Fish ID assistance, please.

[fisheater]

I've tried all sorts of Hawaii fish ID books and have checked lots of websites, but I have not found anything definitive to ID this fish. I found it at about 50 fsw near Sheraton Caverns off of Kaui at the end of March.

I figure that it's some sort of blenny, but I haven't found any blenny description that matches the coloration.

Thanks.

 

[Papa_Bear]

It is in the Hawk fish family! Not a Blenny at all, might be a Hind, but think it one of the Hawk fish!

 

[AlaskaDiver]

It certainly does look like a member of the Hawkfish family. I think it may be a Pixie Hawkfish in a reddish variation. Here's a nice site differentiating the types of Hawkfish. I hope this helps.

Deep Sea Images Library - Hawkfish - Natural History Images

 

[fisheater]

Thanks.

Papa Bear: I'd wondered about that, but I don't see any of the distinctive cirri on the tops of the dorsal fin. Then again, I don't see that on some of the sample photos in my Hawai'i's Fishes book, either.

Alaska Diver: Excellent website. That's a huge help. There certainly are great similarities between "my" fish and the photos of the pixy hawkfish. Unless someone has a more definitive ID, I'm going with pixy hawkfish. However, I'm still looking to see if "pixies" are normally found in Hawaii. (Not one of the six species of hawkfish listed in my book.)

 

[justleesa]

It's a STOCKY HAWKFISH

PS: Which Hawaii Fish Book do you have?

 

[fisheater]

It's a STOCKY HAWKFISH

PS: Which Hawaii Fish Book do you have?

I think we have a winner!

While the color is different than the example in my Hawai'i's Fishes, A Guide For Snorklers and Divers, (purchased at Lihue's Costco), the rest looks like a match. Plus, I've found similar colorization on another website, which ID'd the fish as a stocky hawkfish.

Example:

Many thanks everyone. BTW, that was freakishly FAST!!

 

[justleesa]

Glad to have helped On some fish you can see the bars/stripes more than others. From the ones that have caught my eye they range from about 3" to about 9".

If that is the book I'm thinking of it doesn't show nearly as much as we have. Two great books that I have are from John Hoover. One is on fish, the other on invertebrates. I know the stocky hawkfish is in that one. You can get a good deal on half.com or ebay

 

[fisheater]

Thanks.

That is the Hoover fish book. I'm hitting up Amazon for the Hoover invertebrate book.