Nassau Grouper Epinephelus striatus

Almost always 5-6 olive stripes 4 feet long

Phylum Chordata – Subphylum vertebrata Superclass gnathostomata – Class osteichthyes » Subclass actinopterygii Infraclass teleostei Superorder acanthopterygii Order perciformes Family Serranidae

Distinguishing characteristics – All carniverous – Typically ambush predators – Even brightly colored species are camouflaged

Diet Only the largest reef predators can eat the Nassau Grouper – Sharks – Barracudas – humans Completely carnivorous – Fish – Crabs – Whatever can fit inside their mouth

Habitat, where are they found We will see them in Hol Chan (marine protected area) on the last day.

Size/structure About 5 olive stripes Very large Large mouth

spawning Travel to specific locations for spawning aggregations December during the full moon at dusk

Spawning color change Normal- typical coloration present in early morning Bicolor- upper sides of fish become dark and lower side is light in late afternon White belly- some females retain normal color but their abdomens turn white Dark- spawning and courting fish turn completely dark. This indicates that they are ready to spawn.

Sex change Begin life as females Change to males later

Fishing and endangerment

Ocean Surgeonfish Acanthurus bahianus

Phylum Chordata – Subphylum vertebrata Superclass gnathostomata – Class osteichthyes » Subclass actinopterygii Infraclass teleostei Superorder acanthopterygii Order perciformes Family Acanthuridae

Mostly reef fishes Scalpel-like spines Thorn tails Small mouths with single rows of teeth for grazing on algae

Habitat

Diet All acanthurids can eat algae with their specialized scraping mouths Ocean surgeonfish can break down coral in their muscular stomachs