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Issue: Vol. 5618 No. 4: 4 Apr. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-04-04
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5618.4.3
Page range: 509-524
Abstract views: 758
PDF downloaded: 209

Hypoplectrus espinosai sp. nov. (Teleostei: Serranidae), a new hamlet on coral reefs in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico

Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT); Bremen; Germany; Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM); Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg; Germany; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI); Panama; Republic of Panama
Departamento de Biología; Marina Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán; Mérida; Yucatán; México
Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT); Bremen; Germany
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI); Panama; Republic of Panama
197 Gulfview Dr.; Islamorada; FL 33036; USA
197 Gulfview Dr.; Islamorada; FL 33036; USA
Laboratorio de Biología Acuática; Facultad de Biología; Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo; Morelia; Michoacán; México
Pisces Gulf of Mexico Campeche Bank Serranidae reef fishes hamlets Hypoplectrus

Abstract

The hamlets (Hypoplectrus spp., Teleostei: Serranidae) are a group of small predatory reef-associated fishes endemic to the tropical northwestern Atlantic that are characterized by an exceptionally high diversification rate. Currently 18 species are recognized, with seven described or redescribed in the last 14 years. Here, we describe the Campeche Bank hamlet, Hypoplectrus espinosai sp. nov. As indicated by its common name, this species is distributed throughout the Campeche Bank in the southwest Gulf of Mexico. Hypoplectrus espinosai sp. nov. differs from two similar hamlets, the butter hamlet H. unicolor (Walbaum) and the Veracruz hamlet H. castroaguirrei Del Moral Flores, Tello-Musi & Martínez-Pérez in terms of geographic distribution and color pattern. Furthermore, phylogenetic and population genetic analyses based on whole-genome data from 68 individuals indicate that H. espinosai sp. nov. is genetically distinct from H. unicolor and H. castroaguirrei.

 

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How to Cite

Puebla, O., Aguilar-Perera, A., Helmkampf, M., Robertson, D.R., Estapé, C.J., Estapé, A.M. & Domínguez-Domínguez, O. (2025) Hypoplectrus espinosai sp. nov. (Teleostei: Serranidae), a new hamlet on coral reefs in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Zootaxa, 5618 (4), 509–524. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5618.4.3