The mailed butterflyfish (Chaetodon reticulatus) is a species of butterflyfish found at depths of from 1 to 30 metres (3.3 to 98 ft) on reefs in the central and western Pacific Ocean. It grows to a length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in) TL and can be found in the aquarium trade. It is also of minor importance to local commercial fisheries.
Pictures: Cook Islands by Sami Salmenkivi
The Four-spotted Butterflyfish or fourspot butterflyfish, Chaetodon quadrimaculatus is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae) found in the Pacific Ocean from the Ryukyus, Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands and Taiwan to the Hawaiian, Marquesan, and Pitcairn islands, south to the Samoan and Austral Islands and the Marianas and Marshall Islands in Micronesia. It is a quite distinct species, but most closely related to the Speckled Butterflyfish (C. citrinellus). Together they are basal in the subgenus Exornator, and might be intermediate between the core group of this subgenus and the species of the Rhombochaetodon (or Roaops) lineage. If that is correct, the latter would require to be merged into Exornator. If the genus Chaetodon is split up, Exornator might become a subgenus of Lepidochaetodon.
Pictures: Cook Islands by Sami Salmenkivi
Striped Large-eye Bream, Gnathodentex aureolineatus. Easily recognized from a yellow blotch on the back. Inhabits subtidal reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs. May be solitary or in groups. Sometimes forms aggregations of about a hundred or more individuals. Feeds at night on benthic invertebrates like crabs and gastropods, occasionally on small fish. Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Tuamoto Islands (excluding the Hawaiian Islands), north to Japan, south to Australia. Recently reported from Norfolk Island. Wikipedia doesn’t have an article on this fish.
Pictures: Cook Islands by Sami Salmenkivi
Olive Anthias, Pseudanthias olivaceus. Pacific Ocean: Cook Islands, Austral and Society islands (French Polynesia), Line Islands (Kiribati), and Tuamoto Archipelago. Marine reef-associated, depth range 1 – 34 m.
Pictures: Cook Islands by Sami Salmenkivi
Female Common Seahorses are usually yellow with a few large dark spots. Males are grey to brown with striations on the head and fine dark spots on the trunk. The Common Seahorse is listed in many references as H. kuda. Hippocampus kuda, also known as the common seahorse, estuary seahorse, or yellow seahorse is a member of the family Syngnathidae (seahorses and pipefishes) of the order Syngnathiformes. The common sea horse is a small, equine-like fish, with extraordinary breeding methods.[3] Greeks and Romans believed the seahorse was an attribute of the sea god Poseidon/Neptune, and the seahorse was considered a symbol of strength and power. Europeans believed that the seahorse carried the souls of deceased sailors to the underworld – giving them safe passage and protection until they met their soul’s destination. The common seahorse is considered a vulnerable species.
The common seahorse can be found in a variety of habitats in the shallow coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific, including coral reefs, muddy slopes, and shallow estuaries.The common seahorse has been observed to use its prehensile tail to anchor itself to coral branches or floating sargassum in the wild.
Pictures: Sulawesi, Indonesia by Sami Salmenkivi
The Bigeye snapper or Bigeye Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus lutjanus, is a snapper in the family Lutjanidae found in the Indian Ocean and tropical western Pacific Ocean at depths of up to 96 m.
Its color is silver white with a yellow stripe from the eye to base of caudal fin. The fins are yellow. It reaches a maximum length of 35 cm.
The bigeye snapper is a highly prized, commercially trawled fish and generally fetches a high price in the marketplace.
Pictures: Papua, Indonesia by Sami Salmenkivi
Blue and Yellow Fusilie, Caesio teres. Tail fin and peduncle, and body above a diagonal from just anterior to origin of dorsal fin to ventral origin of caudal peduncle bright yellow (except in large ones in western Pacific, yellow does not extend as far as anteriorly); rest of upper 2/3 of body bright blue; lower third silvery white. Indonesian populations have yellow from origin of dorsal and most of the back to below lateral line over the posterior part and tail. Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to the Line Islands.
Pictures: Komodo, Indonesia by Sami Salmenkivi
Yellowtail fusilier, Caesio cuning. Upper body if not yellow, grayish blue; lower sides and belly white or pinkish. Pectoral, pelvic and anal fins white to pink. Large yellow tail. Dorsal fin yellow posteriorly and grayish blue anteriorly. Length usually at 35 cm.
Pictures: Papua, Indonesia by Sami Salmenkivi
Pterocaesio tile, common name Dark-banded fusilier, Blue-streak Fusilier, Bartail fusilier and Neon Fusilier, is a fish belonging to the family Caesionidae. Pterocaesio tile can reach a length of 25 centimetres (9.8 in). The back of the body is dark blue, while the flanks show a bluish green strike with a black stripe along the lateral line. The lower third of the body varies from white to pinkish. The lower half of the body turns bright red at night (hence the common name Neon Fusilier). It is oviparous and non-migratory. Pterocaesio tile feeds on zooplankton and is relatively rare.
Pictures: Top: Australia, Bottom: Papua, Indonesia by Sami Salmenkivi
Spottailed Squirrelfish or Silverspot Squirrelfish, Sargocentron caudimaculatum is one of the most common of the squirrelfishes that occurs in outer reef areas, also encountered in lagoons and drop-offs from less than 2 to 40 m; either solitary or in groups. Nocturnal, feeds mainly on benthic crabs and shrimps.
Pictures: Papua, Indonesia by Sami Salmenkivi
The Fish Directory 