As we take more photos of reef fish we'll be adding them to the families that we've categorized on this and other pages.  For now, we have only one or two examples of fish from the families below.

Also on this page are some examples of how marine animal live together for mutual benefit.  See Animal Buddies, below.

Soldierfishes (right) and squirrel fishes are in the same family Holocentridae, and include a number of fairly primitive species.  Many tend to be nocturnal, and even those that are seen on the reefs in daylight are likely to be hiding in the recessed areas of the coral.  They are characterized by large eyes (specialized for night vision), and are usually reddish in coloring.  Some have distinctive stripes.  We have read that they have the habit of turning their heads either upwards or downwards to enter grottoes or crevices, but we've not seen this, and will now be looking for this behavior.

Although it looks like it should be a member of the same family as either the angelfishes or butterflyfishes, the Moorish idol Zanclus cornutus is a unique species in its own family, Zanclidae.  It is one of the more striking oval fish on the reefs with its elongated dorsal fin and vivid bars.  Feeding mainly on sponges, it is found throughout most of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.  (Society Islands, Fr. Polynesia)

This Clearfin Lionfish Pterois radiata was shot by Chris on a night snorkel inside the reef in Raiatea, French Polynesia. It was hovering just over a large coral bommie.  It is distinguished from other lionfish by the horizontal white band on the tail base. Like all lionfish, the long, feather-like pectoral and dorsal fins contain venom produced by glands embedded in the spines.  These fish hover near the bottom in wait for crustaceans and small fish upon which they prey.  They are solitary and inhabit crevices during the day at 3 to 15 m.  (Society Islands, Fr. Polynesia)

The Spotfin Lionfish Pterois antennata inhabits most coral reef habitats, but deeper than the clearfin (above).  This one was photographed by Chris in daytime under a coral ledge in about 10 meters on one of the wreck dives in Tahiti.  The spotfins are distinguished from other lionfish by their translucent fan-like pectoral fins with a few large spots (visible in the photo like a web between the white spines.)  This is a fish to admire from afar, given its very toxic spines.  (Fr. Polynesia)

The Common Lionfish Pterois volitans (left and right) is probably the most common lionfish that we see. They were abundant in Tonga, floating above coral heads or on the sand. They're almost identical to the Indian Lionfish, distinguishable by range, and the Longspine Lionfish, distinguishable only with a side-by-side comparison of dorsal height. (Photo left: Vanua Levu, Fiji. Photo right: Vava'u, Tonga) Right photo by Jon Hacking.

While snorkeling on a luxuriant coral reef on the northern coast of Flores, Indonesia we came upon several of these beautiful Zebra Lionfish Dendrochirus zebra with their white fan-like pectoral fins displaying radiating brown lines. They are widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific we we have not encountered them very often. Like other lionfish they like to hover just beside coral structures awaiting their prey. The Zebra Lionfish feed at night, but were out on the reefs at mid-day. Snorkeling, we had to be very careful to look at where we were free diving so as not to swim into them. (Dondo, Flores, Indonesia) Photo by Amanda Hacking

Camouflaged by the pocked surface of the reef, the Whitemouth Moray Eel Gymnothorax meleagris blends in well while awaiting prey to come close. This medium-sized eel (up to 1.2 m, or 4 feet) is a solitary creature staying close to its recess in the reef. So named for the white inside its mouth, it also has a white-tipped tail. It is found across most of the Indo-Pacific. (New Caledonia)

The Giant Moray Gymnothorax javanicus usually keeps hidden in its den, just sticking its head out to watch for unwary fish - or unwary swimmers. Its teeth are nasty and hooked back, so if you offer one a taste of your hand you won't be getting away anytime soon. However, if you keep your distance they won't bother you. The Giant Moray looks similar to the Green Moray in the Caribbean, but they are two different species and their ranges do not overlap. The Giant is throughout the Indo Pacific from East Africa and the Red Sea to Pitcairn Island, and north to southwest Japan. (Butang Islands, Thailand) Photo by Chris Hacking.

