QUEST - Fish Identification List
FSHIDMST.DOC, UPDATED 27 Nov 99

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Study Aids:

Families:

1. Synodontidae                 lizardfishes
2. Muraenidae (N)                 moray eels
3. Aulostomidae                 trumpetfishes
4. Fistulariidae                 cornetfishes
5. Holocentridae (N)         squirrelfishes/soldierfishes
6. Scorpaenidae (N)        scorpionfishes
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23. Balistidae                         triggerfishes
24. Monacanthidae                 filefishes
25. Ostraciidae                         trunkfishes
26. Tetraodontidae                 puffers
27. Diodontidae                 porcupinefishes

Synodontidae (Aulopiformes) - lizardfishes

Synodus spp. long, tubular, large gape, adipose fin
        cryptic
        benthic ambushers

Muraenidae (Anguilliformes) - moray eels

Gynmothorax spp. no paired fins
        eye at midgape
        small gill openings

Aulostomidae (Syngnathiformes) - trumpetfishes

Aulostomus chinensis "trumpet fish"
        tubular snout
        lobate caudal
        8-12 isolated dorsal spines

Fistulariidae (Syngnathiformes) - cornetfishes

         Fistularia commersonii (petimba) "cornetfish"
                elongate caudal filament
                forked caudal
                no dorsal spines

Holocentridae (Beryciformes) - squirrelfishes & soldierfishes

squirrelfishes (alaihi)

preopercular spine
long anal spine

Sargocentron spp. (Adioryx), Neoniphon spp. (Flammeo)
           often with longitudinal white lines on body
           tricolor dorsal sometimes

soldierfishes (mempachi)

                    no preopercular spine
                    shorter anal spine

                    more uniform reddish
                    often with dark opercal mark

Scorpaenidae (Scorpaeniformes) - scorpionfishes

large spiny head  
five preopercular spines
venomous

scorpaenid spp. "scorpionfishes/rockfishes" (Scorpaena, Iracundus, etc.)

large head
body cirri common
pectoral axil can be brightly colored

Scorpaenopsis spp. "scorpionfish/stonefish"

deep bodied
dorsal "hump" sometimes
pectoral axil brightly colored

Serranidae (Perciformes) - sea basses

rounded soft dorsal and anal
rounded or truncate caudal
hermaphroditism common

Cephalopholis argus "bluespot grouper"

dark brown or black
body covered with small bright blue spots
posterior vertical banding common

Priacanthidae (Perciformes) - bigeyes/glasseyes (aweoweos)

Priacanthus spp. "bigeyes"

large eyes and mouth
bright red with small scales
continuous dorsals
membrane connecting pelvic fins to body

Apogonidae (Perciformes) - cardinal fishes

Apogon spp. "cardinal fish"

two separate dorsal fins
1^st with 6-8 spines
2^nd with 8-14 soft rays
large head
torpedo shaped
many mouth-brooding species (both _ and _)

Cirrhitidae (Perciformes) - hawkfishes

cirri on membrane of spinous dorsal
Cirrhitus pinnulatus "stocky hawkfish"
reddish-brown mottling on body
large, rounded head

Paracirrhites forsteri "blackside hawkfish"

head with small reddish spots
black & white areas on posterior
P. arcatus "arc-eye hawkfish"
orange ring on posterior eye
3 spots on lower opercal

Lutjanidae (Perciformes) - snappers

most with enlarged canine teeth
maxilla hidden under perorbital bone when mouth is closed

Lutjanus kasmira "bluestripe snapper"

yellow with longitudinal blue stripes
L. fulvus "blacktail snapper"
dark tail is good field character
tanish or yellowish body (looks grayish underwater)
no stripes

Lethrinidae (Perciformes) - emperors

close relatives of porgies (Sparidae)

Monotaxis grandoculis "bigeye emperor" or "mu"

whitish with large dark blotches on dorsal body
squarred-off snout
big eye
shy

Kyphosidae (Perciformes) - rudderfish or sea chubs

small head
symmetrical on frontal plane
herbivores

Kyphosus spp. "chubs or rudderfish"

