Common Florida Reef Fish

1
Common Florida Reef Fish

• Craig Kasper, Ph. D.
• Hillsborough Community College
• Tampa, FL

2
BANDED BUTTERFLYFISH Chaetodon striatus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Two wide, black midbody
  bands.

DESCRIPTION Silver to white, black bar on head
runs across eye blackish border on rear of body,
base of rear dorsal and anal fins.
3
FOUREYE BUTTERFLYFISH Chaetodon capistratus

• DISTINCTIVE
• FEATURES
• Black spot,
• ringed in white,
• on rear
• body near
• upper base
• of tail.
• DESCRIPTION
• Silver-gray.
• Marked with numerous dark, thin lines that
  radiate at a diagonal from
• midbody black bar on hear runs across eye
  yellowish submarginal band
• on rear dorsal, tail and anal fins.

4
SPOTFIN BUTTERFLYFISHChaetodon ocellatus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Fins (except pectoral)
  bright yellow. Also, notice a black dot on outer
  edge of rear dorsal fin.
• DESCRIPTION Silver-white. Black bar on head runs
  across eye may have darkish spot on rear dorsal
  fin below distinctive black dot noted above.

5
QUEEN ANGELFISHHolacanthus ciliaris

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES 1. Dark blue spot on
  forehead, speckled and ringed with brilliant
  blue, forms the "crown." 2. Tail yellow.
• DESCRIPTION Blue to greenish blue, with yellow
  rims on scales yellow ventral and pectoral fins
  deep blue lips and markings on gill cover
• yellowish face.

6
FRENCH ANGELFISHPomacanthus paru

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
• Black with
  bright
• yellow rims on scales.
  Rounded tail.
• DESCRIPTION Bright yellow
• ring around eye. All fins black
• except base of pectoral which
• is yellow.

French Angelfish (Juvenile)
7
GRAY ANGELFISHPomacanthus arcuatus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Gray body. Yellow inner
  face of pectoral fin. Also, square-cut tail.
• DESCRIPTION Uniformly gray to grayish brown with
  light-edged scales.

8
ROCK BEAUTYHolacanthus tricolor

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Yellow to yellow-orange
  forebody and tail. Mid and rear body black.

DESCRIPTION Face and lips occasionally navy
blue. Individuals along North and South American
coasts less brilliantly colored.
9
BLUE TANGAcanthurus coeruleus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Blue overall. White or
  yellow spine on base of tail.

DESCRIPTION Can change from powder blue to deep
purple, and pale or darken. Dorsal and anal fins
edged in bright blue. More circular than other
surgeonfishes.
10
DOCTORFISHAcanthurus chirurgus
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Always have body bars
(10-12), although they may be quite faint.

• DESCRIPTION Can change from bluish gray to dark
  brown, and pale or darken dramatically. Several
  markings radiate from eye. Blue or white edging
  on dorsal, anal and tail fins. May have pale band
  on base of tail. Very similar to the Ocean
  Surgeonfish...doctors and surgeons....go figure!

11
OCEAN SURGEONFISHAcanthurus bahianus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Uniform color with no body
  bars.
• DESCRIPTION Can change from bluish gray to dark
  brown, and pale or darken dramatically. Markings
  radiate from eye. Blue or white edging on dorsal,
  anal and tail fins. May have pale band on base of
  tail.

12
BAR JACKCaranx ruber

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Bright blue-and-black
  border on back runs along dorsal fin and onto
  lower tail fin.

DESCRIPTION Silvery. Can darken almost to black,
especially when feeding near bottom.
13
GREAT BARRACUDASphyraena barracuda

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Silver. Long, cylindrical
  body. Large underslung jaw, pointed teeth often
  obvious.

DESCRIPTION Usually has scattered, dark
blotches. Can darken showing side bands. Dorsal
fins widely separated.
14
CHUB (BERMUDA/YELLOW)Kyphosus sectatrix/incisor

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Gray to silver.
  "Football-shaped" body. (Note Reliably
  distinguishing between these two species visually
  while underwater is considered impossible.)
• DESCRIPTION Initially appear uniformly gray to
  silver occasionally display whitish blotches. A
  close look reveals thin yellow to bronze stripes
  on body and a stripe, bordered in white, under
  eye from mouth to gill cover.

15
FRENCH GRUNTHaemulon flavolineatum

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Yellow stripes below
  lateral line set on diagonal.

DESCRIPTION Yellow stripes on a white to bluish
or yellowish silver background. Stripes above
lateral line are horizontal. Fins yellow.
16
BLUESTRIPED GRUNTHaemulon sciurus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Dark tail and rear dorsal
  fin. Blue stripes.
• DESCRIPTION Blue stripes over yellow-gold. Dark
  tail and dorsal fins have light margins other
  fins yellow.

