Isla de Juventud Under Water Field Guide
Field guide for students from Hull University
Indigo Hamlet
Hypoplectrus indigo, also known as the Indigo Hamlet, is a species of Hamlet from the Western Central Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 14 cm in length.
Barred Hamlet
Hypoplectrus puella is a hamlet from the Western Central Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 15 cm in length.
Black Hamlet
Hypoplectrus nigricans is a hamlet from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 15 cm in length.
Blue Hamlet
The Blue Hamlet (Hypoplectrus gemma) is a tropical fish native to the Western Central Atlantic, including southern Florida, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and the Arrecife Alacranes of Mexico. It is not found outside of this region. The fish is an iridescent blue color with thin dark borders along its tail. It is typically a shy species, preferring to hide among rock work or ...more ↓
Butter Hamlet
The Butter Hamlet, Hypoplectrus unicolor is a hamlet from the Western Central Atlantic and is found in Florida, the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean. It is absent from the Gulf of Mexico. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 13 cm in length.
Queen Angelfish
The queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) is an angelfish commonly found near reefs in the warmer sections of the western Atlantic Ocean. Other common names include blue angelfish, golden angelfish, queen angel, and yellow angelfish.
Rock Beauty
The rock beauty, Holacanthus tricolor, is a species of marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae. Other common names include corn sugar, coshubba, rock beasty, and yellow nanny.
French Angelfish
The French angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, is a large angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, found in the western Atlantic from Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil, and also the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, including the Antilles, and the eastern Atlantic from around Ascension Island and St. Paul's Rocks, at depths of between 2 and 100 m. Length is up to 41 cm.
Banded Butterflyfish
The banded butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) is a butterflyfish found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to Bermuda.
Grey Angelfish
The gray angelfish or gray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus) is a large angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, found in the western Atlantic from New England to the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and also the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean, including the Antilles, at depths of between 2 and 30 m. Length is up to 60 cm. It weighs about 2.0 kg. It feeds ...more ↓
Four-eyed Butterflyfish
The Four-eyed Butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) is a butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is alternatively called the Foureye Butterflyfish. This species is found in the Western Atlantic from Massachusetts, USA and Bermuda to the West Indies and northern South America.
Bicolor Damselfish
Stegastes partitus or the bicolor damselfish is a species of bony fish in the family Pomacentridae found near the sea bed on shallow rocky and coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of Florida.
Dusky Damselfish
Stegastes adustus, commonly called the dusky damselfish or scarlet-backed demoiselle, is a damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. It is found at one- to three-meter depths on surging and wavy coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea, the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Creole Wrasse
The creole wrasse, Clepticus parrae, is a species of wrasse native to the western Atlantic Ocean.
Ocean Surgeonfish
The Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus) is a tropical fish known to live in reefs in the Atlantic Ocean. It is edible, and occasionally marketed fresh, but more often they are used as bait or in the aquarium trade.
Stoplight Parrotfish
The stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) is a sex-changing fish inhabiting coral reefs in Florida, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and as far south as Brazil. Its typical length is between 1 and 1.5 ft (30 and 46 cm), but it can reach 2 ft (61 cm) at times. It is normally found during the day at depths between 15 and 80 ft (4.6 and 24 m).
Sergeant Major
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 15 cm (6 in).
Bluehead Wrasse
The bluehead wrasse or blue-headed wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum, is a species of saltwater fish in the wrasse family (Labridae) of order Perciformes native to the coral reefs of the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. Individuals are small (less than 110 mm standard length) and rarely live longer than two years. They form large schools over the reef and are ...more ↓
Queen Triggerfish
The queen triggerfish (Balistes vetula) is a reef dwelling triggerfish of the Atlantic Ocean. It is occasionally caught as a gamefish, and sometimes kept in marine aquaria.
Atlantic Blue Tang
Acanthurus coeruleus is a surgeonfish found commonly in the Atlantic Ocean. It can grow up to 16 inches (41 cm) long. Common names include blue barber, blue doctor, blue doctorfish, blue tang, blue tang surgeonfish, yellow barber, and yellow doctorfish.
Rainbow Parrotfish
The rainbow parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia) is a species of fish in the Scaridae family. Among the largest members of this family (the largest in the Atlantic), it reaches 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in length. It is found at coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds in the Caribbean and near Bermuda. It was formerly classified as vulnerable due to overfishing and habitat loss, but because the ...more ↓
Great Barracuda
The great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) also known as the giant barracuda, is a species of barracuda. Great barracudas often grow over 6 feet (1.8 m) long and are a type of ray-finned fish.
