Harlequin Bass

Description:

These bass have long thin bodies with dark bars that run vertically down the body producing the "harlequin" pattern that gives them their name. The top half is blue and the bottom half is a shade of cream or light yellow. These fish are not as big as average bass, only getting to be between 3 and 5 inches in length. Their heads are more pointed than other members of the family.

Habitat:

Moho Cay, Belize

Notes:

Harlequin bass are simultaneous hermaphrodites, which means that they can reproduce as males and females. Fishes in a pair undergo “egg-trading” in which they reproduce as both males and females in separate spawning events. Spawning occurs in the water column just before sunset. After the eggs hatch the larvae enter the pelagic stage before they settle on the reef.