The masked hamlet is herewith officially described as Hypoplectrus providencianus n. sp. It can be clearly separated from the other hamlets by coloration: light body, black tear-like bar, pectorals fins black or at leastwith black upper edges, caudal fin dark or at leastwith upper and lower dark margins, a black caudal saddle well developed to absent. The new species is known only from islands of the western Caribbean and adjacent waters: Providencia, Courtown (= Bolivar) and Alburquerque cays, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. Information is presented about the other species of the genus known from Colombia: barred hamlet, butter hamlet, black hamlet, shy hamlet, golden hamlet and indigo hamlet.