17
YELLOWTAIL SNAPPEROcyurus chrysurus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Brilliant yellow midbody
  stripe and tail.
• DESCRIPTION Silvery to white, often tinged with
  blue. May have yellow spots on upper body. Tail
  deeply forked.

18
BICOLOR DAMSELFISHStegastes partitus
DESCRIPTION Location of boundary between dark
and pale area varies greatly dark area may cover
only upper head or extend past midbody to base of
tail pale area often yellowish near boundary,
especially toward belly. Pale fins may have
bluish cast. On rare occasion, there is a reverse
color phase.

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Black and white. Forebody
  is usually black.

19
YELLOWTAIL DAMSELFISHMicrospathodon chrysurus
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Dark body. Yellow tail.

• DESCRIPTION Vary from brown to bluish black.
  Bright blue speckles on head, back and dorsal
  fin.

20
SERGEANT MAJORAbudefduf saxatilis

• DESCRIPTION Upper body usually yellow,
  occasionally with shades of green to blue, and
  white to bluish silver or light gray below. Male
  becomes dark blue to purple during mating season
  when guarding reddish purple egg patches.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Five black body bars.
Also, upper lip does not overhang lower.
21
BLUE CHROMISChromis cyanea

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Brilliant blue. Slender,
  deeply forked tail with dark borders.
• DESCRIPTION Often dark on nape and along back.

22
BROWN CHROMISChromis multilineata
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Brown. Border of dorsal
fin and tips of tail fin yellow. Also, dark spot
around base of pectoral fin.

• DESCRIPTION Vary from brownish gray to
  olive-brown. Usually a white or pale yellow spot
  located just below last dorsal fin ray may have
  black borders on tail, primarily in southern
  Caribbean. Slender, deeply forked tail.

23
HARLEQUIN BASSSerranus tigrinus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Dark, tiger-like bars.
• DESCRIPTION Upper body has whitish undercolor
  lower body pale yellow. Series of dark dots form
  diffuse horizontal lines on body. Head more
  pointed than that of other family members.

24
FAIRY BASSLETGramma loreto

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Bicolored purple to
  violet front and yellow to gold rear. Dark spot
  on dorsal fin.
• DESCRIPTION Several streaks on head run across
  eye.

25
STOPLIGHT PARROTFISHSparisoma viride

• DESCRIPTION Emerald green. Salmon to yellow
  markings on head and fins. Tail is
  crescent-shaped.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Bright yellow spot at
upper corner of gill cover. Yellow area at base
of tail. Salmon to yellow crescent on tail.
Female
26
REDBAND PARROTFISHSparisoma aurofrenatum

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Small yellow blotch with
  two or more small black spots on upper forebody.
  Also, usually salmon to orange or yellow band
  from corner of mouth to below eye.
• DESCRIPTION Greenish overall, underside lighter
  anal fin usually reddish. Outer tips of tail
  black. Tail square-cut.

27
YELLOWHEAD WRASSEHalichoeres garnoti

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Yellow head and forebody.
  Dark midbody bar.
• DESCRIPTION Head and forebody vary from bright
  yellow to yellowish or greenish tan dark blue to
  green rear body and tail. Dark midbody bar
  continues as a wide border along back to tail.

28
BLUEHEAD WRASSEThalassoma bifasciatum

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Blue head, plus two dark
  bars behind head, separated by white bar.
• DESCRIPTION Rear body is green to blue-green.

29
TRUMPETFISHAulostomus maculatus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Long, thin body.
  Trumpet-like mouth.
• DESCRIPTION Adept at color change. Most common
  phase is brown to reddish brown can be
  blue-gray, bright yellow or many shades between.
  Have pale lines, scattered small black spots, and
  a black streak on upper jaw.

30
Pseudupeneus maculatus
SPOTTED GOATFISH

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES A row of three dark,
  rectangular body blotches is normally visible
  when fish are active (when resting, change to
  blotched or mottled reddish brown). Two barbels
  under tip of chin.
• DESCRIPTION Rapidly and dramatically change
  color from white to blotched and mottled red to
  reddish brown when becoming inactive. Light
  bluish lines often on head and, occasionally,
  upper body.

31
YELLOW GOATFISHMulloidichthys martinicus

• DISTINCTIVE FEATURES Yellow tail and midbody
  stripe. Two barbels under tip of chin.
• DESCRIPTION White upper body may have shadings
  ranging from blue to olive or red. Fins, other
  than tail, may be white or yellowish.