Rainbow surfperch (Hypsurus caryi) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, rocky, seagrass, at depths of ≤ 50 m.
Scientific name: Hypsurus caryi · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 30.5 cm
The rainbow surfperch (Hypsurus caryi), also called the rainbow seaperch or bugara, is often regarded as the most colourful of the surfperches, with red bands on a grey, pink or orange body, an orange face adorned with blue spots and yellow to red-orange fins tipped with black. It is found along the Pacific coast of North America from Cape Mendocino, California, to northern Baja California, and prefers rocky shores over sandy ones, never entering the surf zone: it lives at the edges of kelp forests or seagrass beds down to about 40 m, with a few recorded as deep as 50 m, and is viviparous, mating in large aggregations during the fall and giving birth to 9–29 young after seven to nine months. It is a common catch for anglers fishing rocky areas or near kelp forests in California, usually from shore or from small boats on light gear with shrimp, mussel or worm baits, and because it is one of the smaller surfperches and admired for its colour it is often released. It grows to a maximum of 30.5 cm total length.
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