WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?) 11: STARGAZER FISH

September 6, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?): STARGAZER FISH

It’s a real shocker! This fish is a serious contender. An A-list horror-fish. The WTF? series has featured some extraordinary, bizarre and frankly unbelievable fish species. Here’s one that might just blow them all out of the water. So to speak. Not only is this fish weird in a number of respects, but it is also dangerous. Behind its eyes it has a special ‘electric organ’ (a “Hammond”?**) that produces a shock when touched. Oh for a superpower like that, even if only to be used defensively.

“They’re the meanest things in creation,” fish scientist William Leo Smith, who owns a stargazer, told the New York Times. “I was so excited to get it. It’s the worst pet on earth.”

‘Fish out of water’. Note (but do not touch) the area behind its eyes… Northern_Stargazer (Canvasman21 wiki)

The Northern Stargazer Astroscopus guttatus whiles away the long lazy days lying mostly buried by sand, the stargazy eyes on top of its head picking out prey – mostly small fish – to ambush and stuff into its bizarre YKK zip-mouth. It can bury itself in seconds. An adult stargazer may grow to nearly 2-foot of concealed eating machine. They will stay put unless disturbed, confident that a false move by a creature – it could be you in your flippers – will mean it will be in for a shock.

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10 STARGAZER ATTRIBUTES TO ADMIRE (BESIDES THE ELECTRIC SHOCKS)

The strange mouth looks as it does because it is fringed to keep out sand
The head-top eyes can be made to protrude to allow a wider field of vision
It ambushes small fish and swallows them whole (see video below)
To lure prey, stargazers discharge seawater through their gills… (Alert Reader: why?)
It stirs up sand – possible lunch is waiting for a fish further up the food chain to enjoy
They are born with their eyes on side of the head (Alert Reader: why?)
Their eyes move to the top of the head as they grow from the larval stage
They are content to be solitary, except in the Spring (for the usual reasons)
Apparently little is known about the mating behaviours of these creatures. A pity, I feel.
They have no scales, but they make up for that with an impressive 13 anal spines
Unimpressed? Well they also have venomous spines near their gills & above their pectoral fins

stargazer-fish.jpg.653x0_q80_crop-smart

WEIRD FISH – AND WHAT’S WITH THE WEIRD NAME?

I wondered that too. The Astroscopus part derives from the Greek, ‘astro’ (star) and Latin ‘scopus’, a conceptual noun combining watching and targeting – think ‘telescope’, or ‘far-target-watching’. The guttatus (L) part simply means spotted or speckled. A Homo guttatus may need mild medical attention.

Stargazer clip (Wideangl)

THOSE ELECTRIC SHOCKS – HOW BAD ARE THEY?

Well. I kinda knew you’d ask so I looked into it. According to the exceptionally cool ‘Monsters of the Deep’ (see credits), the stargazer shock is approximately 50 volts. The British Health and Safety Executive, whose job is normally to interfere with almost every aspect of daily life in the UK (“you are strongly advised not to drink from bottles marked ‘Rat Poison’ portraying a Skull & Crossbones motif, lest disappointment should result”) has assisted:

A voltage as low as 50 volts applied between two parts of the human body causes a current to flow that can block the electrical signals between the brain and the muscles. This may have a number of effects including: stopping the heart beating properly; preventing the person from breathing; causing muscle spasms.

The exact effect is dependent upon a large number of things including the size of the voltage, which parts of the body are involved, how damp the person is, and the length of time the current flows.

Sadly, you are quite unlikely to find a stargazer in Abaco waters, which lie slightly beyond their fairly limited western Atlantic range. But hop over to Floridian waters, move a bit north, and you might meet one.

**A musical instrument allusion

Credits: Adam Rees / Scuba Works; Canvasmas21 wiki; Nat Geo Kids; MONSTERS OF THE DEEP (cool underwater site to check out!); Casey Patton / FMNH; Mother Nature Network (inc for video); Wideangl (clip)

HOGFISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (31)

August 23, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

HOGFISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (31)

Hogfish. Fisherman’s delight… getting ‘high on the hog’. This wrasse species Lachnolaimus maximus is a reef denizen, especially where gorgonians are found. It has the distinction of being the only known member of its genus, and because it is IUCN listed as vulnerable, there are strict regulations governing bag, size, and gear limits to protect the species from overfishing.

Hogfish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

The hogfish gets its name from its long ‘pig-like’ snout, coupled with its rootling behaviour on the sea floor for crustacean prey.

Hogfish ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba copy ed Hogfish foraging ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

GENDER STUDIES: IT’S COMPLICATED

The hogfish is a sequential hermaphrodite, meaning it changes sex during different life stages. Juvenile hogfish are female, but mature into males at around 3 years old.

Hogfish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

Hogfish social groups are organized into harems, where one male will protect a group of females in his territory and mate with them.