Blue Chromis
Chromis cyanea, known by the common names blue reef chromis and blue chromis, is a fish from the western Atlantic Ocean that is occasionally kept in marine aquariums.
Green Moray
The green moray, Gymnothorax funebris, is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the western Atlantic from New Jersey, Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, at depths down to 40 m. Its length is up to 2.5 m.
Porkfish
Anisotremus virginicus, the Porkfish, is a species of grunt native to the western Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Brazil and the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. This nocturnal species inhabits areas of reef or with rocky substrates at depths of from 2 to 20 metres (6.6 to 66 ft). It can reach a length of 40.6 centimetres (16.0 in) TL though most do not exceed 25 ...more ↓
Longspine Squirrelfish
The longspine squirrelfish is silvery red, with orange-gold body stripes. One of about 150 species of squirrelfish, their most distinguishing characteristics are their large eyes and the long third spine of the anal fin. It is often included in public aquarium displays. The length of the longspine squirrelfish is about 18 cm (7.8 inches). It lives in coral reefs in tropical and warm ...more ↓
Yellowtail Snapper
The yellowtail snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, is an abundant species of snapper found along the North American coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Although they have been found as far north as Massachusetts, their normal range is along Florida south to the West Indies and Brazil.
Bluestriped Grunt
Haemulon sciurus, the Blue-striped grunt, is a subtropical species of grunt native to the western Atlantic Ocean. It was described by the English naturalist George Shaw in 1803.
French Grunt
Haemulon flavolineatum, the French grunt, is a species of grunt native to the western Atlantic Ocean from South Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil as well as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The French grunt travels in schools among coral and rocky reefs where it occurs at depths of from 0 to 60 metres (0 to 200 ft). Their bodies are yellow with horizontal silver ...more ↓
fire corals
Fire corals are colonial marine organisms that look rather like real coral. Technically they are not corals, since they are more closely related to jellyfish and other stinging anemones. They are members of the phylum Cnidaria, class Hydrozoa, order Capitata, family Milleporidae.
Porites
Porites is a genus of stony coral; they are SPS (Small Polyp Stony) corals. They are characterised by a finger-like morphology. Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-developed wall reticulum and are bilaterally symmetrical. Porites, particularly Porites lutea, often form microatolls. Corals of the genus Porites also often serve as hosts for ...more ↓
Brain Corals
Brain coral is a common name given to corals in the family Faviidae so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain. Each head of coral is formed by a colony of genetically identical polyps which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate; this makes them important coral reef builders like other stony corals in the order ...more ↓
Soft Corals
The Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals which do not produce calcium carbonate skeletons. Soft corals contain minute, spiny skeletal elements called sclerites, useful in species identification. Sclerites give these corals some degree of support and give their flesh a spiky, grainy texture that deters predators. In the past soft corals were thought to be unable to ...more ↓
Sharpnose Puffer
Canthigaster rostrata, commonly known as the Caribbean sharp-nose puffer, is a pufferfish from the Western Central Atlantic. It can be encountered from the coast of South Carolina to Venezuela, including the Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Staghorn Coral
The staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) is a branching, stony coral with cylindrical branches ranging from a few centimetres to over two metres in length and height. It occurs in back reef and fore reef environments from 0 to 30 m (0 to 98 ft) depth. The upper limit is defined by wave forces, and the lower limit is controlled by suspended sediments and light ...more ↓
Pederson Cleaner Shrimp
Ancylomenes pedersoni, sometimes known as Pederson's shrimp, is a species of cleaner shrimp. It is part of the genus Ancylomenes and was described in 1958 by Fenner A. Chace, Jr. as Periclimenes pedersoni.Ancylomenes pedersoni is found in the Caribbean Sea, often associated with a sea anemone, at depths of 1 to 15 metres (3 to 49 ft). They are often ...more ↓
Yellowline Arrow Crab
Stenorhynchus seticornis, the yellowline arrow crab or simply arrow crab, is a species of marine crab.
Giant Anemone
Condylactis gigantea is a tropical species of sea anemone that is found in coral reefs and other shallow inshore areas in the Caribbean Sea – more specifically the West Indies – and the western Atlantic Ocean including southern Florida through the Florida Keys. It is also commonly known as: giant Caribbean sea anemone, giant golden anemone, condylactis anemone, Haitian anemone, ...more ↓
Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber
Holothuria mexicana, also known as the Donkey Dung sea cucumber is commonly found in the Caribbean. It is a commercially important aspidochirote (sediment feeding) sea cucumber that can reach a total length of 50 cm (20 in).
