We first spied the stunning Cuban Gramma dejongi basslet almost two full years ago. And even though we’ve seen plenty of images and videos of these amazing and virtually unattainable fish since then, we still can’t seem to get enough. Unfortunately for our addiction, the story doesn’t stop with just this species, as it gets a little more interesting with a bit of hybridization. As if the rarity of the G. dejongi wasn’t already enough, Japan-based B-Box Aquarium showed off a brief video of a G. dejongi x G. loreto hybrid. That’s right, a hybrid basslet of an already extremely rare fish! The amazing Royal Gramma Dejongi, as we’re calling it, sports a predominantly yellow body but borrows quite a bit of purple facial coloration from its Royal Gramma cousin. The De Jong’s basslet does naturally have some purple coloration on its pelvic and dorsal fins, but every individual we’ve seen has had an entirely yellow face instead of the purple splotches we see on the individual in the video above.
With the De Jong Gramma already being so pricey and difficult to get here in the states, we don’t even want to know what kind of price tag the hybrid will fetch.