Hogfish ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba Hogfish with isopods ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

CAUTIONARY NOTE Capt. Rick, a loyal follower, has made another of his pertinent comments: “A bit of caution is necessary here! There is some history in the Bahamas of mild to severe Ciguatera poisoning from Hogs. Our M.O. was to only eat Hogs no larger than 5 or 6 lbs. Temporary or permanent blindness, paralysis, and even death is possible with bigger Hogs”. Ciguatera is also a problem with, for example, ‘cuda on Abaco. Those caught on the Marls (west) side are ok to eat; those from the east side have to be treated with circumspection…

Hogfish (with isopod above eye) ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

Credits: all fantastic fish fotos – Melinda Riger at Grand Bahama Scuba

JACKKNIFE FISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (30)

July 14, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

JACKKNIFE FISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH 30

The rather uncomfortably ‘double-k’ Jackknife fish is one of 3 types of similar drumfish subspecies of Equetus found in Bahamas waters. The others are the High Hat and the SPOTTED DRUMFISH – the first fish featured in this series. Each of these drumfish species has juveniles that are elegant and delicate, becoming more conventionally fishlike as they grow to adulthood, as the final image shows.

Jackknife fish (juv) ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy

I always want to stick a hyphen in to separate each k: jack-knife fish. I think it’s an English thing. I have seen, at the other extreme, ‘jack-knifefish’, which looks most weird of all. Checking online, jackknife fish wins by a distance as the correct spelling.

Jackknife Fish (juv) ©Melinda Riger @GB Scuba

These little fish, typically between 6 and 9 inches, inhabit the coral reefs of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and the Bahamas. Juveniles eat plankton and similar organism, graduating to small crabs and shrimps as adults.

Jackknife Fish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

A FULLY GROWN JACKKNIFE FISH (NOAA) Jackknife fish adult_NOAA_Photo_Library

Like other drumfishes, the jackknife can produce ‘croaking’ or ‘drumming sounds. This involves the fish beating its abdominal muscles against its swim bladder. There’s a lot more to it than my rather simplistic summary, but it’s probably as much as anyone needs or wants to know… The primary reason is believed to relate to mating. Other reasons include ‘low-level aggression’, and keeping in touch with each other in turbid waters. I prefer the unscientific theory that sheer happiness makes them croak. Here’s a short video of a happy juvenile Jack knife fish (that’s yet another spelling variant…)

RELATED POSTS

SPOTTED DRUMFISH

SPOTTED DRUMFISH JUVENILES

Credits: Melinda Riger / GrandBahama Scuba; NOAA

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (10): FLYING GURNARD

July 7, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) 10: FLYING GURNARD

Imagine that you are swimming along resplendent in your snorkelling gear (me) – or in scuba gear for the advanced swimmer (you). There, below you, camouflaged against the sea bottom is a fish. A strange-shaped brown sort of creature with odd side fins. As it progresses over the gravelly sand, your immediate reaction is ‘what the…?’ Its fins seem to be turning into… wings. Like this:

Flying Gurnard (Adam Rees / Scuba Works)

Yes, it’s a flying gurnard. Unlike flying fish, it can’t actually fly through the air. But once its wings are fully spread, it certainly looks as though it could.

Flying Gurnard (Adam Rees / Scuba Works)

WHAT’S THE POINT OF THE WINGS IF THE THING CAN’T FLY?

This gurnard species usually gets around using its ventral fins as ‘legs’, with the pectoral fins (‘wings’) close to the body. There seem to be several possible reasons for possessing the ‘sudden-deployment-of-flashy-wings’ superpower.

It surprises and deters predators by movement, turning prospective prey into an apparently different creature
Bright or lurid colouring may be a deterrent warning of a foul-tasting or poisonous species (APOSEMATISM)
A creature may actually be harmless and even tasty (as here) but may appear to be unpalateable or poisonous (BATESIAN MIMICRY)
In any event, the wings enable the fish to take off from the sea bottom and travel faster by ‘flying’ thought the water to escape a predator

Dactylopterus_volitans Flying Gurnard (cralize wiki)

I had a quick look to see how scientists in history had depicted this extraordinary fish. The earliest illustration I could find was taken from “Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische (General natural history of fishes),” a 12-volume encyclopedia by author/illustrator Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723-1799), which described all fish species then known to science (and 267 previously unknown) (© AMNH\D. Finnin) sourced from ‘Hyperallergic’
Flying Gurnard

Here’s a short video of a flying gurnard on the move, from ‘Sia Big Fish’

Credits: All main images Adam Rees / Scuba Works with many thanks, except final one ‘cralize wiki’; Hyperallergic for the historic image; Sia Big Fish for the video

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (9): THE HARLEQUIN BASS

May 24, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (9): THE HARLEQUIN BASS

I’m conscious of being rather unfair on this pretty dwarf bass species by including it in the WTF? series. The usual denizen of the series is a fish so strange that one’s immediate instinct is to yell into one’s facemask, “WTF?”. BATFISH or FROGFISH or GUITARFISH and their bizarre ilk. So with apologies to this species for its somewhat harsh classification, here are some quite flattering photos of it to make up for any hurt feelings.

