While it resembles a grouper, this small fish species from the Bahamas is known as a hamlet. – Dom Porcelli
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While fishing on the shore of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Dom Porcelli caught two fish shaped like sunfish that he identified as hamlets, although he was unsure and hoped Fish Facts could verify it.
Dom: You are correct. Both fish are indeed hamlets, which are a type of sea bass closely related to groupers, and are found in Florida, the Caribbean, and throughout the Western Atlantic. Like groupers, hamlets are aggressive hunters, leading anglers to catch these small fish using baited hooks or small lures in shallow coral areas (up to approximately 150 feet deep).
Some specialists believe there is one species with multiple color variations. However, other specialists recognize 13 distinct species, indicating that the darker fish Dom caught is a black hamlet (Hypoplectrus negre) and the lighter one is a butter hamlet (H. unicolor). The distinctive black saddle behind its tail simplifies the identification of the butter hamlet.
The distinctive black saddle behind its tail simplifies the identification of the butter hamlet. – Dom Porcelli