Hypoplectrus puella, the barred hamlet is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias.

Hypoplectrus puella has a deep body and head which is highly laterally compressed with a straight forehead and a rather short snout and a protrusible upper jaw.

It has an angular preoperculum which has serrations on its edge and a number of small forward pointing spines on its lower margin close to the angle.

[1] Hypoplectrus puella is a solitary species[2] which can be found over rocky or coral reefs close to hiding places.

The species in the genus Hypoplectrus are synchronous hermaphrodites and they have the ability to move between "male" and "female" roles when spawning.