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COMMON BONAIRE REEF FISH

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CLASSES OF FISH

All fish belong to the Kingdom Animalia and the Phylum Chordata.

There are five Classes of fish:

Hagfish (primitive jawless fish with around 70 living species)
Lampreys (primitive jawless fish with around 40 living species)
Cartilaginous (non-bony fish with around 1200 living species)
Lobe-finned (uncommon bony fish: lungfish and their relatives, 8 living species)
Ray-finned (common bony fish: more than 30,000 living species)

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ORDERS OF FISH

97% of living fish species -- including all the common Bonaire reef fish -- are in the Ray-Finned Class.

We'll look at seven broad groupings within the Ray-Finned Class:

1, Order: Perciformes (perch-like swimmers)
2, Order: Acanthuiformers (spine-tailed)
3, Order: Gobiiformes & Order: Blenniiformes & Order: Aulopiformes
4, Order: Tetraodontiformes & Order: Ostraciidae & Order: Diodontidae
5, Order: Holocentridae
6, Silver Fish
7, Odd-Shaped Swimmers

We'll also look at a few non-fish reef creatures.

8, Non-Fish Reef Creatures
9, Corals, Sponges, and Friends

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��1: Perciformes (perch-like swimmers) ��Butterflyfish - Angelfish - Damselfish �Parrotfish & Wrasses - Goatfish �Grunts - Snappers - Groupers & Seabass �

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BUTTERFLYFISH

BANDED BUTTERFLYFISH FOUREYE BUTTERFLYFISH LONGSNOUT BUTTERFLYFISH

Butterfly fish tend to hover just above the coral.
Different species have the same general shape but different markings, so they're easy to identify.

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ANGELFISH

FRENCH ANGELFISH QUEEN ANGELFISH ROCK BEAUTY

Angelfish swim in pairs. When you see one, look around, its partner will be near-by.

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DAMSELFISH

BICOLOR DAMSELFISH LONGFIN DAMSELFISH THREESPOT DAMSELFISH

YELLOWTAIL DAMSELFISH YELLOWTAIL DAMSELFISH, juv. SERGEANT MAJOR

Most damselfish farm a particular patch of algae on the coral.
If you go close, they'll turn and face you to defend their algae patch.

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DAMSELFISH

SERGEANT MAJOR GUARDING EGGS BLUE CHROMIS BROWN CHROMIS

Sergeant majors guard their eggs. Look for purple sergeant majors rubbing against the sunken boat laying their eggs. You can

also see their egg beds on the pier posts.

Brown chromis and blue chromis swim in large schools. You'll find them just past the drop-off and also swimming past the coral.

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PARROTFISH

QUEEN PARROTFISH QUEEN PARROTFISH, juv. REDBAND PARROTFISH

STOPLIGHT PARROTFISH STOPLIGHT PARROTFISH, juv. REDTAIL PARROTFISH

Parrotfish make a loud crunching sound as they munch the coral. The fine white sand you see is coral that's been processed through a parrotfish. Each night they secrete a slime bubble which they sleep in to mask their scent from predators.

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PARROTFISH

PRINCESS PARROTFISH PRINCESS PARROTFISH, juv. YELLOWTAIL PARROTFISH

STRIPED PARROTFISH STRIPED PARROTFISH, juv. PUDDINGWIFE

Most parrotfish and wrasse species are sequential hermaphrodites which means they can change their sex. They live in harems with a dominant male. When he dies, one of the females or young adult males will change into a terminal (breeding) male.

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WRASSES

BLUEHEAD WRASSE BLUEHEAD WRASSE, juv. CREOLE WRASSE

YELLOWHEAD WRASSE YELLOWHEAD WRASSE, juv. SPANISH HOGFISH

Wrasse can be hard to identify because members of the same species can look quit different depending on whether they're

juveniles, young adults, or terminal (breeding) adults.