Harlequin Bass Fish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy Harlequin Bass (jpc what'sthatfish)

The Harlequin Bass Serranus tigrinus has unusually striking body markings and a rather endearing spotty tailfin. They are hardy creatures and I note that they are recommended aquarium fish “and make a great candidate for beginners”, though there are warnings that they are “semi-aggressive”. NB they are only a few inches long, so no need to panic.

Harlequin_Bass_Serranus_tigrinus wiki Harlequin_Bass_(Serranus_tigrinus) wiki

If you are still not confident that you can ID one in the wild, here is a short video… Actually I’m really including it to show how these fish swim around. And next time, I promise a truly eye-watering WTF? fish from Bahamian waters, though its camouflage is so good that you may never notice it…

Credits: Melinda Riger / Grand Bahama Scuba (1, 2); jpc/ what’s that fish; wiki

REMARKABLE REEF CREATURES TO ADMIRE

May 2, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

REMARKABLE REEF CREATURES TO ADMIRE

Here is a small collection of recent photographs from Adam Rees of Scuba Works. Three OCTOPUSES, an astounding FROGFISH, a SEAHORSE, a MANTIS SHRIMP at close quarters, and a wonderful HAWKSBILL TURTLE. Clicking on a link will take you to a post with more photos and information about each creature. If these images don’t make you want to scuba then… what will?

Frogfish Hunting (Adam Rees : Scuba Works) Seahorse (Adam Rees : Scuba Works) Mantis Shrimp (Adam Rees : Scuba Works) Octopus 3 (Adam Rees : Scuba Works) Hawksbill Turtle (Adam Rees : Scuba Works) Octopus 2 (Adam Rees : Scuba Works)

All photos Adam Rees / Scuba Works, with thanks for use permission

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (7): THE SOAPFISH

March 4, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (7): THE SOAPFISH

The WTF? series features some of the stranger fish that inhabit the waters of the Bahamas. Ones that, were you to encounter one on the reef, might make you exclaim “WTF?”. The soapfish Rypticus belongs in the same family as grouper and sea bass. Within the soapfish genus there are quite a few varieties in different shapes, sizes and colours that include several mottled, freckled, spotted and generally blotchy fish. This post features one (or two) of them! Sorry to be lame here and lacking in authority, but having looked carefully online at images of several types of soapfish, I reckon there are 3 candidates. Freckled, I think these are. Enlightenment would be welcome!

Soapfish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

Rypticus tend to inhabit shallower tropical and sub-tropical waters. They are mainly nocturnal in their habits, feeding at night on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs. The WTF? factor arises from the creature’s oddly truncated shape. If you cover the back end of the fish in the image below with your hand, you might expect the fish to be about the same length again. But no, there’s just the tail to come. It looks a bit cut in half.

Soapfish © Melinda Riger @GB Scuba

DOES THE SOAPFISH HAVE ANY AWESOME POWERS?

I’m glad you asked because in fact it has two. First, these fish respond to threats by secreting large amounts of toxic mucus from their skins. This acts as a defensive barrier to repel predators. Secondly, female soapfish are able to change sex to male. This is not uncommon among fish, and in some (e.g. Clownfish) the change works the other way, male to female. I read a lot about chemicals and gonads in this connection, then decided to spare you the details. So basically, it’s toxic slimy coats and female gender realignment.

Soapfish ©Melinda Riger @ Grand Bahama Scuba

Credits: all photos, Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba

“CLEANING UP”: HOW TINY REEF FISH HELP LARGE FISH

February 10, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

“CLEANING UP”: HOW TINY REEF FISH HELP LARGE FISH

A while ago now, I wrote a detailed post about so-called fish ‘cleaning stations’ – the special spots on the reef where large fish can go to have small fish buff up their scales and floss their teeth. You can read all about it HERE.

I have accumulated a number of new photos from expert scuba diver and underwater photographer Melinda Riger that demonstrate this phenomenon. A big fish with a normally voracious appetite will patiently wait while gobies and other small fry go about their work. This often involves actually entering the mouth of the (as it must seem to them) monster to pick the insides and the teeth clean. There is an extraordinary understanding and trust between the species that means during the operation, the little fish are perfectly safe. Here are some examples, of which the very recent header image of a grouper named Arnold is quite outstanding.

Tiger Grouper + cleaner goby ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy Grouper, Black at cleaning station ©Melinda Riger @G B Scuba copy Tiger Grouper at cleaning station ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy Tiger Grouper being cleaned ©Melinda Riger @G B Scuba copy

It is not just gobies that attend the fish. Various species of shrimp also volunteer for the job.

Tiger Grouper with cleaning shrimps and goby ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy Grouper being cleaned ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba copy

Groupers are not the only species to make use of cleaning stations. Here is a dog snapper at the same cleaning station as the grouper in the header image. Below is a stingray being attended to.

