Florida Hamlet - Hypoplectrus Floridae

The Florida hamlet has the general barred coloration of the barred hamlet (H. puella) but is distinguished by a pair of symmetrical dark rounded spots at the base of the caudal fin (above and below the midline, present in all life stages), a break in the narrow mid-body bar just above the lateral line, and typically a short rearward spur at the top of the last body bar. The paired caudal-base spots are the clearest field mark, setting it apart from standard H. puella and from H. ecosur, which has spots as a replacement for the fourth bar rather than at the caudal base