Hypoplectrus providencianus Acero P. & Garzón-Ferreira, 1994

Open encyclopedia reference

The masked hamlet (Hypoplectrus providencianus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean Sea and has been recorded from the coast of Central America from Quintana Roo in Mexico to Bocas del Toro in Panama and from Jamaica to Puerto Rico, as well as in the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. Its specific name refers to Providencia Island, Colombia where the type was collected. It was also recorded from other islands in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. They are a unique species in the Hypoplectrus genus, defined by their unique color morph. Their behavior is largely similar to that of other hamlets, especially in their diet and egg-trading spawning patterns.

Wikipedia contributors, Masked hamlet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:52:01.842652+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Hypoplectrus providencianus Acero P. & Garzón-Ferreira, 1994

Name authority

Acero P. & Garzón-Ferreira, 1994

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Perciformes

Family

Serranidae

Genus

Hypoplectrus

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderPerciformes
11. suborderPercoidei
12. familySerranidae Swainson, 1839
13. genusHypoplectrus Gill, 1861
14. speciesHypoplectrus providencianus Acero P. & Garzón-Ferreira, 1994

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Hypoplectrus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 89 records assigned to Serranidae.

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.

1. Acero, P. A., & Garzón-Ferreira, J. (1994). Descripción de una especie nueva de Hypoplectrus (Pisces: Serranidae) del Caribe occidental y comentarios sobre las especies columbianas del genero. Anales Del Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas de Punta de Betín, 23: 5–14. [In Spanish, English summary.]. 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:3NXX9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.