Scientists from the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, together with colleagues from Central America, have describ
Scientists from the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, together with colleagues from Central America, have described a new fish species in the Gulf of Mexico. Hypoplectrus espinosai belongs to the hamlet group and was discovered in the Alacranes Reef, a reef complex in the Campeche Bank in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The researchers from Germany, Mexico, and Panama were able to describe the new species using genetic data, geographical records, and photographs. Their study has now been published in the journal Zootaxa. Hamlets (Hypoplectrus) live in coral reefs in the Caribbean and the tropical northwestern Atlantic. They are predatory fish and feed on small fish and invertebrates. There are currently 18 recognized species, seven of which have been described in the last 14 years. Hamlets are essentially distinguished by their color patterns, which vary from species to species and are largely genetically determined. The fish can grow 10 to 15 centimeters in size.
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