Fish ID

[sharpenu]

I wonder if anyone can ID this fish. The pic is a snapshot taken at dusk at approx 70 feet off the coast of Boca Raton, FL. It appears to be some type of hogfish, maybe? I am not sure. Help me out here! (The one in question is the large fish in the center)

 

[watergal]

Bullseye!

You bagged yourself a Spanish Hogfish.

If nothing else, you can tell by the accent.

 

[scubadweeb]

For just a minute I thought some one photographed an iguana swimming! (Get it? I.D.=identify and Iguana Don? Sorry, silly joke).

 

[SubMariner]

Looks like a Spanish Hogfish to me!

~SubMariner~

 

[Rick Murchison]

Big one's a Spanish Hogfish, as has been mentioned. The others are Tomtates.
Rick

 

[sharpenu]

that spanish hogfish were blue on the top. At least in my ID book, they are. This one is orange. Why the difference? I saw 3 or 4 when I was diving yesterday and they were all blue on the top.

 

[watergal]

Sharpenu:

Diving on a reef yesterday?! I am so jealous I can hardly type!

Like many fish, your guy has variations in color shade and distribution. They can be anything from bluish grey to violet to sunset red like your photo. Thank you for clearing something up for me; I wondered if yours was red IRL, or if it was an effect of UW lighting. One of the first things I figured out when I started learning about marine life is that color in UW photos is one of the less helpful characteristics for ID; too much variation with distance from subject, lighting, filters, developing.... And in the majority of my photos, most stuff is either white or blue! ;-0

I used to also wonder if the red type was a hybrid, maybe of Spotfin and Spanish, but the experts say, 'no, thay are all Bodanius rufus'. How do they figure that stuff out, anyway? I don't know if there is any significance at all. I can tell you it isn't a transient phase or maturity related. Juvies are different from adults in that their patch is more clearly defined where mature fish tend to blur colors in the middle, but no change in redness.

Hey, regulators, do you think there would be interested in a marine life forum? I wonder how many UW naturalists are missing this thinking it is all about gear and techniques?

:tree:~Watergal

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

Yes this is a spanish hogfish (bodianus rufus). What is very interesting about this species is larger fish (and I mean LARGER) will all crowd around the juvie hog's and open their mouths allowing the hogfish to enter and clean parasites. When they mature the diet changes to sea urchins, crabs, snails, and other inverts.

Adult size is about 15-16" somewhat semi-agressive and typicaly not a good reef creature due to their diet.

Ed

 

[Rick Murchison]

I find it interesting that in a photo of three Tomtate and one Hogfish, the showy one gets all the comments... interesting.
Rick

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

Well the orig post did say this:

(The one in question is the large fish in the center)

Ed