Mullidae (Perciformes) - goatfishes

two widely separated dorsal fins
two long chin barbels

Mulloidichthys (Mulloides) flavolineatus "yellowstripe goatfish"

yellow stripe with black spot under 1^st dorsal

M. vanicolensis "yellowfin goatfish"

yellow stripe without black spot

Parupeneus bifasciatus "doublebar goatfish"

two dark vertical bars, one under each dorsal

P. multifasciatus "manybar goatfish" or moana

vertical black bar between the two dorsals
many blackish vertical bars

P. porphyreus "whitesaddle goatfish" or kumu

Chaetodontidae (Perciformes) - butterfly fishes

strongly compressed body
brightly colored
eye bars common

Chaetodon auriga "threadfin" (omnivore)

thread off soft dorsal
"right angle" body barring

C. quadrimaculatus "fourspot" (coralivore)

two white spots below dorsal

C. lunula "raccoon"

black eyeband followed by white (racoon look)

C. miliaris "milletseed" (planktivore)

body yellowish
black dots arranged in vertical rows on body

C. ornatissimus "ornate" (coralivore)

oval body
orangish stipes on whitish body

C. multicinctus "multiband" (coralivore)

brownish vertical dots (bands) on whitish body

Forcipiger flavissimus "forceps" (omnivore)

long rostrum

Pomacanthidae (Perciformes) - anglefishes

compressed
strong preopercal spine
dorsal & anal often with elongate rays

Desmoholacanthus arcuatus "bandit" (Holacanthus)

black bar through eye extending to tail
whitish ventrally

Centropyge potteri "Potter's angelfish"

orange or reddish fish
bluish lines on body

Pomacentridae (Perciformes) - damselfishes

one nostril on each side
compressed
aggressive usually

Abudefduf abdominalis "sergeant major"

vertical black bars on body

Plectroglyphidodon imparipennis "brighteye damsel"

irridescent eye
small, nervous, pale yellow with greenish undertones

P. johnstonianus "blue-eye damsel"

bright blue eye
yellowish-green, blackish posteriorly

Stegastes fasciolatus "Pacific gregory"

drab gray with orangish-yellow eye
aggressive

Dascyllus albisella "Hawaiian dascyllus"

deep bodied
white below mid-dorsal (white area of variable size)

Chromis hanui "chocolate-dip chromis"

body brownish
white tail (also posterior dorsal & anal)

C. agilis "agile chromis"

body drab greenish-tan
tail pale (also posterior dorsal & anal)

C. ovalis "oval chromis"

uniform bluish to silvery
dorsal fin darker than body

C. vanderbilti "blackfin chromis"

black on anal and lower caudal fin
longitudinal bluish stripes

Labridae (Perciformes) - wrasses

wrasses parrotfish

pectoral swimming
mouth protractile    mouth nonprotractile
sexual dichromatism common
teeth separate teeth fused
sequential hermaphroditism common (protogynous)

Oxycheilinus unifasciatus "ringtail wrasse" (Cheilinus)

vertical white bar on caudal peduncle
jutting lower jaw; large head

Labroides phthirophagus "cleaner wrasse"

yellow, purple, blue longitudinal stripes
"jerky" swimming

Bodianus bilunulatus "hogfish"

female - yellow & white, black on head and base of soft dorsal
male - purplish-blue, light blotches on lower jaw, caudal projections

Coris venusta "elegant wrasse"

mostly shades of brown
head with pinkish lines radiating from mouth
parallel diagonal cross-bars below midline
dark spot at posterior dorsal base

C. gaimard "clown wrasse"

juvenile - red with black & white spots (x5)
female - bright blue spots caudally, yellow tail
male - subdued blue spots caudally, yellow tail, bicolor dorsal & anal

C. flavovittata "yellowstripe coris"

juvenile - brown with longitudinal yellowish stripes
female - whitish ventrally, brown dorsally with 2 longitudinal stripes
male - spot on opercal, blue/green/white mottling

Thalassoma ballieui "blacktail wrasse"

dark tail at peduncle with white posterior caudal
brownish or grayish
numerous short vertical brown marks
bluish on chin and belly
juvs = monochromatic greenish/yellowish

T. duperrey "saddle wrasse"

distinct saddle behind head

Gomphosus varius "bird wrasse"

female - long rostrum with reddish color and white face
male - long rostrum, dull green

Stethojulis balteata "belted wrasse"

female - greenish, yellow pectoral axil
male - longitudinal orange stripe (pectoral to caudal)

Halichoeres ornatissimus "ornate wrasse"

bluish ventrally
orange spotting laterally
blue stripes on tail
head orange dorsally, bluish ventrally