Dog Snapper at cleaning station ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy

Southern Stingray with cleaning gobies Stingray, Southern with cleaning gobies ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy

GRAMMATICAL DIGRESSION There is this ‘thing’ about the correct use of the words ‘fish’ and ‘fishes’ in the plural form. The basic principle is simple: ‘fish’ where you are referring to several of the same species; ‘fishes’ where more than one species is involved. I don’t care. My policy is to use ‘fish’ as the plural on all occasions, so I don’t have to think about it. Pedants, look away now.

TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS

BANDED CORAL (‘CLEANER’) SHRIMP

TIGER GROUPER

BLACK GROUPER

All photos: Melinda Riger, Grand Bahama Scuba

“CALLING ELVIS” (THE SQUIRRELFISH, NOT THE MAN)

February 5, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

“CALLING ELVIS” (THE SQUIRRELFISH, NOT THE MAN)

How proud The King would be to know that his name lives on in the form of an attractive though sadly unmusical Bahamian squirrelfish. This little guy is at least 5 years old. What is more, he has lived at the same address all that time, defending it against usurpers and protecting himself from predators in its safe depths. Here is the loveable little Elvis photographed at home between 2012 and 2016 (header image), the master of his own underwater Graceland…

Squirrelfish (%22Elvis%22) ©Melinda Riger GB Scuba Elvis the Squirrelfish ©Melinda Riger GB Scuba Squirrelfish ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

The reason that Elvis has such large eyes is that these fish are mostly nocturnal, and (apart from when Melinda is out with her camera), he and his friends spend most of the day either at home, or in crevices, small rock caves, or under ledges. However, here are a couple of shots of Elvis out and about, enjoying some quality time among the corals.

Squirrelfish (Elvis) ©Melinda Riger @ Grand Bahama Scuba Squirrel Fish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

ROLLING HARBOUR MUSICAL DIGRESSION

I so wanted to add a specific Elvis catalogue ‘Musical Digression’, but try as I might, there is no title in The King’s discography that has any potential for finny nuance or piscine pun value. However, here’s a track from the now tragically unhip Dire Straits on their follow-up album to the phenomenal ‘Brothers-in-Arms’, the much under-rated ‘On Every Street’. I give you… Calling Elvis, a song that cunningly contains as many titles of Presley hits as anyone could ever wish for.

All images: Melinda Riger at Grand Bahama Scuba; cartoon from a sequence on the excellent BCCR Defenses page – learn about camouflage and other fishy self-protection techniques

Nocturnal squirrelfish checks out a parrotfish’s sleeping arrangements

BLUE CHROMIS: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (29)

January 22, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

BLUE CHROMIS: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (29)

The little blue chromis Chromis cyanea will be instantly familiar to any snorkeler or scuba diver on the coral reefs of the Bahamas. These ever-present small fish – 6 inches long at most – are remarkable for their iridescent deep blue colour that flashes as they dart in and out of the coral and anemones of the reef.

Blue Chromis ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

Although at first sight this chromis species – one of many – looks blue all over, adults have a black dorsal stripe and black edging to their fins. They make colourful additions to aquariums, though to my mind they look far more attractive nosing about the reefs foraging for the zooplankton upon which they feed (see header image for details…)

Blue Chromis ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

The blue chromis was the second fish species I encountered on my first ever reef dive, at Fowl Cay Marine Preserve with Kay Politano. The first fish was the endearingly inquisitive sergeant major with its smart black and yellow stripes which came right up to my googles to eyeball me. I loved that, even though my pitiful swimming technique meant that I had plenty of other distractions, not least remembering to breathe. Air, that is, rather than water.

Blue Chromis ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

Chromis_cyanea_(blue_chromis)_(San_Salvador_Island,_Bahamas)

SO JUST HOW BIG ARE THESE FISH, COMPARED, SAY, TO A BLUE TANG?

Blue Tang with blue chromis in its wake Blue Tang with Blue Chromis © Melinda Riger @GB Scuba copy

All photos Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scube, except the penultimate by James St John, taken in San Salvador

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (6): THE SAND DIVER

January 8, 2016 by Rolling Harbour

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (6): THE SAND DIVER

Time for another in the WTF? series, featuring weird (begging their pardons) or not very fish-like fish. The Sand Diver Synodus intermedius is a type of lizardfish found in subtropical waters and often around coral reefs. They can grow up to about 18 inches long and a prime specimen might weigh a couple of pounds. The markings are quite variable but one common characteristic seems to be a tendency to look somewhat down in the mouth; and to possess jaws full of tiny sharp teeth.

Sand Diver - ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

Sand divers have two rows of teeth on their upper jaw and three rows on their lower jaw. Not content with that, they also have rows of teeth on the palate and tongue. Were they 50 times the size, they would be truly awesome.

