Page 361 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

BONY FISHES 359

ORDER PERCIFORMES
JUVENILE COSTUME
Harlequin Sweetlips

Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides
LENGTH
Up to 28 in (72 cm)
WEIGHT
Up to 15 lb (7 kg)
DEPTH
3–100 ft (1–30 m)
DISTRIBUTION Tropical waters of Indian Ocean and
western Pacific

Small groups of harlequin Juvenile harlequin sweetlips have
sweetlips can often be seen a different patterning than the
gathered at dusk around large adults. They have brown bodies
coral heads, waiting to be cleared of and white spots edged in black.
parasites by a cleaner wrasse (see By swimming in a weaving,
p.361). These deep-bodied fish are undulating fashion, the smallest
patterned with small, brownish black juveniles mimic a toxic flatworm
spots that break up their outline as with a similar coloration and so
they swim among the ever- escape predation. Their color may
changing shadows on the reef. also warn that they themselves
Divers often see large shoals of Their name comes from their are unpalatable to predators.
ORDER PERCIFORMES
common bluestripe snapper around thickened lips, which they
Common Bluestripe coral and rock outcrops during the use to dig out
day. Their streamlined bodies mean invertebrates
Snapper that they can swim fast when they from sand.
disperse at night to feed on smaller
fish and bottom-dwelling crustaceans.
Lutjanus kasmira
LENGTH They have a single long dorsal fin,
Up to 16 in (40 cm)
which, like all their fins, is bright
WEIGHT yellow. The common bluestripe
Not recorded
snapper and many other similar
DEPTH species are important commercial
10–870 ft (3–265 m)
fish. Their beautiful colors also make
DISTRIBUTION Tropical reefs of Red Sea, Indian them popular specimens among
Ocean, and Pacific
aquarium-fish enthusiasts.
off the west coast of Britain. The red
ORDER PERCIFORMES
bandfish is shaped like an eel but
Red Bandfish flattened from side to side, with a long,
golden-yellow fin running the length
of the body on both sides. In mature
Cepola macrophthalma
LENGTH males, the fin has a bright blue edge. ORDER PERCIFORMES
Up to 30 in (80 cm) These fish live in deep mud burrows,
WEIGHT emerging just far enough to feed on Bluecheek
Not recorded passing arrow worms and other
DEPTH plankton in the manner of tropical Butterflyfish
50–1,300 ft (15–400 m) garden eels (see p.343). They also
DISTRIBUTION Temperate and subtropical waters of swim free of their burrows at times. Chaetodon semilarvatus
northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean In addition to single burrows, colonies LENGTH
Up to 9 in (23 cm)
of many thousands of individuals
Very little was known about this have been discovered. The burrows WEIGHT
Not recorded
strange fish until the 1970s, when sometimes connect with those of ORDER PERCIFORMES
divers discovered a population in burrowing crabs, and this may be DEPTH
shallow water around Lundy Island a deliberate association. 10–65 ft (3–20 m) Queen Angelfish
DISTRIBUTION Coral reefs in Red Sea and Gulf
of Aden
Holacanthus ciliaris
ORDER PERCIFORMES LENGTH
Butterflyfish provide testimony to the Up to 18 in (45 cm)
Ring-tailed health of a coral reef. A wide variety WEIGHT
1
and plentiful numbers of these Up to 3 / 4 lb (1.5 kg)
Cardinalfish brightly colored, disk-shaped fish DEPTH
indicate that a reef is flourishing. 3–230 ft (1–70 m)
Bluecheek butterflyfish are usually DISTRIBUTION Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and
Apogon aureus
LENGTH seen in pairs and often hide under subtropical waters of western Atlantic
Up to 6 in (15 cm) table corals. The blue eye-patch hides
WEIGHT to feed on plankton. It has a distinctive the eye and confuses predators. One of the most colorful Caribbean
Not recorded
black band around the tail base and reef fish, the blue and yellow queen
DEPTH two blue and white lines running angelfish slips its slim body effortlessly
3–130 ft (1–40 m)
from the snout through the eyes. between corals and sea fans. It uses its
DISTRIBUTION Red Sea and tropical waters of Indian Like all of the 350 or so species of small mouth and brushlike teeth to
Ocean and western Pacific
cardinalfish, it has two separate dorsal nibble sponges, which are its main
fins. The male does not feed during food. Like all angelfish, it has a sharp OCEAN LIFE
Cardinalfish are small nocturnal reef the breeding season. Instead, after spine at the corner of the gill cover.
fish. The ring-tailed cardinalfish the female has laid her eggs the male Juveniles are brown and yellow with
hides under corals and in crevices broods them in his mouth, protecting curved blue bars and feed on parasites
during the day and emerges at night them until they hatch. that they pick from other fish.