Tropical? at the FT, RIO Please ID? Sep 9

[Tampico_ED]

Hi,

I came across this little guy smaller than a marble. It look at first, like an sponge...closer look revealed the tiny eyes and fins. I do not see many tropicals as the year before....but I know people have reported new species coming!

RIO, Is it a tropical? What is it?

Ed

 

[RIOceanographer]

It is a juvenile honeycomb cowfish, compare to this one:

 

[ScubaSarus]

Are you sure you didn't grab this off the internet Ed on some tropical fish sight.? Just awsome dude.

Anyone for a tropical dive this weekend???

 

[video joe]

Wow!!! Fabulous images, I'll be in touch

 

[Missdirected]

Rio, you don't think it is a post larval trunkfish? :blush: I only ask as it does not have the larger spots or the horns above its eyes. I'll defer to iyour opinions as you know better than I.

Ed fantastic sighting!

 

[Tampico_ED]

Thanks for the help RIO....I knew you could get this one!!! I'm just wondering if this is the first ever documented sight of this fish on New England....so get to work buddy !!!

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm looking forward to take more ....and find new fish...

Ed

 

[johnnyseko]

I've seen one of them yellow marbles at wetherill last year or the year before.

I remember it looked like a little floating pc of seaweed or something....and then upon closer inspection...WOW!!

Very cool and great pics Ed!

 

[RIOceanographer]

Rio, you don't think it is a post larval trunkfish? :blush: I only ask as it does not have the larger spots or the horns above its eyes. I'll defer to iyour opinions as you know better than I.

I don't pretend to have been sure of that one off the top of my head, I had to look it up. I'd never seen one before, and you're right the trunkfish is very similar so it was between those two.

I actually wondered about the horns myself when I was trying to ID it, but it turns out cowfish don't develop the horns until they get a bit bigger, and the spots/coloration change over time well.

Here is a picture of one I dug up that is at a closer age to the one Ed photographed to give you a better idea:

For comparison this is a trunkfish:

 

[guggie]

Great fish find. It's a shame the poor little guy won't survive, unless someone captures him. But don't rescue him until we all get to see him! Where did you find him?

 

[ScubaSarus]

Yes tell us were you spotted this secret fish