Sand Diver ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

The rather primitive appearance of the sand diver is explicable from fossils, which show that their forbears were active in the Jurassic / Cretacean periods.

Sand Diver ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

HOW DO THEY GET THEIR NAME?

Sand divers often bury themselves in the sand with only their head showing. They are so-called ‘ambush predators’, and burial is one method they use. Another is simply to lie on the sandy bottom, or on reef surfaces and wait for passing prey. Their colouring provides very good camouflage. Sand Diver Fish

WHAT’S ON A SAND DIVER MENU?

A good mix of small reef fishes. Bar jacks, blue chromis, wrasses, fairy basslets, small grunts and so forth. At their own level they are quite fearsome predators.

Sand Diver © Melinda Riger @ Grand Bahama Scuba

ARE THEY ON THE HUMAN MENU?

Well, I knew someone would ask that, so I carried out a search. The answer seems to be no. I have found nothing to suggest that they are edible, or that anyone has tried (or if they have, survived to tell the tale). Incidentally, the best way to find out if something is edible by humans is to search for a recipe. There are no sand diver recipes.

STOP PRESS Jason Knight has drawn my attention to a comment in WhatsThatFish.com (no relation) by one ‘Jenny’, who commends Sand Divers as food (“they cook up just as good as hogfish!”). So yes, they are edible and there is one recipe…

All photos: Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) (5): THE FILEFISH

December 4, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) 5: THE FILEFISH

The jocularly-named WTF? series is designed to shed an underwater spotlight on some of the odder denizens of the coral reefs and surrounding waters. I don’t want to earn a reputation for being ‘lookist’, but frankly the appearance of some of these creatures – I give you BATFISH or FROGFISH or REMORAS as examples – is baffling. The filefish group is not as extreme as some in the downright weird category, but if you see one you might just find yourself muttering into your facemask “wtf?”

Scrawled Filefish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

Filefish (Monacanthidae) are found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. They are related to triggerfish, trunkfish and pufferfish, and have regional names that include leatherjacket, foolfish, and shingle. There are more than 100 species of filefish, of which only a few are found in Bahamian waters. The species featured here are a mix of scrawled, white-spotted and orange-spotted filefish.

Filefish White-spotted ©Melinda Riger @G B Scuba

HOW DID THEY GET THE NAME?

In the image above, you can just see a flattened spine on top, above the eye and pointing backwards. This is the ‘retracted’ state. There is a small secondary spine that serves to prop up the main spine when it is in the upright position. This is it seems, the file – although the Greek-derived family name Monacanthidae literally means ‘one thorn’. So why isn’t it a thornfish, you may well ask. And I may well not respond.

This filefish’s ‘spine’ seems to have flopped over to one side White Spotted File fish

These fish have snouts with small mouths and specialized teeth with an inner and outer set on each jaw. They are to an extent shapeshifters, and can quickly make themselves appear larger for defensive purposes. In some individual species, there are marked differences in body shape and coloration.

An orange-spotted filefish with its spine erect, making for a cave – a place of safety Filefish, Orange Spotted ©Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba

The fins of a filefish are small, and they are rather sedate swimmers. Sometimes they simply like to drift with their heads pointed downwards, eyeing patches of seagrass or seaweed for prey. Some species are largely vegetarian. Others eat small invertebrates. Some even feed on corals. Their predators – especially the juveniles – include tuna and dolphins (mahi-mahi).

ADDITION Capt Rick Guest has helpfully expanded on juvenile filefish: “The juveniles hang under sea weed and flotsam eating small shrimps and crabs there. They, in turn become food for Mahi and other pelagic fish. The main thing with these guys is that the bigger they are, the more likely they are to be Ciguateric”.

At his suggestion I will write a post about the problem of the Ciguatera disease when I have had some time to do the research.

Scrawled File Fish

ARE THEY EDIBLE?

Good question. The answer, broadly is yes, though I don’t know if that applies to all species of filefish. They are certainly eaten in large quantities in the Far East. I don’t know about the Bahamas or the wider Caribbean. If anyone does, could you very kindly add a comment to this post. Recipes welcome!

Scrawled Filefish

All photos: Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba

ATLANTIC SPADEFISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (28)

November 16, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

ATLANTIC SPADEFISH: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (28)

The Atlantic spadefish looks very much like an angelfish, and indeed it is called that – or ‘white angelfish’ – in some places. Actually, it has quite a collection of colloquial names of which ‘moonfish’ is the most attractive sounding. It is not a true angelfish, however, and despite appearances it has a kinship with the weird and wonderful BATFISH.

Atlantic Spadefish ©Melinda Riger @GBS

Unlike the batfish, the spadefish is demonstrably fishlike AND edible. They can grow up to 3 foot long and have become a popular gamefish for three good reasons: they are abundant; they fight hard; and they are dinner. The perfect combination.

