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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. 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 foot in 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. |
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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