Fairy Basslets

Fairy basslets are small, vibrantly colored fish. With purple fronts and yellow tails, their bodies are split into two colors with a black spot on their dorsal fins. Generally found under ledges or in caves, fairy basslets are coral reef inhabitants.

Fairy basslets are known to swim upside-down under ledges and along cave ceilings. They live in colonies and defend their territory from other species and even other fairy basslets. Male fairy basslets guard and care for the eggs and the nest.

Diet

Fairy basslets feed on small crustaceans and occasionally on parasitic organisms that they pick from larger fish.

Size

Fairy basslets are small, reaching a maximum length of about three inches.

Range

The fairy basslet's range includes the western Atlantic Ocean from Florida to northern South America and the Caribbean Sea.

Population Status

Fairy basslets are not believed to be threatened.

Predators

Fairy basslets are preyed upon by numerous reef predators such as eels and grouper.

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