OP
SuPrBuGmAn
Contributor
E500 and fantastic 
Still wish I had the $$ to put her UW though!
Still wish I had the $$ to put her UW though!
Destin Jetties 5/6 & Cypress Springs 5/7 Pics!
- Thread starter SuPrBuGmAn
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I got home, checked my i.d. books, and found out I was wrong. It looks like the fish in your first photo is actually a southern hake, Urophycis floridana. The fact that there are two separate dorsal fins distinguishes it from the brotulas. Also, I found a couple of pictures of the southern hake that show a series of white spots along the lateral line, just as in your photo, plus one of the i.d. books notes that the southern hake has a "lateral line dark with row of pale spots". Southern hake it is.
They reportedly "grow to 14 in", and "although this is normally an offshore species, southern hake young move into shallow water and saltier bays during the winter months". As your fish doesn't look particularly small, it may be uncommon in a jetty environment in May. On the other hand, the bearded brotula, which is what I originally thought the fish to be, is particularly listed as being found near jetties in the Gulf. So it's still possible that the fish SeaYoda saw before at night is a bearded brotula. When you look at pictures of the two fish, they are pretty similar in appearance. The brotula, however, gets up to 3 ft. in length.
By the way, my favorite i.d. book for fish of the NE Gulf of Mexico is Dr. Bob Shipp's "Guide to Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico". I bought this about 6 years ago, and haven't seen it for sale since, so it may be out of print. The book specializes on fish of the Alabama and FL Panhandle coast.
They reportedly "grow to 14 in", and "although this is normally an offshore species, southern hake young move into shallow water and saltier bays during the winter months". As your fish doesn't look particularly small, it may be uncommon in a jetty environment in May. On the other hand, the bearded brotula, which is what I originally thought the fish to be, is particularly listed as being found near jetties in the Gulf. So it's still possible that the fish SeaYoda saw before at night is a bearded brotula. When you look at pictures of the two fish, they are pretty similar in appearance. The brotula, however, gets up to 3 ft. in length.
By the way, my favorite i.d. book for fish of the NE Gulf of Mexico is Dr. Bob Shipp's "Guide to Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico". I bought this about 6 years ago, and haven't seen it for sale since, so it may be out of print. The book specializes on fish of the Alabama and FL Panhandle coast.
I think you nailed it:
"Southern Hake, U. floridana, distinguished by a series of black spots above and behind eye; lateral line alternately black and white...Both species in Florida including the Gulf of Mexico."
Reef Fish Identification
Humann and Deloach
"Southern Hake, U. floridana, distinguished by a series of black spots above and behind eye; lateral line alternately black and white...Both species in Florida including the Gulf of Mexico."
Reef Fish Identification
Humann and Deloach
OP
SuPrBuGmAn
Contributor
Ack, you're right, definately a closer resemblance to the Southern Hake.
For what its worth, the Destin Jetty is in the channel between the Gulf and the Choctawhatchee Bay, which is quite salty. So its not too far from its expected habitat. The waters are just starting to warm up, so maybe this little guy was moving back out to see?
The fish pictured was maybe 4" long.
For what its worth, the Destin Jetty is in the channel between the Gulf and the Choctawhatchee Bay, which is quite salty. So its not too far from its expected habitat. The waters are just starting to warm up, so maybe this little guy was moving back out to see?
The fish pictured was maybe 4" long.
Similar threads
