Species/Notes of Interest to Aquarists:
The twenty-five species of "Dwarf Seabasses" that make up
the genus Serranus have much to offer the home aquarist. They're
all small, and many are exceedingly beautiful. Many biotopic
presentations of the tropical west Atlantic would be incomplete without
one member IMO. And... there is an Eastern Pacific species as well!
| Serranus annularis (Gunther 1880), the
Orangeback Bass. Rocky reef areas in the tropical west Atlantic. To
three and a half inches in length. Generally occurs in pairs in the
wild. Aquarium image. |
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| Serranus baldwini (Evermann & Marsh
1899), the Lantern Bass. Tropical West Atlantic. To three inches in
length. Square blotches on the lower part of the body and four prominent
black dots on the caudal peduncle. Aquarium photos at right, Cancun and Cozumel below. |
 
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| Serranus psittacinus Valenciennes 1846
(S. fasciatus (Jenyns 1840) is a common synonym. The Barred
Serrano. Eastern Pacific; Sea of Cortez to Chile, including
Galapagos. To seven inches in length. Two four inch ones, in a fish
shop in New Jersey, another at home in the Galapagos! |
 
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| Serranus tabacarius (Cuvier 1829), the
Tobaccofish. A common offering in the pet fish interest. Also from
the tropical west Atlantic. To some eight inches in length.
Aquarium and Cozumel pix. |
 
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| Serranus tigrinus (Bloch 1790), the
Harlequin Bass. Common in the wild (tropical west Atlantic) and in
the aquarium trade. Grows to almost a 4-5 inches std. length in the
wild. A juvenile off Cozumel and adult in St. Lucia. |
 
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| Serranus tortugarum Longley 1935, the Chalk
Bass. Tropical west Atlantic. To three inches in length. Aquarium,
Cozumel and Cancun images. |
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Bibliography/Further Reading:
Chlupaty, Peter. 1977. The harlequin bass. Aquarium Digest
International 4(1977), #18.
Lobel, Phil. 1984. Spawning behavior of the harlequin bass. FAMA
7/84.
Michael, Scott. 1996. The dwarf seabasses. Put a little grouper in
your tank.
Thresher, Ronald. 1976. Serranus. Marine Aquarist 7:3, 76.
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