Rypticus saponaceus
Greater soapfish
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 Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (4.8% 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