Rypticus

Rypticus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and classified within the family Grammistidae. It is one of several genera of soapfishes. These fish live in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans in tropical and warmer temperate zones.

==Description== The genus can be distinguished from the rest of the Serranidae by a few morphological details, such as its lack of anal fin spines. It also has only two to four dorsal fin spines; other serranids have more. The mouth is large and the lower jaw protrudes. The coloration varies, but usually a brown stripe runs from the mouth to the front of the dorsal fin. Several species are distinctly spotted. R. bistrispinus has red-brown spots, R. bornoi and R. subbifrenatus have dark brown, rounded spots, R. maculatus has white spots, R. bicolor and R. courtenayi have many rounded, pale cream spots, and R. nigripinnis has ocellated (eye-like) spots, while R. randalli is more blotchy than spotted.