Atlantic Spadefish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy

All photos: Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba, with thanks

Atlantic Spadefish ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba

“OPHELIA READY FOR HAMLET”: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (27)

October 22, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

“OPHELIA READY FOR HAMLET”: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (27)

It’s a couple of years since I originally posted about the various species of HAMLET that inhabit the reefs of the Bahamas. I feel you are (geddit?) ready to see some more of these colourful little fish. Last time out, I worked over the Shakespearean possibilities quite thoroughly so I’ll spare you a repeat (apart from the inevitable title pun). If you really want to revisit the famous Hamlet Cigar ad or hear the theme music (Bach’s Air on a G String, shamelessly ‘borrowed’ by Procol Harum for ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale), you’ll find them HERE. Or just move straight on to 5 related but very different looking Hamlets cruising the Bahamas coral reefs.

INDIGO HAMLET

BARRED HAMLET

BLACK HAMLET

SHY HAMLET

BUTTER HAMLET

Credits: all photos Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba

MAKE FRIENDS WITH ANEMONE: BAHAMAS REEF LIFE

September 23, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

MAKE FRIENDS WITH ANEMONE: BAHAMAS REEF LIFE

The giant anemone is found in the shallow reefs and lagoons of the Caribbean and western Atlantic. These are, of course, animals and not plants, with many tentacles that surround their mouth. They attach themselves to rock or in rock crevices, mooring themselves securely against the swell of the waves.

Giant anemone with ‘Speckles’, a spotted moray eel

ARE THEY USEFUL?

One important feature of a healthy anemone population is the shelter they give to certain small fish and cleaner shrimp species. They act as bases for FISH CLEANING activities, a vital role in the undersea community.

HOW DO THEY HAVE… ERM… SEX?

The sex lives of anemones seems particularly complicated (as they would doubtless think about humans). Cutting to the chase, reproduction involves the synchronous spawning of eggs and sperm, with fertilisation occurring in the surrounding water. The fertilised eggs become larval and spread in the water column, which increases their chances of survival. They settle on the BENTHOS, where they develop a “pedal leg” (rather in the manner of a gastropod) which in due course they will use to move from A to… A plus a very short distance.

These anemones come in many colours. The tentacles often have tips of various hues, and are the only free-floating part of the animal. The body is safely attached to the rock.

The giant anemone has primitive defensive mechanisms. It needs them, because it crawls so slowly that successful escape by moving is unlikely. Instead they reduce their size by drawing their tentacles into, or as close as possible to, their gastric cavity. They make room for this by forcing most of the water out. This reduces their overall size and of course removes – or at least diminishes – the ”50 colourful tentacles waving around” predator-magnet problem. But also…

Giant Anemone ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy 7

…they have a trump card. The tips of the giant anemones’ tentacles are packed with cells that contain a toxin. When stimulated, the cells (‘nemocysts’) “explode out of the capsule, impaling the attacker”. The toxin is then discharged, causing extreme pain and paralysis. How cool is that? It’s the superpower we’d all like to have! Or is that just me?

This is also how an anemone feeds, by quickly paralyzing its prey with the ‘toxic tentacles of doom’. The prey is moved to the mouth and swallowed whole…

Giant Anemone ©Melinda Riger @ G B Scuba copy 6

Credits: Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba, with thanks as always

CREOLE WRASSE: SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE…

September 11, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

CREOLE WRASSE: SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE…

The creole wrasse is a small wrasse species, with adult males reaching about 12 inches long. During its life, a creole wrasse changes colour significantly. A juvenile is almost completely violet-purple. As it matures, it develops patches of yellow on the rear part of its body.

Creole wrasse are found throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic from Florida south to Brazil. The habitat includes Bermuda, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Creole wrasse are social fish that live in groups around coral reefs. They are found in shallow water, but may also be seen as deep as 100m.

The groups of wrasse feed on plankton, small jellyfish, pelagic TUNICATES, and invertebrate larvae. These fish are active in groups by day. At night each fish finds its own safe crevice in the reef to sleep.

ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO KNOW?

Yes indeed. Their intriguing breeding regime – how unlike our own dear species. The creole wrasse is a protogynous hermaphrodite. The largest fish in a group is a dominant breeding male, while smaller fish remain female. If the dominant male dies, the largest female changes sex. The mature males congregate at leks to breed, at which they display and are approached by females before mating with them. [note: these leks are reminiscent of certain clubs in the less reputable parts of some towns and cities. Or so I am told]

It’s been a while since the last Rolling Harbour musical diversion, but the colour of this wrasse nudged my memory back to 1968 and DP’s first album (line-up Mk 1 of several hundred, or so it seems). Hence the post title. Anyone who remembers this ‘wasn’t there’. Anyone who doesn’t obviously wasn’t there either…

