Fishes on Fellowship: January 2014

Wednesday 29 January 2014

More fishes

Now in large numbers.

Crescent-tail bigeye (Priacanthus hamrur), Sandbar

Same as above

Bluestripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira); New Drop Off

Two-spot snapper (Lutjanus biguttatus); Ulong Channel

Redtooth triggerfish (Odonus niger)--left, completely black; whitetail surgeonfish (Acanthurus thompsoni)--black ovals with white tails; and pyramid butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis)--yellow and white; Turtle Cove

Bluestripe snapper; striped large-eye bream (Gnathodentex aureolineatus)--thicker yellow stripe and yellow splotch near base of tail; yellowfin goatfish (Mulliodichthyes vanicolensis)--flattened ventrally, with one yellow stripe and forked tail; onespot snapper (Lutjanus monostigma)--lower left, large red eye and black spot near tail; Blue Corner

More bluestripe snapper and striped large-eye bream; Blue Corner

Same as above

Bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus)--silvery with line coming from tail; bignose unicornfish (Naso vlamingii)--black; Lowfin drummer (Kyphosis vaigiensis)--plain silvery oval; Blue Corner

Trevally and unicornfish; Blue Corner

Bluestreak fusilier (Pterocaesio tile); Siaes Corner

Monday 27 January 2014

Echinoderms and elasmobranchs

Organismal organization may have not been the best idea...here are some small things and big things.

Nerd notes: echinoderms are invertebrates with five-part radial symmetry, and include starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. Invertebrates in Palau are poorly studied and many are undescribed--I'll talk more about an invertebrate biodiversity study we're working on in an upcoming post. The species names I've put here are my best efforts, but classifications may have changed or may not be known.

Elasmobranchs are cartilage-skeletoned sharks and rays, which really belong with the fishes post.

Giant sea cucumber or amberfish, Thelenota anax; Blue Corner

Brittle star, Ophiotrix spp.; New Drop Off

Crinoid, Siaes Corner. The best I can identify this is to the class Crinoidea!

Possibly Hefferan's starfish, Celerina heffernani; Sandbar

Big-plated sea star, Choriaster granulatus; Ulong Channel

Gray reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos; Ulong Channel

Manta ray, Manta birostris; German Channel

German Channel's topography stirs up plankton-rich waters, and mantas frequent certain feeding stations where divers can sit and watch as the rays turn in lazy laps, seemingly unperturbed by the onlookers.

Mantas use their cephalic fins at the front of the head to funnel plankton past their gills. When they aren't feeding, they roll these fins up for a more streamlined swimming profile.

Another gray reef shark at a cleaning station at Blue Corner

Sunday 26 January 2014

Some fishes

Truly excellent fish photography requires skill, time, and long-suffering dive buddies that I don't particularly have the luxury of at this time. From what I understand, dedicated fish photographers might spend an entire dive, or several, with their desired fish subject, allowing the fish time to get acclimatized, completing small challenges to gain the fish's trust, meeting the fish's family, etc., before snapping that perfect up-close portrait.

As I've bumbled around doing my best not to enrage buddies who are trying to do science or see more than one coral head, a handful of fishes have deigned to let me approach and capture more than their blurred, retreating tails; here's a collection of my favorites.