ID - Great Barrier Reef Fish

[AdamfromCanada]

Hi there, I have a lot of fish that I've taken photos of over the last few years, and I know what almost none of them are. While with birds, there's no shortage of ID books that can help (and a couple pretty amazing forums where experts will ID avians in a hurry) I have not yet found a great way to identify my fish. I thought I'd try out the experts here, and see if I can name a few fish from the Great Barrier Reef from April 2012.

1) Striped surgeonfish?
2) I really have no idea.
3) I think the fish on the far right and far left might be sunburst butterflyfish? Not sure at all on the one in the middle.
4) A parrotfish of some sort, which unfortunately only narrows it down to 90 species!
5) A vagabond butterflyfish maybe?

 

[GroktheCube]

First is Acanthurus lineatus, aka Clown Tang.

In the third pic, the fish in the center looks like a yellow damsel, but I'm not sure exactly which species, and the one on the right looks more like Acanthurus pyroferus (Mimic Lemon peel Tang) though it could just be the angle.

Fifth I'm pretty sure is Chaetodon lineolatus (Lined Butterfly), but it might be a vagabond as well. There are a few of them that look fairly similar, and I think someone with a better eye will be able to help you narrow it down.

 

[breederforlife]

hey, heres what i think they fish are:

1. definitely clown tang
2. dont know
3. on the far right its a sunburst butterfly
4. Some kind of parrot fish
5. Chaetodon ulietensis?

have a look on this website and see if you can find out more: http://www.oceanlight.com/fish.html

 

[AdamfromCanada]

Here's another angle of the 5th fish, blown up.

It doesn't appear to have the right stripe pattern for a vagabond:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=vagabond+butterflyfish&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=eEtsU6mkK9H8oASO-oK4BA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1463&bih=857

And yet there's not enough black to look like a Double-saddled or Black-wedged...

What about Spot-nape Butterflyfish? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot-nape_butterflyfish

 

[AdamfromCanada]

Attachment didn't work. Trying again.

 

[ReefingWerewolf]

Thats a Spot-Nape Butterflyfish

 

[AdamfromCanada]

Thats a Spot-Nape Butterflyfish

I'm changing my mind again on this...now thinking Lined Butterflyfish. Darn things are all so similar!

Any specialists on parrotfish around? That fish in #2 too...he seems so distinctive! I was sure he'd be recognized by someone.

 

[ReefingWerewolf]

I'm changing my mind again on this...now thinking Lined Butterflyfish. Darn things are all so similar!

Any specialists on parrotfish around? That fish in #2 too...he seems so distinctive! I was sure he'd be recognized by someone.

aagh, I think I was wrong and you where right.

I hate it when that happens

 

[Moort82]

I'm fairly sure pic two is a Scolopsis bilineatus.

 

[Dmorty217]

Wrong post

 

[Dmorty217]

The third looks like a Quoyi but the coloring isn't quite the same, it has more orange on the cheek and has green pectoral fins and Quoyi have blue fins

 

[velvetelvis]

This site might could help--IIRC, they're based out of Australia:
Undersea Productions

 

[AdamfromCanada]

How about Surf Parrotfish (Scarus rivulatus) for #4???

 

[AdamfromCanada]

In photo #3, with the sunburst butterflyfish, I think it's a golden damselfish. Yellow fish with blue/purple markings around the mouth. Strongly considered Ambon and Lemon Damsels as well. Any thoughts?

 

[sc50964]

2nd pic is Monocle Bream. 4th pic is quoyi parrot

 

[AdamfromCanada]

2nd pic is Monocle Bream. 4th pic is quoyi parrot

I've been looking at a lot of photos the last couple of days of Scarus quoyi and Scarus rivulatus. I'm really leaning to the latter now. Here's a couple of surf parrotfishes:

You'll note the orange patch by his fin. That matches my fish, and I haven't seen it in the Quoyi photos I've looked at.

Also, I looked at the distribution maps for the two fish on IUCN:

Surf: http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=190717
Quoyi: http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=190708

Both are at the Great Barrier Reef, but it looks like Surf is a little more common in the area. I went out from Airlie Beach on the trip where that is from, so the section of the reef (Hardy Reef) might be a little far south for Quoyi.

Thoughts?

 

[AdamfromCanada]

Quoyi?

Quoyi?

And no sooner do I suggest it might be rare to see one, when looking through my photos, I find that I have another similar fish, but who isn't of the same species.

One site I read about Quoyi's said this:

All the pics of the quoyi that I have seen have a very distinct turquoise jaw area with a sort of strap across the snout just above the beak.

This guy does seem to have that strap. Thoughts? Is this one the Quoyi?