denise
03-01-2009, 08:30 PM
A hamlet is a small grouping fish found mainly on coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. They are especially common around Florida and the Bahamas.
Hamlets are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning adults have both male and female sexual organs at the same time! Despite having both sex organs, hamlets do not practice self-fertilization, they find a mate as regular fish do, and the pair takes turns between which one acts as the male and which acts as the female over multiple matings! This process usually lasts several nights.
There is an interesting scientific controversy surrounding hamlets at the moment: some say there is simply ONE species of hamlet, with multiple color varieties; others believe that each of the multiple color varieties represents a unique species. However, based on recent studies, individuals of like color and patterns usually mate together. On rare occasions different looking hamlets will mate, but this produces offspring lacking the common patterns and colors, indicating that the common distinct color patterns represent different species.
Hamlets are a popular aquarium fish as they are easy to look after, and come in a variety of colors.
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/butterhamletrob_1.jpg
Butter Hamlet, Hypoplectrus unicolor
Photo by Robert Palmer
The Butter Hamlet has a very distinctive feature, it has a dark satellite patch on the base of its tail. Their main body color is a pale grayish-white to light yellow, with light squiggly blue lines on the head and gill cover. Up close you can also see a black spot on it's nose outlined in blue. This small fish (3-5 inches in length) ranges across the entire Caribbean, but is most common around Florida. Butter Hamlets generally live and stay in a well defined territory on the bottom. They are very shy and it can be difficult for divers or photographers to get close to them.
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/shyhamletrob_6.jpg
Shy Hamlet, Hypoplectrus guttavarius
Photo by Robert Palmer
This hamlet is easily distinguished as all its fins are bright yellow. They are quite rare in Florida.
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/barredhamletdebbie_13.jpg
Barred Hamlet, Hypoplectrus puella, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debbie Buck
Hamlets are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning adults have both male and female sexual organs at the same time! Despite having both sex organs, hamlets do not practice self-fertilization, they find a mate as regular fish do, and the pair takes turns between which one acts as the male and which acts as the female over multiple matings! This process usually lasts several nights.
There is an interesting scientific controversy surrounding hamlets at the moment: some say there is simply ONE species of hamlet, with multiple color varieties; others believe that each of the multiple color varieties represents a unique species. However, based on recent studies, individuals of like color and patterns usually mate together. On rare occasions different looking hamlets will mate, but this produces offspring lacking the common patterns and colors, indicating that the common distinct color patterns represent different species.
Hamlets are a popular aquarium fish as they are easy to look after, and come in a variety of colors.
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/butterhamletrob_1.jpg
Butter Hamlet, Hypoplectrus unicolor
Photo by Robert Palmer
The Butter Hamlet has a very distinctive feature, it has a dark satellite patch on the base of its tail. Their main body color is a pale grayish-white to light yellow, with light squiggly blue lines on the head and gill cover. Up close you can also see a black spot on it's nose outlined in blue. This small fish (3-5 inches in length) ranges across the entire Caribbean, but is most common around Florida. Butter Hamlets generally live and stay in a well defined territory on the bottom. They are very shy and it can be difficult for divers or photographers to get close to them.
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/shyhamletrob_6.jpg
Shy Hamlet, Hypoplectrus guttavarius
Photo by Robert Palmer
This hamlet is easily distinguished as all its fins are bright yellow. They are quite rare in Florida.
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/barredhamletdebbie_13.jpg
Barred Hamlet, Hypoplectrus puella, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debbie Buck