7 |
17.5 |
Caudal peduncle length |
10.6–12.2 |
8.1–10.7 |
8.6–11.8 |
10.4–11.9 |
12.0–13.1 |
11.4–12.9 |
11.2 |
Predorsal length |
35.0–38.5 |
37.4–41.0 |
35.9–41.1 |
31.2–35.7 |
33.9–34.7 |
31.1–33.6 |
32.0 |
Prepelvic length |
35.4–38.9 |
37.6–41.7 |
38.7–41.2 |
37.9–40.9 |
36.4–39.4 |
36.7–38.6 |
39.0 |
Prepectoral length |
32.6–37.0 |
37.4–39.8 |
38.3–40.3 |
37.1–40.8 |
35.5–38.8 |
37.8–38.8 |
39.2 |
Base of dorsal fin |
49.0–54.3 |
49.1–52.4 |
49.6–52.5 |
53.5–55.1 |
51.0–52.9 |
49.3–52.2 |
50.1 |
Base of anal fin |
15.4–18.1 |
14.8–16.2 |
14.2–18.7 |
15.7–17.8 |
16.2–17.4 |
15.4–16.8 |
17.1 |
Longest dorsal spine |
13.6–15.6 |
14.5–16.5 |
15.2–16.4 |
15.1–15.8 |
14.3–15.8 |
15.3–16.1 |
15.6 |
Longest anal spine |
13.3–14.6 |
14.4–14.9 |
14.2–14.7 |
9.1–15.4 |
14.1–14.8 |
13.4–14.2 |
13.7 |
......continued on the next page
TABLE 3.
(Continued)
H. affinis
|
H. puella
|
H. nigricans
|
H. unicolor
|
H. aberrans
|
H. indigo
|
H. guttavarius
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
Panama
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n
=5
|
n=1 |
Longest anal ray |
16.1–18.8 |
17.4–19.1 |
17.3–17.7 |
17.2–18.8 |
17.7–19.7 |
17.7–18.8 |
18.1 |
Caudal fin length |
20.4–25.5 |
21.0–25.3 |
21.5–22.9 |
20.7–22.2 |
20.8–23.9 |
22.0–22.6 |
23.0 |
Pectoral fin length |
27.9–31.3 |
27.9–32.8 |
29.9–30.7 |
29.7–33.1 |
28.3–31.2 |
28.7–30.2 |
29.9 |
Pelvic fin length |
22.5–25.1 |
24.4–26.5 |
20.4–25.1 |
23.1–25.2 |
23.0–23.9 |
21.4–22.1 |
24.0 |
Percentage of head length
|
Snout length |
28.5–34.5 |
29.6–36.3 |
30.5–34.1 |
31.4–33.3 |
28.4–31.8 |
30.4–32.1 |
29.4 |
Upper jaw length |
38.0–47.2 |
38.4–40.8 |
33.4–42.9 |
40.7–45.9 |
44.0–45.2 |
47.8–48.4 |
42.7 |
Interorbital width |
21.8–26.5 |
18.1–21.0 |
18.3–21.3 |
25.5–32.7 |
28.1–33.5 |
27.0–32.1 |
29.1 |
Orbit diameter |
22.4–25.4 |
23.2–25.9 |
23.0–25.4 |
24.2–26.3 |
24.4–26.6 |
22.7–25.9 |
25.5 |
Meristics
|
Dorsal fin |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
X 15 |
Anal fin |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
III 7 |
Pelvic fin |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
I 5 |
Pectoral fin |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
The original
H. affinis
type
specimens were searched for at the
Museo Poey
and
Museo Nacional de Historia Natural
in
Cuba
, as well as the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology where some of Poey’s
type
specimens were sent. The
type
specimens of
H. pinnivaria
and
H. guttavarium
(both now
H. guttavarius
),
P. nigricans
(now
H. nigricans
),
P. bovinum
(now
H. indigo
) and
H. maculiferus
were found. However, the curators of those museums did not find the
types
of
H. affinis
and consider them lost.
Hypoplectrus affinis
is therefore redescribed here based on specimens from
Panama
and photographs from a variety of locations.
Etymology.
The binomial name
Hypoplectrus affinis
, given by
Poey (1875)
, refers to the fact that this species is related but not identical to
H. nigricans
and
H. chlorurus
(today this also applies to
H. atlahua
and
H. randallorum
, which were not described at the time). The English common name bluelip hamlet, given by
Fischer (1980a)
, refers to the smoky blue colour of the lips. The Spanish name
vaca de labios azules
and the French name
hamlet à lèvres bleues
are direct translations of bluelips, in combination with the common name that is most commonly used for the hamlets in Spanish (
vaca
) and in French (
hamlet
).
Behaviour.
The small number of individuals observed in
Bocas del Toro
(
Panama
) indicate that like the other hamlets,
H. affinis
is diurnal and solitary, although individuals are sometimes observed in pairs. These observations also indicate that, at
Bocas del Toro
at least,
H. affinis
is non-territorial and extremely mobile, continuously swimming over a large section of the reef, to the point that it requires all the observer’s attention to not lose track of it. Like the other hamlets,
H. affinis
spawns at dusk in pairs. In
Bocas del Toro
,
H. affinis
pairs assortatively (
i.e.
with members of the same species) notwithstanding the fact that it is extremely rare (
n
= 2 observations). Assortative pairing and spawning has also been observed in Grand Cayman (
Figure 3
). Individuals at
Bocas del Toro
sometimes travel long distances (hundreds of meters) to find conspecific mates, which may be due to the fact that
H. affinis
is rare there.
Ecology.
Like the other hamlets,
H. affinis
is reef-associated. Its foraging behaviour suggests that like the other hamlets,
H. affinis
is a mesopredator. In
Bocas del Toro
and
Guna Yala
(
Panama
), it has been observed at depths ranging from
2 to
12 m
.
Geographic distribution.
Hypoplectrus affinis
is not endemic to
Panama
. Poey’s original description was from the north coast of
Cuba
, Fisher (1980a) reported it in
Jamaica
and
Panama
(
Guna Yala
and
Bocas del Toro
), and we herein redescribe it from specimens collected in
Panama
. Photographs or videos of individuals corresponding to the description of
H. affinis
from
Nicaragua
(Corn Islands),
Mexico
(Alacranes reef,
Campeche
Bank), the Florida Keys, Grand Cayman,
the Dominican
Republic (Sosua Bay on the north coast), Los Roques (
Venezuela
),
Bonaire
and
Tobago
have been validated by DRR and OP. Five other valid species of
Hypoplectrus
described by Poey from specimens collected in northern
Cuba
are known from the Florida Keys, the closest non-Cuban site to the original
type
locality for
H. affinis
, from which it is separated by the
150 km
wide Straits of Florida. This indicates that Poey’s species often occur in the Florida Keys as well as
Cuba
, and supports the notion that, in the absence of photographs from northern
Cuba
,
H. affinis
also has such a distribution.