The basslets are a small family, Grammatidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes

Perciformes

The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...

. The twelve members (in two genera) are all small fish of the western Atlantic, typically no more than 10 cm in length. Several species are colorful and popular for marine aquaria

Marine aquarium

A marine aquarium is an aquarium that keeps marine plants and animals in a contained environment. Marine aquaria are further subdivided by hobbyists into fish only , fish only with live rock , and reef aquaria. Fish only tanks often showcase large or aggressive marine fish species and generally...

. They can also change their gender.

Distinctive features include a lateral line

Lateral line

The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...

 divided into two subsegments or missing entirely, and a sizeable pectoral fin with one spine.

A number of other species may be called "basslets", in particular members of Serranidae

Serranidae

Serranidae is a large family of fishes, belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species of serranids in 64 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers...

, where they may be called "fairy basslets."

Species

There are thirteen species in two genera:

• Genus Gramma
  • Brazilian basslet, Gramma brasiliensis
    Gramma brasiliensis
    Gramma brasiliensis is a Basslet from the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 6.6cm in length....
    
    Sazima, Gasparini & Moura, 1998.
  • Gramma dejongi Victor & Randall, 2010.
  • Yellowlined basslet, Gramma linki Starck & Colin, 1978.
  • Royal gramma
    Royal gramma
    The Royal gramma is a popular aquarium fish.-Appearance:The fish begins as a dark purple starting at the head which fades mid-body to yellow at the tail. The royal gramma will also have a small black spot on the front of the dorsal fin...
    
    , Gramma loreto Poey, 1868.
  • Blackcap basslet, Gramma melacara
    Gramma melacara
    Gramma melacara, also known as the Blackcap Basslet, is a small marine fish from the Western Central Atlantic.-Appearance:A small fish, reaching four inches in length, it is purple with a diagonal black cap on its head.-In the Aquarium:...
    
    Böhlke & Randall, 1963.
• Genus Lipogramma
  • Dusky basslet, Lipogramma anabantoides Böhlke, 1960.
  • Banded basslet, Lipogramma evides Robins & Colin, 1979.
  • Yellow basslet, Lipogramma flavescens Gilmore & Jones, 1988.
  • Bicolor basslet, Lipogramma klayi Randall, 1963.
  • Royal basslet, Lipogramma regium Robins & Colin, 1979.
  • Yellowbar basslet, Lipogramma robinsi Gilmore, 1997.
  • Rosy basslet, Lipogramma roseum Gilbert, 1979.
  • Threeline basslet, Lipogramma trilineatum Randall, 1963.

Diet and Habitat

Living in coral environment, bsasslets are considered carnivorous fish. They will consume meaty foods such as fish, squid, and mysid shrimp.

Behavior

The basslet is an aggressive and territorial fish. In an aquarium setting, it is ill advised to keep more than one male in a single enclosure.