tan hamlet
Hypoplectrus randallorum
Light brown hamlet of the western Caribbean reefs, with spots on the snout and at the base of the pectoral.
Also called: badejo-bronzeado, tan hamlet
- maximum
- 8 cm
who is the tan hamlet
The bronze hamlet belongs to the family Serranidae and reaches 8.1 cm. It lives in tropical waters and is very small. It occurs on reefs of the western Caribbean, from the Lesser Antilles to Central America, and in Latin America it appears in Belize. It eats small fish, and its body is short and deep. It is caught commercially. It belongs to the same genus as other Caribbean hamlets, such as the black hamlet and the Maya hamlet, which are darker or blue.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the tan hamlet; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- A specimen collected in Jamaica had eaten a cleaner goby, a small fish that cleans other fish.
identification
Uniform light brown to bronze body, without bands. It has clear spots on the snout, one at the base of the pectoral fin and one on the caudal peduncle, which are the recognition signs. It has a short, deep body, like other small hamlets of the genus. It differs from the black hamlet and the Maya hamlet by its light color and the spots.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
In Latin America it occurs in Belize, in the western Caribbean.
Habitat: Shallow reefs of the western Caribbean.
rules for the tan hamlet
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It poses no danger to the angler. Being small, it can be released right away.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01778, b = 3.03; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Hypoplectrus randallorum (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hypoplectrus randallorumNames by country and language.
