Gramma dejongi

Gramma dejongi was first formally described in 2010 by the American fish biologists Benjamin C. Victor and John E. Randall with its type locality given as Sancti Spíritus, off Trinidad, Cuba at 21.7896°N, 80.0579°W, from a depth of around {{cvt|20|m}}.{{Cof genus|genus=Gramma|access-date=7 July 2025}} It is closely related to the more widespread and sympatric Royal gramma (G. loreto) and has similar meristic measurements but it lives in deeper water, never swims upside down and is consistently smaller and different in color pattern, Victor and Randall postulated that it may be an example of sympatric speciation. The genus Gramma is classified in the family Grammatidae,{{Cof family|family=Grammatidae|access-date=7 July 2025}} being the type genus of that family.{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue = 2 | pages = 1–230| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }} Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classifies the Grammatidae in the order Blenniiformes.{{cite web |author1=Richard van der Laan |author1-link=Richard van der Laan |author2=William N. Eschmeyer |author2-link=William N. Eschmeyer |author3=Ronald Fricke |author3-link=Ronald Fricke |title=Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification |url=https://www.calacademy.org/scientists/catalog-of-fishes-classification |work=Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes |publisher=California Academy of Sciences |access-date=7 July 2025}}

Gramma dejongi is classified within the genus Gramma, this name means "line" and is a reference to the broken lateral line running close to the line of the back and broken between the dorsal fin and the caudal peduncle. The specific name honors the Dutch marine aquarium trader Arie De Jong who was the first to recognize this was a potential new species and provided the type specimens.{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/cichliformes8/ |title=Order CICHLIFORMES: Families AMBASSIDAE, GRAMMATIDAE, PLESIOPIDAE, OPISTOGNATHIDAE, POLYCENTRIDAE, EMBIOTOCIDAE and PHOLIDICHTHYIDAE |author=Christopher Sharpf |date=18 April 2025 |access-date=7 July 2025 |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}

Gramma dejongi is distinctive among the basslets as having a primary color that is not purple. It is instead primarily golden yellow with purple patches on its fins and a slight path on the belly near the fins. There is also a black spot on the dorsal fin. It is relatively small at about {{cvt|7|cm|in}}, smaller than the Royal gramma.{{cite journal |author=Victor, Benjamin C. |author2= Randall, John E. |name-list-style=& |s2cid=32152520 |title=Gramma dejongi, a New Basslet (Perciformes: Grammatidae) from Cuba, a Sympatric Sibling Species of G. loreto |journal=Zoological Studies |date=2010 |volume=49 |issue=6 |pages=865–871 |url=https://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/49.6/865.pdf}}

Gramma dejongi is considered to be largely endemic to the waters around southern Cuba. However a solitary individual has been found off the coast of the Little Cayman Island in the Cayman Islands. Whether this represents another population or a displaced individual cannot be confirmed.{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1007/s00338-013-1089-y|bibcode = 2014CorRe..33..221L|title = First record of the basslet Gramma dejongi outside of Cuba|year = 2014|last1 = Lohr|first1 = K. E.|last2 = Camp|first2 = E. F.|last3 = Manfrino|first3 = C.|journal = Coral Reefs|volume = 33|issue = 1|pages = 221|doi-access = free|hdl = 1834/28589|hdl-access = free}}

Gramma dejongi is popular as an aquarium pet, but due to its recent discovery it has not been as popular as other species. Its temperament is similar to that of the other Gramma species. Of note it is the first basslet to have a distinct color morph bred by enthusiasts, that being the "Platinum" variant, in which the purple coloration is replaced by a white color.{{Cite web | url=https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2019/11/26/the-first-designer-basslet-meet-biotas-platinum-gramma-dejongi/ | title=The First Designer Basslet? Meet Biota's "Platinum" Gramma dejongi | access-date=2020-02-28 | archive-date=2023-09-22 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922010526/https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2019/11/26/the-first-designer-basslet-meet-biotas-platinum-gramma-dejongi/ | url-status=dead }}

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Category:Fish described in 2010

Category:Taxa named by John Ernest Randall

dejongi

Category:Endemic fauna of Cuba

Category:Fish of Cuba