{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = DSC 0815NAB 3.17 (cropped).jpg | genus = Hypsurus | parent_authority = Agassiz, 1861 | species = caryi | authority = (Agassiz, 1853) | synonyms = * ''Embiotoca caryi'' <small>Agassiz, 1853</small> }} thumb|A rainbow surfperch near the seafloor The '''rainbow surfperch''' ('''''Hypsurus caryi'''''), also known as '''rainbow seaperch''', or '''bugara''',<ref name=":0">{{cite web | url = https://www.pierfishing.com/rainbow-seaperch/ | title = Rainbow Seaperch | date=February 18, 2021 |accessdate= 17 February 2023 | author1 = | author2 = | publisher = Pier Fishing in California: The Complete Coast and Bay Guide to Shore-Based Fishing }}</ref> is a species of surfperch found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It is often regarded as the most colorful of the surfperches.

== Taxonomy and etymology == ''Hypsurus'' comes from the greek word "hyps" for "high," the latin word "urus" (a kind of ox,) and the greek word "cary," meaning nut, apparently a reference to the fish's shape.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{FishBase|genus=Hypsurus|species=caryi|month=April|year=2013}}</ref> The specific name honors Thomas Cary (1824-1888), a business man and amateur naturalist who was also the brother-in-law of Louis Agassiz who procured specimens that confirmed that this species was viviparous.<ref name="ETYFish">{{cite web |author1=Christopher Scharpf |author2=Kenneth J. Lazara |name-list-style=amp |date=29 March 2018 |title=Subseries OVALENTARIA: ''Incertae sedis'' |url=http://www.etyfish.org/ovalentaria/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131020349/http://etyfish.org/ovalentaria/ |archive-date=January 31, 2022 |accessdate=26 September 2018 |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}}</ref>

This species is the only known member of its genus,<ref name=":1" /> but has also been placed in the genus Embiotoca.

== Description == The rainbow surfperch displays a typical surfperch outline, with a deep body and laterally compressed profile. Rainbow surfperch are one of the most colorful surfperch, having red bands from the top to the side of the body, and a grey, pink, or orange body, with an orange face adorned with blue spots. The fins are yellow to red-orange, and the tips of the first spines, as well as a spot on the soft dorsal fin and the anal fin are black. The pectoral fin is also lightly striped, and the edge is a vibrant blue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Photos of Rainbow Seaperch (Embiotoca caryi) · iNaturalist |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1316652-Embiotoca-caryi/browse_photos |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=iNaturalist |language=en}}</ref>

They are sometimes confused with the striped surfperch (''Embiotoca lateralis'',) as both fish display rainbow coloration and blue dots on the face, but striped surfperch tend to be much darker and less elongated.<ref name=":0" />

This species grows to a maximum length of {{convert|30.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} TL.

== Range == The rainbow surfperch is found along the Pacific coast of North America from Cape Mendocino, California to Northern Baja California, Mexico.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=CA Marine Species Portal |url=https://marinespecies.wildlife.ca.gov/rainbow-seaperch/false/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=marinespecies.wildlife.ca.gov}}</ref>

== Biology and ecology == Rainbow surfperch prefers rocky shores and substrate over sandy ones, and is never found in the surf zone, preferring the edges of kelp forests or seagrass beds down to depths of about {{convert|40|m|ft}}, with some recorded as deep as {{convert|50|m|ft}}. This species primarily eats small snails, crustaceans, and polychaete worms, as well as eating algae and small fish. Young fish may also perform a cleaner fish role, eating parasites off larger fish.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=SIMoN :: Species Database |url=https://sanctuarysimon.org/dbtools/species-database/id/196/hypsurus/caryi/rainbow-perch |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=sanctuarysimon.org}}</ref> They have also been known to sift through the sand looking for prey.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Rainbow Seaperch {{!}} Mexican Fish.com |url=https://mexican-fish.com/rainbow-seaperch/#:~:text=The%20Rainbow%20Seaperch%20is%20found,and%20from%20other%20fish%20species. |access-date=2025-05-02 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Like other surfperch, the species is viviparous, giving birth to live offspring. The fish mate in large aggregations during the fall, and birth nine to 29 offspring that are around {{convert|6.8|cm|in|abbr=on}} in shallow or tidal waters after seven to nine months of gestation.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

== Relation to humans == There is no targeted commercial fishery for the species. They can be a common catch for anglers fishing in rocky areas or near kelp forests. As they are one of the smaller species of surfperch, and also admired for their color, they are often thrown back.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

The conservation status of the fish has not been formally evaluated.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.php?StartRow=0&ID=3633&what=species&TotRec=2 Photograph] * https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1316652-Embiotoca-caryi/browse_photos

{{Taxonbar|from=Q144237}}

Category:Embiotocidae Category:Taxa named by Louis Agassiz Category:Fish described in 1853