Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus.Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands  (worldangler.eu).

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Fish caught off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, June 2015. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches).

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Fish caught off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, August 2012. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches).

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Fish caught from shore off Roca de Ian, Bahia de Los Muertos, Baja California Sur, December 2021. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Brad Murakami, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus, and Rivulated Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes multiguttatus, pectoral fin comparisons. Fish of similar length provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, December 2014.

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, April 2016. Length: 23 cm (9.0 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Fish caught from off the beach at the Loreto Bay and Golf Resort, Loreto, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Length: 26 cm (10 inches).

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Agua Verde, Baja California Sur, March 2020. Catch and photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Buena Vista, Baja California Sur, June 2017. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, January 2019. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, July 2019. Photograph courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo,   www.Divezihuantanejo.com.

The Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus, is a member of the Sea Bass or Serranidae Family, and is known in Mexico as guaseta del Pacifico. Globally, there are three species in the genus Alphestes, and all three are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Mutton Hamlet has a deep strongly compressed body with depths that are 36% to 43% of standard length, with large eyes and a short snout. They are either rusty brown in appearance, with red eyes, darker brown blotches forming irregular bars on their sides and numerous pale and dark brown spots covering their head and body, or red in color with similar markings (pictured above). Their pectoral fins have rows of dark spots, a key to identification. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 9 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their dorsal fin has 11 spines and 18 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 17 rays. They are covered with smooth scales.

The Pacific Mutton Hamlet is a non-migratory shallow water species found at depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches) in length. They are found hiding in rocky crevices, seagrass weed patches or partially covered with sand during the day and become active predators at night. They feed primarily on benthic crustaceans. They rely on camouflage to escape detection and predation. The Pacific Mutton Hamlet is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Pacific Mutton Hamlet is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being are found from Cedros Island, Baja California, southward along the central and southwest coast of Baja, in the lower half of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala.

The Pacific Mutton Hamlet is easy to identify, with the exception that is virtually identical to the Rivulated Mutton Hamlet, Alphestes multiguttatus (broken brown spots along sides coalescing to form interrupted stripes; caudal fin without spots; thin, body depth 32% to 37% of standard length).

From a conservation perspective the Pacific Mutton Hamlet is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are too small to be of interest to most and upon release they will immediately attract and be consumed by seabirds since they seldom are able to return to the deep on their own.