I don’t think this guy thinks much of that. And quite right too

All phish photos by Melinda; DP cover borrowed from Am@z@n; MP3 moi

HIP! HIP! HIPPOCAMPUS: LET’S CELEBRATE SEAHORSES

September 2, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

HIP! HIP! HIPPOCAMPUS: LET’S CELEBRATE SEAHORSES

Melinda Riger, doyenne of the deep and photographer to the stars (brittle stars, basket stars, starfish etc), undertook her 5000th dive a few days ago. She swims with sharks almost daily, and points her lens at the varied reef life she encounters along the way. Her gold prize for the dive turned out to be one of the smallest creatures she encountered: the seahorse. Hippocampus (Ancient Greek: Ἵππος, horse and Κάμπος, sea monster) is a unique fish, deriving from the pipefish, with more than 50 species known worldwide. I can feel a Rolling Harbour fact list coming on…

10 SEAHORSE FACTS TO DAZZLE YOUR FRIENDS WITH

Only seahorses and razorfish swim upright / vertically all the time
Their tails are prehensile and enable them to moor on coral, seagrass etc
They have no scales, but skin stretched over bony plates arranged in rings
The ‘coronet’ on a seahorse’s head is unique to the individual
Seahorses are pathetic swimmers: the slowest have a top speed of 5′ per hour
They feed by ambush, rotating the head and sucking prey in with their snout
A seahorse’s eyes can move independently of each other, like a chameleon
The Bahamas is home to H. erectus and the dwarf seahorse H. zosterae
Despite rumours, they don’t mate for life. Some may stay together for a season
The smallest seahorse in the world – the pygmy – is a maximum of 15mm long

MAKING BABY SEAHORSES: A MOST UNUSUAL ARRANGEMENT

There’s no getting round it: seahorse courtship and reproduction is highly unusual. Here is a summary of how it goes (there’s a lot more to it, but life is short):

COURTING This may last for many days. They may change colour; they swim together; they entwine tails; they attach themselves to the same strand of coral or seagrass and turn slowly round it in unison (a so-called ‘pre-dawn’ dance). The final courtship dance may last several hours while the male & female prepare for the next stage.
EGG TRANSFER When the time is right the female transfers her eggs – hundreds of them – via her ovipositor to the male, in the process of which they are fertilised. Handily, he has inflated a special egg pouch located on his abdomen. She then buggers off.
GESTATION The fertilised eggs grow inside the egg pouch of the male and develop into baby seahorses. This process may take from 10 days to a few weeks. During this time, the female will visit for a short ‘morning greeting’ and some intertwining action.
‘BIRTH’ In due course the male ejects the baby seahorses from his pouch using muscular contractions. These may number from five to (get this!) 2,500 at a time; on average 100–1000. Job done. Then the tiny seahorse babies are on on their own…

THREATS TO SEAHORSES

The attrition rate of baby seahorses through predation is high (as for most fish species), but the prolific breeding rate reduces the effect on the overall populations. As so often, there are human-related threats, not least habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution. There’s a less expected problem: the importance of seahorses in Chinese medicine. Their presumed healing qualities are used to treat impotence, wheezing, enuresis, pain and to assist labour. For these purposes, some 20 million seahorses a year are caught and sold. Increasingly they are reduced to pill or capsule form.

Seahorse values depend on the species, but weight for weight dried seahorses retail for *unbelieving face* more than the price of silver and almost that of gold in Asia, from US$600 to $3000 per kilogram. Ours not to reason why.

USELESS SEAHORSE FACTS

Seahorse is an anagram of seashore
The Seahorses were an English rock band, formed in 1996 by guitarist John Squire following his departure from The Stone Roses. They split in 1999
Devendra Banhart’s song ‘Seahorse’ contains these inspiring lyrics:
I wanna be a little seahorse
I wanna be a little seahorse
A little seahorse
I wanna be a little seahorse
I wanna be a little seahorse
I wanna be a little seahorse
I wanna be a little seahorse
I’m losing the will to live. Let’s meet Otis.

Introducing Otis, Melinda’s seahorse that lives under her dock

SEAHORSE MATING DANCE (4 MINS)

MALE SEAHORSE GIVING BIRTH

All photos: many thanks to Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba; sources, many and manifold including Wiki which is pretty good on this kind of thing! Fab seahorse gif by Alex Konahin

‘BAHAMAS SHRIMPING’: BANDED CORAL SHRIMPS

August 26, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

‘BAHAMAS SHRIMPING’: BANDED CORAL SHRIMPS

The Banded Coral Shrimp Stenopus hispidus is also known as the banded cleaner shrimp because it cleans other fish (see TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS); and ‘boxing shrimp’ because its stance and the large pincers on the third set of legs give the creature the appearance of a boxer ready to fight.

These shrimps are widely distributed in tropical and sub-tropical waters around the world where coral reefs are found. Their striking colour scheme makes them instantly recognisable.

