Rarities underwater

[Beaun]

Not a photo, and not by me obviously. But here is a nice BBC video of some sea dragons, and figured this would be a good spot for it. It's from the new series Life by the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8330000/8330705.stm

 

[20reefer]

Wow amazing pictures. Some one have have photos of the Doratonotus megalepsis "Caribbean dwarf wrasse" and the Schultzea beta "School bass"?

 

[Luiz Rocha]

Sorry, I don't have either, but they are on my list for my next trip!

Since we are on the sea horse family, is anybody trying to keep Hippocampus bargibanti?

And for Caribbean mimics, the most common ones are the Hamlets I think, here a mimic, Hypoplectrus sp.:

And its model, Stegastes planifrons:

 

[20reefer]

Will love to see those specimens. When I snorkel here in PR I always saw different species of hamlets and they are very beautiful.

 

[Beaun]

Hippocampus bargibanti are so tiny what would you even feed them, zooplankton? Amazing photo of it though, makes it look huge.

 

[smb2]

Loosing steam ?
For small I have this 3" Trumpet, Aulostomus maculatus which I thought might be a Pipe fish when I first saw it.
The adult three footer, the yellow phase in its habitat, and [posted elsewhere] eating a Graysby.

 

[Luiz Rocha]

Oh nice trumpets! That one eating the Graysby is amazing. Never losing steam, just have to find time to process some more photos...

 

[Luiz Rocha]

While I process some more fish photos, thought it would be nice to post some of the reefscapes. First Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands:

 

[smb2]

Well these are from this morning. The "mushroom" shapes are due to a pre historic virus that attacked the coral base and the top portions kept growing.

Wouldn't you like to pick this up and start a 500 gal tank?

 

[Luiz Rocha]

Still o mimicry, the water was crap this day and photos are not great, but I think this is one of the most impressive examples of mimicry. The poisonous Meiacanthus atrodorsalis:

And it's mimic, Plagiotremus laudandus:

 

[Luiz Rocha]

And since we are on blennies, here a couple of pretty ones.

Exalias brevis

Ecsenius opsifrontalis

 

[SDguy]

Wow, what lovely coloration!

 

[glaukos]

thanks for all those unbelievable photos dude!

 

[sedgro]

Luiz - you Exallias brevis looks more like a red phase/male Cirripectes stigmaticus to me.

 

[Luiz Rocha]

Luiz - you Exallias brevis looks more like a red phase/male Cirripectes stigmaticus to me.

You are absolutely right, I am so used to calling every big spotted blenny E. brevis that I didn't even bother checking the ID on a book! Thanks for the correction.

I am editing some Hawaii fish photos and will post soon...

 

[Western_reefer]

And since we are on blennies, here a couple of pretty ones.

Exalias brevis

Ecsenius opsifrontalis

Wow! Beautiful Blennies! Whats that coral in the second picture?

 

[joetbs]

look more like tunicates than a coral. its too bad more ecsenius don't make it into the trade

 

[Luiz Rocha]

Yep, I also think those are some type of tunicate.

Now to the Hawaiian fishes...

Chaetodon fremblii

Chaetodon miliaris

Chaetodon multicinctus

 

[SDguy]

Wow, they never look that good in the LFS...

 

[scchase]

Ya they ussually take on their nighttime colors in captivity. I've also read that they are a relic species.