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Category |
Common Name |
Species Name |
Notes |
|
1 |
Triggerfish |
Clown Triggerfish |
Ballistoides conspicillum |
Also known as the big spotted triggerfish. Inhabits outer reef areas and feeds upon crustaceans and mollusks by crushing them with powerful teeth. They are voracious eaters, and divers report seeing the clown triggerfish devour beds of pearl oysters. Do not eat this fish. According to an 1878 account, "the poisonous flesh acts primarily upon the nervous tissue of the stomach, occasioning violent spasms of that organ, and shortly afterwards all the muscles of the body. |
|
2 |
Snapper |
Red Emperor |
Lutjanus sebae |
Called seaperch in Australia. Inhabits the areas around lagoon coral reefs and sandy bottoms. The red emperor is a valuable food fish and considered a great sporting fish that fights with fury when hooked. The flesh of an old fish is just as tender to eat as that of the very young. |
|
3 |
Wrasse |
Giant Maori Wrasse |
Cheilinus undulatus |
This is the largest of all the wrasse. It is found in dense reef areas, feeding on a wide variety of mollusks, fishes, sea urchins, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. In spite of its immense size, divers find it a very wary fish. |
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4 |
Angelfish |
Blue Angelfish |
Pomacanthus nauarchus |
Habitat is around boulders, caves, coral ledges and crevices in shallow waters. Swims alone or in groups. |
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5 |
Cod |
Lunartail Rockcod |
Variola louti |
Also known as the coronation trout. It is found around coral reefs from shallow to very deep waters. Feeds primarily on small fishes. |
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6 |
Scorpionfish |
Firefish |
Pterois volitans |
Also known as the turkeyfish. Inhabits reef caves and crevices. The firefish is usually stationary during the day, but feeds actively at night. Favorite foods are crustaceans. |
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7 |
Butterflyfish |
Ornate Butterflyfish |
Chaetodon Ornatissimus |
Normally seen in pairs around dense coral areas from very shallow to moderate depths. The butterflyfish feeds mainly on coral polyps and anemones. |
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8 |
Shark |
Swell Shark |
Cephaloscyllium ventriosum |
Inhabits shallow reef caves and crevices and kelp beds along the coast and offshore islands. This shark feeds at night on fishes and crustaceans and is totally harmless to divers. |
|
9 |
Ray |
Bat Ray |
Myliobatis californica |
Also know as the grinder ray because of its flat grinding teeth used to crush its meal of crustaceans or invertebrates. Inhabits bays, sloughs, and kelp beds with sandy bottoms. |
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10 |
Eel |
California Moray |
Gymnothorax mordax |
This fish hides in a shallow-water lair with just its head protruding during the day. At night it feeds on octopuses, crustaceans, and small fish close by. |
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11 |
Cod |
Lingcod |
Ophiodon elongatus |
Widely found from near the shore to very deep waters. Young fish stay on sand or mud bottoms of bays and inshore areas. The lingcod is a voracious predator, eating many different fishes and octopuses. |
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12 |
Sculpin |
Cabezon |
Scorpaenichthys marmoratus |
Often called the great marbled sculpin. Found over rocky or shell-encrusted bottoms from shallow to moderately deep waters. It feeds primarily on crustaceans and mollusks. |
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13 |
Spadefish |
Atlantic Spadefish |
Chaetodiperus faber |
Found in mid-water areas around reefs, wrecks and bridges. The tiny, all-black juveniles drift motionless in the shallows, looking like leaves and pods of mangrove. |
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14 |
Shark |
Nurse Shark |
Ginglymostoma cirratum |
Frequently found under rock or reef ledges. Carnivorous with well-developed organs for scent and vibration detection. |
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