BANDED CORAL SHRIMP ON STAR CORAL AT NIGHT

BANDED CORAL SHRIMPS: 10 FACTS TO BANDY ABOUT

BCSs are decapods, having 5 matching pairs of legs / claws on each side
They can be found as deep as 200 metres in the ocean
They are also found in aquaria, but need careful management because…
They are generally aggressive to other BCSs & shrimps in the same tank and
They need room for their long legs and antennae to move freely around
However, rather sweetly, they are monogamous and do not eat their partners
Diet-wise they are omnivore carnivore scavengers
They are said to be amusing to watch as they rush round a tank after food
Not a good shrimp to breed: the larvae get stuck in the filtration or get eaten
In the sea, they act as ‘cleaner’ fish to larger fish species (see below)

In its capacity as a cleaner shrimp, the BCS solicits passing fish by slowly waving its long, white antennae. It then uses its three pairs of claws to remove parasites, fungi and damaged tissue from the fish. See the video example below.

BANDED CORAL SHRIMP CLEANING A PASSING YELLOW TANG

BANDED CORAL SHRIMPS IN A VASE SPONGE

Credits: Melinda Riger (Grand Bahama Scuba); Johan Fredriksson; Alexander Vasenin; Laszlo Ilyesr; R. Ling; LiveAquaria, Fishlore [nb not all pics are from the Bahamas, but the BCS is the same the world over…]

CARIBBEAN REEF SQUID: SUPERPOWERS & SEX LIVES REVEALED

August 10, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

CARIBBEAN REEF SQUID: SUPERPOWERS & SEX LIVES REVEALED

The Caribbean reef squid Sepioteuthis sepioidea is a small squid species of the Caribbean Sea and the Floridian coast. Its fins extend nearly the whole length of the body and undulate rapidly as it swims. Recently, it has been discovered that this squid is capable of brief flight out of the water.

Reef squid tend to form small shoals in and around reefs. It is by far the most common squid species in its range, and can be sighted both close to the shore and quite near the surface (although that increases the risk of predation by seabirds).

A silvery squid swimming just below the surface

Squid are voracious eaters, dragging their prey to their mouths and using a beak to cut it up. Their target species are small fish, molluscs and crustaceans. They have a ‘raspy tongue’ known as a radula which further breaks up the food for easy consumption.

Squid at Fowl Cay Marine Preserve, Abaco

SQUID SUPERPOWERS (SUPERCOOL)

Squid can change colour, texture and shape
This enviable power is used defensively as camouflage or to appear larger if threatened
It is also used in courtship rituals, something that humans would find most disconcerting
Colour patterns are also used for routine squid-to-squid communication AND GET THIS:
A squid can send a message to another on one side, and a different one to a squid on the other

SQUID SEX (1) “ROMANCING THE SQUID”

A male will gently stroke a female with his tentacles
The female will (most likely) flash an ‘alarm’ pattern
The male soothes her (don’t try this at home, guys) by blowing and jetting water at her
If he’s not getting on well, he’ll move off and repeat the routine until she sees his good points
However this on / off courtship can last for hours until at last he succeeds by…
…attaching a sticky packet of sperm onto the female’s body (romance is not dead)
She reaches for it and moves it to her “seminal receptacle”
Meanwhile he stays close, emitting a pulsing pattern, as well he might after all that
She then finds a safe place to lay her eggs. Job done.

SQUID SEX (2) IT ALL ENDS BADLY

As soon the female squid has laid her eggs, she dies at once
The male squid live a bit longer, and may have other packets to stick – then he dies too
It’s all horribly reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. Without the balcony scene.

USES OF SQUID ON ABACO

Squid are prolific in the seas around Abaco, which is fortunate because they form a large part of the diet of some whale species, particularly the Blainville’s Beaked Whales that are commonly found in Abaco waters. I have a post on these magnificent creatures in preparation right now, and am in the process of sorting out suitable photos from a large number taken during a research expedition in March.

More Squid at Fowl Cay Marine Preserve, Abaco

Credits: As ever (for underwater pics) Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba; also Ellen Sokol of Kiskeedee Sailing Charters, who kindly sent me the Fowl Cay photos; also Ed Brown, Clark Anderson and Nick Hobgood for ‘open-sourcing’ their great images

“THE BUTTERBUN” (LONGSNOUT BUTTERFLYFISH): BAHAMAS REEF FISH (26)

July 10, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

“THE BUTTERBUN” (LONGSNOUT BUTTERFLYFISH)

BAHAMAS REEF FISH (26)

The Atlantic/ Caribbean Longsnout Butterflyfish Prognathodes aculeatus is sometimes known locally as the Longnose (not to be confused with the bright yellow Indo-Pacific Longnose Butterflyfish). The affectionate name for it is ‘Butterbun’. A more scientific name is ‘Poey’s Butterflyfish’, named for the man who first identified the species in 1841.

Mr Felipe Poey

Longnose : Longsnout Butterflyfish © Melinda Riger @ GB Scuba copy

These little fish, 2 0r 3 inches long, are commonly found on reefs from Florida down to Venezuela. Unlike most butterflyfishes, they prefer deeper water and have been found at 200 ft; and they tend to be solitary rather than gregarious.