Rare fish and behavior - 2 of 3
Continuing with rare fish. This is a hamlet, but a hybrid hamlet that we have never seen other than this one specimen.
Hamlets don't create a lot of excitement among most divers (you don't hear people at the dive shop announcing that they found a hamlet) but I do like paying attention to them. On Bonaire the barred, butter and yellowtail hamlets are relatively common. The tan and black are uncommon. The shy hamlet is rare (we have only spotted one) and the shy will create excitement among the fish cognoscenti.
But this hamlet is none of them. It must be a hybrid. My guess is between butter (the yellow cream color), the barred (streaks on the nose) and a tan (black dot before tail fin), but that wouldn't explain the blues and purples.
Hamlets are one of the few vertebrates that are simultaneous hermaphrodites (i.e., both male and female at the same time).
Rare fish and behavior - 2 of 3
Continuing with rare fish. This is a hamlet, but a hybrid hamlet that we have never seen other than this one specimen.
Hamlets don't create a lot of excitement among most divers (you don't hear people at the dive shop announcing that they found a hamlet) but I do like paying attention to them. On Bonaire the barred, butter and yellowtail hamlets are relatively common. The tan and black are uncommon. The shy hamlet is rare (we have only spotted one) and the shy will create excitement among the fish cognoscenti.
But this hamlet is none of them. It must be a hybrid. My guess is between butter (the yellow cream color), the barred (streaks on the nose) and a tan (black dot before tail fin), but that wouldn't explain the blues and purples.
Hamlets are one of the few vertebrates that are simultaneous hermaphrodites (i.e., both male and female at the same time).