Blue green chromis [chromis viridis]

The Green Chromis or the Blue Green Chromis or the Bluegreen Puller, Chromis viridis, is a species of damselfish. Individuals tend to be iridescent apple-green and light blue, and reach a length of about 3 in (8 cm).

The species is found in the Indo-Pacific. They live in large aggregations above Acropora corals in sheltered areas such as lagoons and reef flats and feed on phytoplankton. Juveniles live closely tied to individual coral heads. C. viridis spawn over sand and rubble. The male prepares the nest which is shared with several females. The large number of eggs will hatch in 2-3 days. The male guards the nest, ventilating it with its fins and feeding on those eggs that do not hatch.  (text source: Wikipedia)

Picture: Naama Bay, Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Seagrass ghost pipefish [Solenostomus cyanopterus]

Wikipedia has no article on Seagrass Ghost Pipefish. Also know as Robust ghost pipefish. The seagrass name comes from the ability to camouflage itself among seagrass by changing its color to green.

Picture: Naama Bay, Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Leopard Blenny [Exallias brevis]

Wikipedia does not have an article on Leopard Blenny. This very cute looking blenny hides among coras and is thus quite difficult to photograph, I managed to catch a glipse at a wonderful house reef of Melia Hotel near Ras Nasrani, in Sinai Egypt.

Picture: Naama Bay, Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Common Eagle Ray [Myliobatis aquila]

Eagle rays (the Myliobatidae family of fish) are a family of mostly large rays living in the open ocean rather than at the bottom of the sea. Eagle rays feed on snails, mussels and crustaceans, crushing their shells with their extremely hard teeth. They are excellent swimmers and are able to jump several metres above the surface.

The taxonomy of this group is uncertain; it is placed either in the order Myliobatiformes or Rajiformes. There are eight genera belonging to the eagle rays: Myliobatis (common eagle rays), Rhinoptera (cownose rays), Pteromylaeus (bull rays), Aetobatus (bonnet rays), Aetomylaeus (smooth tail eagle rays), Californica (bat rays), Mobula (devil rays), and Manta (manta rays). (In some taxonomies the devil rays and manta rays are placed their own family, Mobulidae.) [text source:Wikipedia]

Picture: Towers, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Sergeant Major [Abudefduf saxatilis]

The Sergeant Major or píntano (Abudefduf saxatilis, family Pomacentridae) is a large, colourful damselfish. It earns its name from its brightly striped sides, which are reminiscent of the insignia of a military Sergeant Major. It grows to a length of about 15cm (6 inches).

The fish feed upon the larvae of invertebrates, zooplankton, smaller fish, crustaceans and various species of algae. They are preyed upon by some members of the Labridae and Serranidae families. They lay their eggs in patches on a firm substrate and guard them vigorously until they hatch.

Sergeant majors are found throughout the tropical reaches of the Atlantic, including off the south coast of the United States, Central America, eastern South America and western Africa. They are often found on coral reefs at depths of between 1 and 12 meters. (text source: wikipedia)

Picture1: Utila, Honduras, picture2: Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Masked puffer [Arothron diadematus]

Maximum length 30cm, olive-green/ grey with a black mask over the eyes and pectoral fins, mouth has a black border. Usually solitary but schools during mating period. Some authors believe this to be a variation of the species Arothron nigropunctatus.

Associated with coral reefs, from surface to 20m depth. (text source: wikipedia)

Picture: Cozumel, Mexico by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Grey moray [Gymnothorax nubilus]

The grey moray, Gymnothorax nubilus, is a moray eel of the genus Gymnothorax, found around the at depths down to 50 m, in reef areas of broken rock. Their length is between 40 and 100 cm.

The grey moray is an elongate scaleless fish with a large mouth full of prominent backward facing teeth, hinged so that they can fold back but lock when prey tries to struggle free. The dorsal fin is high and fleshy with a blue tinge along the edge. Its body colour is pale grey with faint darker markings.

The grey moray lives in rocky reef areas around offshore islands, spending most of its time with its head emerging from its cave or crevice, mouth agape. The open-mouthed stance is not aggression – morays need to continuously draw water through their small gills. They are active mostly at night but move about during the day more than yellow morays, often being seen entwined in kelp fronds. Their diet is made up of crabs, sea urchins, and small fish such as blennies and scorpionfish.

Picture: Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Titan Triggerfish [Balistoides viridescens]

The titan triggerfish, Balistoides viridescens, is the largest of the triggerfish species and can grow up to 75 cm in length (30 inches). Their range includes reef areas in the Indo-Pacific region, including Australia, Fiji, Thailand, Indonesia and the Maldives, also in the Red Sea. The fish is not a pelagic species and generally lives in the flat areas of the reef.

Titan triggerfish are the workers of the reef and often surrounded by other fish feeding from the leftovers.Titan triggerfish feed on shellfish, urchins, crustaceans and coral. They are the workers of the reef, often being busy turning over rocks, stirring up the sand and biting off pieces of branching coral. This is why one often sees other smaller fish species around it who feed from the left overs.

The fish can be very aggressive towards divers and snorkellers. Especially during reproduction season it is very territorial and will guard its nest, which it lays in a flat sandy area, vigorously against any intruders. Due to its size and strong teeth it can inflict serious injury. Bites may also be ciguatoxic. The Titan Triggerfish will not always bite, but can swim at snorkellers and divers escorting them out of their territory. When the males (most colourful) start swimming in your direction, the best thing to do is swim away backwards kicking your fins as a defence. Failure to do so may result in being bitten. (text source: wikipedia)

Picture: Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)

The humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, is a wrasse that is mainly found in coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. It is also known as the Maori wrasse, Napoleon wrasse, Napoleonfish.

The humphead wrasse is the largest living member of the family Labridae, with males reaching 6 feet (2 m) in length, while females rarely exceed about 3 feet (1 m). It has thick, fleshy lips and a hump that forms on its head above the eyes, becoming more prominent as the fish ages. Males range from a bright electric blue to green, a purplish blue, or a relatively dull blue/green. Juveniles and females are red-orange above, and red-orange to white below. Some males grow very large, with one unconfirmed report of a Humphead Wrasse that was 7.75 feet (2.29 m) long and weighed 420 lbs (190.5 kg).

Adults are confined to steep coral reef slopes, channel slopes, and lagoon reefs in water 3 to 330 feet (1-100 m) deep. They primarily eat mollusks, fishes, sea urchins, crustaceans, and other invertebrates and are one of the few predators of toxic animals such as sea hares, boxfishes, and crown-of-thorns star fish. This species actively selects branching hard and soft corals and seagrasses at settlement. Juveniles tend to prefer a more cryptic existence in areas of dense branching corals, bushy macroalgae or seagrasses, while larger individuals and adults prefer to occupy limited home ranges in more open habitat on the edges of reefs, channels, and reef passes. The species is most often observed in solitary male-female pairs, or groups of two to seven individuals.

Picture: Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi

 

Orangespine unicornfish [Naso lituratus]

(wikipedia has no description)

Picture: Red Sea, Egypt by Sami Salmenkivi