Fish Identification

Identification Group #1 Disks & Ovals/Colorful Thin-bodies with round or oval profiles All have small mouths & are generally quite colorful

Identification Group #2 Silvery: Jack – Porgy – Others Silver to grey in color & generally unpatterned Several have greenish, yellowish, & bluish tints with occasional markings All have forked tails

Tarpon

Identification Group #3 Sloping Head/ Tapering Body – Grunt – Snapper Basic “fishlike” shape Relatively large mouths Notched tails

Identification Group #4 Small Ovals – Damselfish Small fish with oval profile

Identification Group #5 Heavy Bodied – Large Lips – Grouper & Sea Bass Strong, well-built “bass like” bodies Large mouth & lips Jutting lower jaw Long continuous dorsal fin – divided into 2 parts Fore part is developed into spines Rear is soft & flexible

Red Grouper

Identification Group #6 Swim with Pectoral fins/Obvious Scales Parrotfish – Wrasse – Hogfish Primarily use pectoral fins to swim Even rows of large noticeable scales Beak-like mouth

Rainbow Parrotfish

Spanish Hogfish

Blue Head Wrasse

Identification Group #7 Reddish/Big Eyes Pale red to reddish brown Large eyes Generally nocturnal feeders Hide in dark recesses during the day

Identification Group #8 Small Elongated Bottom Dwellers Goby – Blenny Long cylindrical bodies Spend most of the time perched on the bottom or in small holes with only their heads protruding Few species drift just above the bottom

Neon Goby

Cleaning Goby

Red Lip Blenny

Identification Group #9 Odd shaped bottom dwellers Flounder – Scorpionfish

Peacock Flounder

Reef Scorpionfish

Identification Group #10 Odd-shaped swimmers Puffer – Boxfish – Triggers – Filefish Do not have typical fish body shape

Identification Group #11 Eels Long, snake-like bodies Generally found along the bottom in dark reef recesses or in sand

Identification Group #12 Sharks & Rays Skeleton composed of cartilage instead of bone Small hard scales that give them a sand papery feel

Reef Shark