Trumpetfish
The trumpetfish, Aulostomus maculatus, is a long-bodied fish with an upturned mouth; it often swims vertically while trying to blend with vertical coral, such as sea rods, sea pens, and pipe sponges.
Boulder Star Coral
Montastraea annularis, commonly known as the boulder star coral, is a species of coral that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean and is the most thoroughly studied and most abundant species of reef-building coral in the Caribbean to date. It also has a comprehensive fossil record within the Caribbean. This species complex has long been considered a generalist that exists ...more ↓
Abanico de mar
Gorgonia ventalina, the purple sea fan, is a species of sea fan, an octocoral in the family Anthothelidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Greater Star Coral
The Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) is a colonial stony coral found in the Caribbean seas. It forms into massive boulders and sometimes develops into plates. Its polyps are the size of a human thumb and fully extend at night. Great star coral colonies form massive boulders and domes over 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter in waters of shallow and moderate depths. In deeper ...more ↓
Sea Ginger
Millepora alcicornis, or sea ginger, is a species of colonial fire coral with a calcareous skeleton. It is found on shallow water coral reefs in the tropical west Atlantic Ocean. It shows a variety of different morphologies depending on its location, which led to it being given a number of scientific names by different authorities. It feeds on plankton and derives part of ...more ↓
Coral
Porites porites, commonly known as hump coral or finger coral, is a species of stony coral in the genus Porites. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean and also along the coast of West Africa.
Symmetrical Brain Coral
Diploria strigosa, the symmetrical brain coral, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Faviidae. It occurs on reefs in shallow water in the West Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It grows slowly and lives to a great age.
Grooved Brain Coral
Diploria labyrinthiformis, known by the common name grooved brain coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Faviidae. Found in tropical areas of the west Atlantic Ocean, it has a familiar, maze-like appearance.
Smooth Flower Coral
Eusmilia is a genus of stony coral (Scleractinia) in the family Meandrinidae. It is a monotypic genus: the only species is Eusmilia fastigiata, the smooth flower coral. It is found on reefs in the Caribbean area.
Nassau Grouper
The Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) is one of the large number of perciform fish in the family Serranidae that are commonly referred to as groupers. It is the most important of the groupers for commercial fishery in the West Indies, but has been endangered by overfishing.
Scolymia sp.
Scolymia, commonly called Scoly coral, is a genus of large polyp stony corals. Members of this genus are sometimes found in reef aquariums.
Lionfish
Pterois, commonly known as lionfish, is a genus of venomous marine fish found mostly in the Indo-Pacific. Pterois is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration with red, white, creamy, or black bands, showy pectoral fins and venomous spiky fin rays.Pterois are classified into a number of different species, but Pterois radiata, Pterois ...more ↓
Plexaura homomalla
Plexaura homomalla, commonly known as the black sea rod or Caribbean sea whip, is a species of gorgonian-type octocoral in the family Plexauridae. It is widely distributed in the Caribbean from the Florida Keys to the northern coast of Venezuela. P. Homomalla contains the bioactive lipid Prostaglandin A2 15-acetate methyl ester at approximately 3% of ...more ↓
mustard hill coral
Porites astreoides is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Poritidae. Its common name is the mustard hill coral or the yellow porites. It is a common species growing in shallow water on reefs in the western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea.
Diploria sp.
Diploria is a genus of massive reef building stony corals in the family Faviidae, commonly known as the brain corals. Three species are currently recognized, all found in the West Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Coral
Meandrina meandrites, commonly known as maze coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Meandrinidae. It is found primarily on outer coral reef slopes in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Yellowhead Jawfish
The Yellow-headed jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) is found in coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea. The head and upper body are a light, but brilliant, yellow color slowly fading to a pearlescent blue hue. The mouth and jaws are enlarged, a signature of the jawfishes.
Barracuda
Pelican barracudas (Sphyraena idiastes) are found in temperate coastal and oceanic waters. They are usually seen in groups of 3-20, from the surface to about 24 m. Pelican barracuda feed mainly on fish . Large individuals may slash prey into pieces before swallowing them.
Fairy Basslet
Gramma loreto, the Royal gramma, also known as the fairy basslet, is a species of basslet native to reef environments of the tropical western Atlantic Ocean. They are also found in the aquarium trade.
Spotted Trunkfish
The Spotted Trunkfish is a member of the family Ostraciidae. It can be found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean as well as the south eastern Atlantic Ocean. The species gets its name from the black spots it has covered over its yellow/golden body.
