Liopropoma carmabi

Liopropoma carmabi, the candy basslet, is a species of fish in the family Serranidae.

Liopropoma carmabi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Genus: Liopropoma
Species:
L. carmabi
Binomial name
Liopropoma carmabi

Description

Liopropoma carmabi constitute a size that is smaller than most Liopropoma species and remain small, with a body length that can range up to 6.0 centimeters.[1] Typically, males on average extend to 5.1 cm and females to 4.45 cm.[2] L. carmabi are found to have approximately 67 dorsal spines and 1,213 dorsal soft rays.[1] The head, body, and caudal fin of the candy basslet houses horizontal orange and lavender stripes, separated by red lines, giving it a defined vignette, thus signifying why the species chooses a secretive fashion of housing.[1] They also embody a typical torpedo shaped body, one that is common among Liopropoma species.[3]

Distribution

Liopropoma carmabi is one of five species of Liopropoma that reside in the deep waters of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, ranging from the Florida Keys, and along the eastern Caribbean, to as far as the northern coast of South America.[3] It is most commonly found near the island of Curacao.[4]

Taxonomy

The candy basslet is part of the family Serranidae (sea bass, groupers and reef basslets). It's one of 23 species of reef basslets in the subfamily Liopropomini.[1] L. carmabi houses many similarities with two other Lioporpoma species; the Swissguard Basslet (L. rubre) and the Swales Basslet (L. swalisi), including size and coloration. However, its more defined and intense phenotypic coating can easily differentiate it from the other two.[1]

Habitat and ecology

The species is widely distributed in the mentioned areas above. They are most notable for their cryptic style of living, and thus prefer to situate in deeper habitats. The closest distance they are found to live near the surface is at 25m below, and they can live as deep as 100m from the surface.[5] L. carmabi are commonly found over rocky reefs, especially areas with more minimally sized corals, and instead rich rock shelter and rubble. This particular species of fish also accustom to living at a mean temperature of 27 degrees Celsius.[1] Commercially, due to their defined and appealing phenotype, aquarium trade is desirable but rare, because of the difficulty to reach their deep habitats.[4]

Reproductive behavior

In shadier environments, or environments that cater to being more secretive, the species are prone to swim in a manner where both sexes are traveling in parallel to each other with their operculum's in contact.[2] This behavior indicates courtship between the two sexes, and spawning takes place: an external mode of zygote fertilization.

Diet

Feeding behavior of L. carmabi usually includes crustaceans such as brine shrimps and crabs that are of a small enough size to fit in the basslet's relatively small mouth. Candy basslets also consume other meaty seafood such as krill.[3]

Conservation

The invasive lionfish, Pterois, is known to prey on candy basslets, but the extent of this threat has not been determined. Due to unknown major threats, and the wide distribution of the species across the tropical Atlantic, it is listed under Least Concern when categorizing the endangerment of species.[4]

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References
  1. Encyclopedia of Life, https://www.eol.org/pages/205931/details%5B%5D
  2. Joshi, Sanjay. “Fish Tales: Candy Basslet Courting ” Reefs magazine, 2011, https://reefs.com/magazine/courtship-and-possible-spawning-of-the-candy-basslet-liopropoma-carmabi/
  3. Schiemer, Gregory. “Aquarium Fish: The Candy Basslet (Liopropoma carmabi (Randall, 1963)) ” Advanced Aquarist, Oct. 2006, www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/10/fish
  4. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, www.iucnredlist.org/details/16759167/0
  5. Baldwin, Carole C.; Robertson, D. Ross (15 May 2014). "A new Liopropoma sea bass (Serranidae, Epinephelinae, Liopropomini) from deep reefs off Curaçao, southern Caribbean, with comments on depth distributions of western Atlantic liopropomins". ZooKeys (409): 71–92. doi:10.3897/zookeys.409.7249. PMC 4042691. PMID 24899845.
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