Identify this fish, please

[rrunyan]

My wife and I were diving in Cozumel earlier this year. We spotted a small oval shaped fish, approximately 4 inches in length. The body was either black or very dark blue. It had numerous small, iridescent neon blue spots. Sorry no pictures.

What was it?

Ron

 

[SueMermaid]

Sounds like it could be a number of things and it's very hard to tell from just a description. It could be a black durgeon, surgeonfish, etc. Can you be a little more specific? Did it have any yellow or white on it at all? Did it swim with its pectoral fins or did it use its dorsal/anal fins? Where were the blue spots?

 

[redacted]

Take a look at a yellowtail damselfish

 

[Mako Mark]

That would be a yellow tailed damsel fish, who fiercly guard their territory which consists of their very own vegetable patch of algae.

They are also one of the most agressive fish in the ocean, but as they are only about 8-10 cm long, people overlook the fact it is trying to bite the nose of something that weight 5000 times what it does, and like to think that it is kissing their regulator.

If you want to have fun, grab a very small, (less than pea sized) stone and drop it on its algae, they will stop at nothing untill they have removed it.