Scaridae (Perciformes) - parrotfishes

wrasses parrotfish

pectoral swimming
mouth protractile mouth nonprotractile
sexual dichromatism common
teeth separate teeth fused
sequential hermaphroditism common (protogynous)

Chlorurus (Scarus) sordidus "bullethead parrotfish" (symmetrical head on frontal plane)

male - dorsal distally blue
body greenish-yellow
female - drab olive with reddish mouth area
dark caudal spot or blotch

C. perspicillatus "spectacled parrotfish"

C. rubroviolaceus "redlip parrotfish"

male - squared snout
upper lip with red or orange
female - brownish color
blue on outer dorsal
ventral part of pectoral is bluish

Acanthuridae (Perciformes) - surgeonfishes

one or more spines on caudal peduncle (fixed or retractable)
mouth small, nonprotractile premaxilla

Acanthurus triostegus "convict tang" or manini

silver to yellowish-green, 5 vertical black bars
A. leucopareius "whitebar surgeon"
two white stripes; posterior to eye & caudal peduncle
pale brown

A. olivaceus "orangeband surgeon"

orange "bar" posterior to opercle, above pectoral
A. dussumieri "eye-stripe surgeon" or "palani"
brownish
orange stripe through eye
white caudal base and knife

A. blochii (mata) "ringtail surgeon"

A. achilles "achilles tang"

directive" orange teardrop on knife

A. nigrofuscus "brown surgeon"

brownish with small orange dots on face
bluish border on anal

A. nigroris "blue-lined surgeon"

          fine blue longitudinal lines on body
          looks lavender to pale brown

Ctenochaetus strigosus "goldring surgeon" or kole

orange ring around eye, brown body

C. hawaiiensis "black surgeon"

looks black, "lobate" dorsal and anal fins

Zebrasoma flavescens "yellow tang"

all yellow, white blades

Naso lituratus "orange spine unicornfish"

no horn
orange spots around blades

N. unicornis "blue spine unicornfish"

horn
blue spots around blades

Zanclidae (Perciformes) - "moorish idol" (one-species family)

Zanclus canescens (=Z. cornutus) "moorish idol"

orange on snout
yellow on side
eye well above mouth

Blennidae (Perciformes) - combtooth blennies

blunt head
pelvics anterior to pectorals
body ususally naked

Exallias brevis "shortbodied or common blenny"

dark spots on face
often reddish posteriorly

Balistidae (Tetraodontiformes) - triggerfishes

3 dorsal spines, start behind eye
no pelvics; pelvic spine sometimes

Rhinecanthus rectangulus "reef triggerfish"

black through eye, bending posteriorly to anal fin
black triangle at caudal peduncle

R. aculeatus "lagoon triggerfish"

similar to R. rectangulus
no sharply defined large black areas

Sufflamen bursa "lei triggerfish"

"lei" behind eye
dorsal animal = brown-dark gray
ventral animal = whitish-light gray

Melichthys vidua "pinktail durgon"

pinkish tail
dorsal & anal white with black margins

M. niger "black durgon"

all black
base of dorsal & anal white (blueish)

Monacanthidae (Tetraodontiformes) - filefishes

1 or 2 dorsal spines, 1^st over eye & large
no pelvics; pelvic spine sometimes

Cantherhines spp. "filefishes"

lack ventral spine, gray-brown-yellowish
squaretail filefish - dark, truncate caudal (C. sandwichiensis)
barred filefish - vertical bars on body (C. dumerili)

Pervagor spilosoma "fantail filefish"

has ventral spine
yellow-orangish body with black spots
orange caudal witha black spots

Ostraciidae (Tetraodontiformes) - trunkfishes

body encased in a bony carapace
no pelvic fins
no spinous dorsal

Ostracion meleagris "spotted trunkfish"

male - orange with white spots dorsally, blue laterally
female - dark brown with white spots dorsally and laterally

Tetraodontidae (Tetraodontiformes) - puffers

Canthigaster jactator "whitespotted toby"

small fish with pointed snoutbrown
lines surround white (bluish) spots
Arothron meleagris "spotted puffer"
dark brown
body covered with small white spots

Diodontidae (Tetraodontiformes) - porcupine fishes

scales enlarged to spines
spines erectile when body inflated

Diodon hystrix "porcupine fish"

body covered with small blue-black spots

D. holocanthus "spiny puffer"

fewer small spots
6-7 large brown spots dorsally