Rypticus saponaceus

Serranidae
Greater Soapfish, Greater Soapfish
  • Rypticus saponaceus, Abrolhos Islands, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Rypticus saponaceus, Abrolhos Islands, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
  • Rypticus saponaceus, Abrolhos Islands, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Rypticus saponaceus, Abrolhos Islands, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
  • Rypticus saponaceus, Abrolhos Islands, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Rypticus saponaceus, Abrolhos Islands, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
Distribution
Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean
Description
Relatively small head, mouth slightly upwards facing, rear of dorsal and anal fins high, giving a wedge shaped body profile, and tail fin broad and rounded. Dark grey colouration with lighter grey blotches on sides and a bluish tint on fins. Often found lying motionless on the reef. Secretes a toxic mucus which covers the skin.
Information
  • Max Size: 35 cm
  • Sea Temperature Range: 23.1-30.6°C
  • Depth: 1-62m
  • Habitat: Coral Reef, Rocky Reef
Rarity
  • IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
  • Occurrence: Infrequent (5% of sites)
    Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
  • Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
    Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields
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