Coral City Camera has filmed what it believes is a hybrid between two hamlet species. The live underwater camera stream captured the suspected hybrid as it swam through an urban coral reef in Miami, Florida. CCC thinks it is a cross between the Indigo hamlet, Hypoplectrus indigo, and the Barred hamlet, Hypoplectrus puella.
Both species are native to the Central Western Atlantic Ocean, and their ranges overlap in the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Cuba, and the Caribbean Sea. Both are nearly identical in size and both are synchronous hermaphrodites, meaning they have the ability to move between male and female roles when spawning.
The Barred hamlet is the most widespread Hypoplectrus species and can be found deeper than the Indigo, at up to 90 meters down. The Indigo’s blue coloration is also thought (by some,) to allow it to get up close to Blue chromis, Chromis cyanea to prey on them. In contrast, the Barred hamlet likes to follow Striped parrotfish, Scarus iseri, instead, dining on the territorial damselfish they disturb while grazing.
Both species are available in the aquarium trade and their modest size, color, pattern, and breeding behavior make them interesting subjects. Both are fully grown at just 14.2cm/5.59”. It’s their predatory nature which precludes them from most reef tanks, however, and their deceptively large mouths.
The Barred Indigo lovechild pictured retains the Indigo coloration from H.indigo and looks to be at least as large as an adult of either species. If it is a cross, hybrid vigor may be at play, increasing its potential adult size.
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