Rainbow Runners Elagatis bipinnulatus are found circumtropically, and we have swum with them in both Venezuela and French Polynesia.  Growing up to 1.5 m (about 4 feet), they are silvery, with light blue and olive green stripes on their long, slender bodies.  In Venezuela they are called "salmon".  They are very good eating!

The Cornetfish Fistularia commersonii (aka flutefish in the Indian Ocean) is sometimes mistaken for the trumpetfish, because both are elongate with pointed snouts, but the cornetfish can reach lengths of 5 feet, while the trumpetfish adults reach only half that length.  The tail is another identifying aspect: the cornetfish's tail is long and whip-like, while the trumpetfish's tail is flattened and broad, often with stripes.  The powerfully beaked trumpetfish Aulostomus chinensis often hover over puffer fish or parrotfish as they feed on coral.  The bits of coral and algae that float free attract myriad small fish, upon which the trumpetfish preys with rapid, darting motions, spearing the fish on its beak.

Groupers (aka sea basses, cods, hinds and sea trout) are in the family Serranidae which includes 6 genera made up of 57 species.  The Giant Grouper can attain a size of over 2m (6.5 ft) long. Groupers all have strong, heavy bodies, with large lips.  They are carnivorous, sucking small crustaceans and fishes into their mouths as they feed near the sea bottom.  Large groupers are slow to mature, taking many years to reach maturity, while small ones may be mature in one year. Most are hermaphrodidic, beginning life as female and later changing to male.  At left is one of the smaller species, the Honeycomb Grouper Epinephelus merra which has large polygonal spots over a white body and attains a length of about 32 cm or 13 inches. (New Caledonia) Photo Sue Hacking

Vermillion Rock Cod Cephalopholis miniata is a strikingly beautiful grouper with red-orange body highlighted by light blue spots (left).  Interestingly, the individual (right) with its whitish body with patterned red-orange (still highlighted by blue spots) is also a Cephalopholis miniata, perhaps an older adult.  This species does not appear in our Reef Fish of the Tropical Pacific book, but is in our Fish of the Maldives book, leading us to believe the range is at least Indian Ocean to Indonesia.  (Photo left: Addu Atoll, Maldives. Photo right: Komodo Nat. Park, Indonesia). Photos by Amanda Hacking

NOT a fish, but one of the more common animals on the Tongan, Fijian and New Caledonian reef is the sinuous, curious, deadly Banded Sea Krait. The tails of all sea snakes are flattened to aid them in swimming.  Luckily the mouths of these animals are so tiny, and the fangs so far back, that it is very difficult for them to bite anything as large as a part of a human!  One theory on why their venom is so very deadly is because in order to incapacitate their prey, it must kill them immediately, otherwise the prey would easily swim away.  Sea kraits (unlike sea snakes) come ashore to lay their eggs and we saw dozens of them on beaches in New Caledonia. (Both photos: Tonga)

Animal Buddies
With both the anemonefish and the shrimp goby you can see how pairs of quite dissimilar animals live together offering mutual protection.

Shrimp gobies (family Gobiidai) live commensal lives with snapping shrimp (genus Alpheus), so called for the clicking noise they make with their pincers, in shallow sand banks (right).  The burrow, dug by the shrimp, serves as home and protection for both species.  The nearly blind shrimp rely on the sharp eyes of the goby to warn of danger, and the goby needs a quick place to hide from predators.  The fish rarely wanders far from the tunnel except to grab a bite of sand which it filters for food.  When the shrimp is not rebuilding its tunnel and entrance (which is almost a full-time job) it rests just inside the entrance, usually with one antenna touching the tail of the goby. A slight twitch from the fish warns of danger.  A violent thrashing means Hide!  It takes less than 1/10th of a second for the two to disappear.

It seems that both of these are the Sand Shrimpgoby Ctenogobiops feroculus, distinguished by its pale body, dark blotches, and several blue spots behind the eyes. Other similar species have tiny orange spots as well, which these lack. The white spot on the pectoral fin is also characteristic. However, our guide says the Sand Shrimpgoby extends only as far east as New Caledonia, while both of these pictures were shot in French Polynesia.

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