Curacao fish ID questions

[snorkelgeek]

Okay, I've been googling and checking out fish ID books with no luck.

1) mystery fish - about 6 inches long, looks like mini sand diver, but head was neon yellow almost chartreuse with big red lips. Back end was like sand diver, sort of horizontal black/light stripes. Found him clinging to rocks and snapping at fish hatchlings. Anyone have an idea of what he might have been? I have a not-great pic of him I can scan in if we need...

2) we saw some of what we thought were cuttlefish - but after watching show last night on reef squids in Bonaire, I think maybe what we saw were reef squid. Any easy way to tell the difference?

3) I was snorkelling and was passed by a rather large fish, rounded snout, about 1-2' deep 3-4' long, sharp fins, silvery. Think maybe it was a black jack, but would it be unusual to find black jacks solitary in shallow (about 15') water?

Thanks! Snorkelgeek

 

[H2Andy]

2) we saw some of what we thought were cuttlefish - but after
watching show last night on reef squids in Bonaire, I think maybe what we saw were
reef squid. Any easy way to tell the difference?

yup... there are no cuttlefish in the western atlantic, so what you saw were
reef squid without a doubt (i do understand from Archman that there are
some, just really really deep)

as to 1, sounds like a blenny of some sort? but it's way too big to be a
blenny at 6 inches... as to 3, hard to say, but maybe a pompano or a palometta...
hard to say without pictures

 

[snorkelgeek]

yup... there are no cuttlefish in the western atlantic, so what you saw were
reef squid without a doubt (i do understand from Archman that there are
some, just really really deep)

as to 1, sounds like a blenny of some sort? but it's way too big to be a
blenny at 6 inches... as to 3, hard to say, but maybe a pompano or a palometta...
hard to say without pictures

I'm working on getting some pics up on my photo page. Didn't get one of the big fish, but looking at some pics, looked like a black jack. Bigger than a Pompano I think.

Thanks for the confirm on the reef squid. They were sure neat things. Not sure who was watching who more, us or them!

snorkelgeek

 

[snorkelgeek]

yup... there are no cuttlefish in the western atlantic, so what you saw were
reef squid without a doubt (i do understand from Archman that there are
some, just really really deep)

as to 1, sounds like a blenny of some sort? but it's way too big to be a
blenny at 6 inches... as to 3, hard to say, but maybe a pompano or a palometta...
hard to say without pictures

I finally got my pics scanned in and uploaded. There's a pic of the mystery fish. Keep in mind, I just had a dispo underwater camera, so quality is limited.

http://community.webshots.com/album/345217862MNzEzD

snorkelgeek

 

[H2Andy]

i think your mystery fish is an adult hairy blenny (labrisomus nuchipinnis).

what makes me think that is that the hairy blenny is the largest blenny, so it might
get to about 4-5 inches (your 6 inches could be explained by the 25% refraction
increase). also they are distinctively barred, and they have tell-tale round spots
on their gill covers.

also, you did real well with a disposable. better than my disposable pics

 

[snorkelgeek]

i think your mystery fish is an adult hairy blenny (labrisomus nuchipinnis).

what makes me think that is that the hairy blenny is the largest blenny, so it might
get to about 4-5 inches (your 6 inches could be explained by the 25% refraction
increase). also they are distinctively barred, and they have tell-tale round spots
on their gill covers.

also, you did real well with a disposable. better than my disposable pics

Thanks! I'll do some research on that one. And thank-you kind sir for the complement. The fish always look bigger in the viewfinder than when you get the pics developed! He very well could have been an inch or even two smaller.

snorkelgeek

 

[snorkelgeek]

Thanks! I'll do some research on that one. And thank-you kind sir for the complement. The fish always look bigger in the viewfinder than when you get the pics developed! He very well could have been an inch or even two smaller.

snorkelgeek

ID confirmed. After much googling, I found the most convincing pic (closest to our mystery fish) right here on scubaboard:
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1048/cat/500/page/1

Thanks H2Andy!

snorkelgeek