Theme for Sept 13-19: ...Fish ID

[justleesa]

This week are looking for the male, female and juvis of a species and tell us a little bit about the fish. It's OK if they are not in the same picture and if you get the info off the net.
Here we have a male and female Spotted Boxfish
Image by justleesa (Copyright) posted at ScubaGallery

Image by justleesa (Copyright) posted at ScubaGallery

Box fishes, as their name implies are completely encased in rigid armor plate; only their fins, eyes and mouths are movable. Sometimes called Trunkfishes, they are immediately recognizable by their shape. They rely in part on poisonous qualities to deter predators.
Females are black, densely covered with white spots. The colorful males have dark blue sides with black spots and markings; their tops are black with white spots; their heads and tails are adorned with gold trim. Everywhere but Hawai'i males have gold spots on the side. Laking these the Hawaiian population is regarded as a subspecies, camurum. Boxfishes are common in shallows where the water is calm.

 

[chippy]

Hey, I can play this one

Black Faced Blennies.

The male - in bright yellow breeding colours, and the biege/brown female.

They often rest upside down on the underside of boulders (the photo of the male has actually been rotated 90 degrees clockwise, so that it looks "right" but in fact when the shot was taken, I was on my back shooting upwards).

These blennies are fairly rare in the UK but the Channel Islands has a good population, if you know where to look.

 

[maractwin]

Here's an easy one from the Caribbean.

The French Angel, Pomacanthus paru, is often seen roaming the reef in pairs, picking at various sponges and sea fans. Male and female adults look the same. The juvenile inhabits shallower areas as a cleaner and is dark with yellow bars.

Photos taken in Curacao with an Olympus C-5050Z and Inon D180 strobe.

 

[alaity47]

How about some SoCal fish?

In the kelp, you often see schools of blacksmith:

But I like them best in their juvenile phase, when they have pretty yellow tails. The REALLY tiny ones are hard to photograph; here's a slightly older one:

 

[StevenB]

Here's some classic west coast family pics, wolf eels. They pair up and make a home. That's the wife on the left and the husband on the right. What a handsome couple. The second pic is a junvenile wolfie.

Steve B

 

[SeaYoda]

I'm packing up to spend a couple nights at work due to the hurricane. This is a quick post from memory so if the fish ID gurus need to chime in, please do. These are male and female pearly razorfish. I believe the male has the spot on the side. Sorry, no more info from my brain. See you after the storm!

Image by SeaYoda (Copyright) posted at ScubaGallery

Image by SeaYoda (Copyright) posted at ScubaGallery

 

[justleesa]

Wow! Very nice photos guys! I think the different stages of a fish are quite interesting

 

[Dee]

I love this theme! Sorry I have nothing to offer...most of my pics are still on CD's in a less than ideal cataloging system! I just don;t have time to search through them right now. :06:

 

[divinman]

Hey, how do I post embedded images Chippy? I have some to share!!

Terry

 

[Dee]

Terry....look ---->HERE