blackcap basslet
Gramma melacara Böhlke & Randall, 1963
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The blackcap basslet (Gramma melacara), or blackcap gramma, is a species of fish inhabiting reefs in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean. It prefers vertical surfaces with crevices in which it can hide. It can be found at depths from 10 to 180 metres (33 to 591 ft) (usually between 20 and 60 metres (66 and 197 ft)). This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Wikipedia contributors, Blackcap basslet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:59:34.911658+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gramma melacara Böhlke & Randall, 1963
- Name authority
- Böhlke & Randall, 1963
- Common name
- blackcap basslet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Grammatidae
- Genus
- Gramma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyGrammatidae Jordan, 1887
- genusGramma Poey, 1868
- speciesGramma melacara Böhlke & Randall, 1963
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gramma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gramma brasiliensis Sazima, Gasparini & Moura, 1998 | GrammatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gramma dejongi Victor & Randall, 2010 | GrammatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| fairy bassletGramma loreto Poey, 1868 | GrammatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| yellowcheek bassletGramma linki Starck & Colin, 1978 | GrammatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Böhlke, J. E., & Randall, J. E. (1963). The fishes of the western Atlantic serranoid genus Gramma. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 115 (2): 33–52. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3H5VQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.