The Soapfishes, Family Grammistidae, or Tribe Grammistini of the Serranidae, in part, or...

Bob Fenner

Rypticus saponaceus

Genus Belonoperca:

Belonoperca chabanaudi Fowler & Bean 1930, the Arrowhead Soapfish. Indo-Pacific, far West Pacific to East Africa. To six inches in length. Shy and retiring species found singly under overhangs and in caves.

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Belonoperca pylei Baldwin & Smith 1998, the Orange-spotted or Dr. Seuss Soapfish. Western Central Pacific, Cook Islands. To six inches in length.

Genus Diploprion:

Diploprion bifasciatum Cuvier 1828, the Barred Soapfish. Indo-west Pacific. To ten inches long in the wild. A shy, but beautiful addition to a reasonably peaceful aquarium setting. Eats small fishes in wild. Hides in/around caves. Below, light aquarium four inch juvenile, eight inch adult light and dark phase Australian specimens of Diploprion bifasciatum. http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=6603&genusname=Diploprion&speciesname=bifasciatum

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Diploprion drachi Roux-Esteve 1955, the Yellowfin Soapfish. Red Sea (where this picture was taken) and Gulf of Aden. To five and a half inches in length. Shy species that hides near rocky reefs and masks behind larger fishes to sneak up on fish prey.

Genus Grammistes: The most common Soapfish

Grammistes sexlineatus (Thunberg 1932), the Sixline Soapfish or Grouper. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. To twelve inches in length. For calm surroundings with caves, of adequate size, that are well-filtered. Juveniles in the Red Sea and Maldives, and adult in captivity. Monotypic genus.

Verticals (Full/Cover Page Sizes Available)

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Genus Pogonoperca:

Pogonoperca punctata (Valenciennes 1830), the Clown Grouper. Indo-Pacific. To fourteen inches maximum length. A shy, unusual-looking soapfish member that makes its way into the trade on a regular basis. Needs plenty of shelter to feel at ease in captivity. Aquarium image. One other species in this genus.

Genus Rypticus:

Rypticus bicolor Valenciennes 1846, the Mottled Soapfish. Baja California to Peru. To 11 inches.
Costa Rica (Pacific side) 2011

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Rypticus nigripinnis (Bloch & Schneider 1801), the Greater Soapfish. To eight inches in length. A dark band over the eyes/forehead distinguishes this species from the sympatric R. bicolor found in about the same range. Galapagos image.

Rypticus saponaceus Gill 1861, the Blackgill Soapfish. Eastern Pacific; Sea of Cortez to Northern Peru, Galapagos. To thirteen inches in length. Somber, but of an interesting shape. Occasionally imported into pet-fish markets. In Cozumel, Mexico and Bonaire. There are eight species in this genus.

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Bibliography/Further Reading:

Michael, Scott W. 1999. Lather up- it's the Soapfishes. AFM 6/99.

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