Need some help with Key Largo ID's

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

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

archman

ScubaBoard Supporter
ScubaBoard Supporter
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
5,061
Reaction score
137
Location
Florida
# of dives
200 - 499
Over the weekend I was diving in Key Largo. There are a few critters that I'm unsure about. Discrete ID's, or even suggestions, would be much appreciated.

1. Bleached (but live) finger coral of some kind. Without the healthy "Porites blue" shade I'm kinda stumped.
2. Encrusting Gorgonian over what I'm tentatively calling Siderastrea siderea. Is that correct?
3. Overhead view of some largish coral head. The polyp resolution is poor and I kinda gave up on trying to ID it. Any ideas? It's a fairly large coral head.
4. I thought this was a weird solitary coral, but the closest thing I can find in the Humann book is a "parachute corallimorph".
5. I'm stuck between princess parrotfish and striped parrotfish. These things have an orangey rectangle on their sides that is messing me up.
 

Attachments

  • bleached Porites maybe.JPG
    bleached Porites maybe.JPG
    161.5 KB · Views: 66
  • encrusting gorgonian over maybe a Siderastera siderea.JPG
    encrusting gorgonian over maybe a Siderastera siderea.JPG
    165 KB · Views: 74
  • unident stony coral.JPG
    unident stony coral.JPG
    134.1 KB · Views: 64
  • parachute corallimorph maybe.JPG
    parachute corallimorph maybe.JPG
    174.1 KB · Views: 64
  • mostly striped parrots maybe.JPG
    mostly striped parrots maybe.JPG
    118.5 KB · Views: 64
For the fish. I think the two in profile on the right are princess parrotfish (Juv or Initial) because of the border on the tail.
For the center face on fish, it is hard to say but due to the tail border I would say princess though in that phase due to color I would expect it to be larger.
For the two in profile on the left I think they are striped parrotfish due to lack of tail border stripe and in Juv/IP.
According to my Humann and Deloach ID, they say striped and princess mix with those of similar age.
I do see the orange on the sides and H and D IDs do mention it but all these parrotfish change so much between phases that I went with tails first.

I am not good at specific coral IDs but the only one I will guess at is the one you called unident stony coral. I will take a stab at it being a (very) bumpy smooth star coral. Take that with a grain of salt tho.
 

Back
Top Bottom