Fish Identification Photos: Rainbow Basslet, Liopropoma fasciatum: The Rainbow Basslet is one of the few bright red oceanic fishes and it resides in relatively deep water.

The Rainbow Basslet has an elongated body with a pointed head that has a near horizontal profile with large eyes and a slightly upturned very large mouth with a projecting lower jaw.

The head and belly are red and there are four horizontal stripes on the sides: a wide dark brown mid-lateral stripe, a strong yellow stripe above, a faint yellow stripe below, and a red-brown stripe just below the base of the dorsal fin (as pictured below).

The dorsal fin of the Rainbow Basslet has seven rays and a yellow stripe near the base. The Rainbow Basslet has a very deep tail base that is greater than one-half the depth of the body. The tail is concave. The body is covered with small rough scales.

The Rainbow Basslet is an easy species to identify due its unique coloration pattern and it cannot be confused with any other fish species. It reaches a maximum length of 13 inches and is found at depths between 75 and 750 feet in and around rocky and coral reefs.

In Mexican waters the Rainbow Basslet has a limited distribution, being found only in the lower two-thirds of the Sea of Cortez, along the coast of the Mexican mainland south to Guatemala, and around Clipperton Island.

The Rainbow Basslet is a member of the Serranidae Family which includes perches, groupers, and sea basses which in Mexico are known as cabrillas and meros. The Rainbow Basslet is the only member of the Liopropoma genus found in Mexican waters.

Rainbow Basslet, Liopropoma fasciatum: Caught with Capt. Pata in the panga Salomé, in February 2007, in 70-degree 200-foot water, utilizing a Sabiki rig, at the Inner Gordo Bank, 10 miles north of La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Size approximately 7 inches. Fish identification confirmed by Dr. Ross Robertson, Smithsonian Institute, Panama. Description and photo courtesy of John Snow.