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WRASSES

SLIPPERY DICK SLIPPERY DICK, juv. GREEN RAZORFISH

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GOATFISH

SPOTTED GOATFISH YELLOW GOATFISH

Goatfish are easy to identify both because of how they look and because of how they behave. They

have three barbels that hang down from their mouth. They root around in the sand looking for food.

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GRUNTS

BLUESTRIPED GRUNT FRENCH GRUNT BLACK MARGATE

Grunts have thin lips and slopping heads.

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SNAPPERS

GLASSEYE SNAPPER MAHOGANY SNAPPER SCHOOLMASTER

Snappers have thick lips with visible teeth and slopping heads.

YELLOWTAIL SNAPPER

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GROUPERS & SEABASS

CONEY GRAYSBY TIGER GROUPER

These are the three medium-sized grouper species that are commonly seen on Bonaire.
Groupers & seabass have thick lips with no visible teeth and slopping heads.

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GROUPERS & SEABASS

GREATER SOAPFISH BARRED HAMLET HARLEQUIN BASS

The greater soapfish is a distinctive hump-backed large grouper (1.5') which rests under ledges and amongst soft coral.
The barred hamlet and harlequin bass are small seabass which swim freely. The harlequin bass is smaller

and more cigar-shaped.

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�2: ACANTHUIFORMERS (SPINE-TAILED)��SURGEONFISH

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SURGEONFISH

ATLANTIC BLUE TANG ATLANTIC BLUE TANG, juv. DOCTORFISH

Surgeonfish are a classically oval-shaped fish. They have one or two visible spines just before their tail. These spines reminded early observes of a surgeon's scalpel.

OCEAN SURGEONFISH

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3: GOBIIFORMES, BLENNIIFORMES, & AULOPIFORMES��GOBIES - BLENNIES & JAWFISH & BASSLETS - LIZARDFISH

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GOBIES

BRIDLED GOBY GOLDSPOT GOBY MASKED GOBY

Gobies are small (1") cigar-shaped fish which perch on coral. They lack swim bladders, so they

can't float in the water, but rather hop along the sea floor.

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BLENNIES - BASSLETS - JAWFISH

REDLIP BLENNY FAIRY BASSLET YELLOWHEAD JAWFISH

The red-lipped blenny is a cigar-shaped fish with big lips which perches on the bottom. It's an iconic Bonaire fish. The restaurant "Blennies" is named after this fish.
The fairy basslet is a small, vividly colored fish which swims in the water column.
The yellowhead jawfish pokes its head out of holes in the sand. Look around the dive rope at 15' to see a lot.

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LIZARDFISH

SAND DIVER

The sand diver is a commonly seen medium-sized lizardfish (around 1').
It perches on coral or the sand bottom.

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4: TETRAODONTIFORMES, �OSTRACIIDAE, & DIODONTIDAE��PUFFER, FILEFISH, TRIGGERFISH - COWFISH & TRUNKFISH - �PORCUPINE FISH & BALLOONFISH

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PUFFER - TRIGGERFISH - FILEFISH

SHARPNOSE PUFFER BLACK DURGON

The sharpnose puffer is small (2") and often seen swimming just above the reef.
Bonaire's only commonly seen triggerfish, the black durgon, is easily identified by the neon blue line which separates its undulating black fins from its oval body.

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PUFFER - TRIGGERFISH - FILEFISH

ORANGESPOTTED FILEFISH WHITESPOTTED FILEFISH SCRAWLED FILEFISH

The orangespotted filefish (6") is roughly oval-shaped. The whitespotted filefish (1') is like a stretched out oval.

The large (1.5') scrawled filefish is cigar-shaped. It's often seen patrolling the reef by itself.

All filefish have undulating, nearly transparent dorsal and pelvic fins.

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COWFISH & TRUNKFISH

HONEYCOMB COWFISH SMOOTH TRUNKFISH SMOOTH TRUNKFISH, juv.

The honeycomb cow fish has two short horns and a rich honeycomb pattern over its boxy body. The smooth trunkfish (black-mouth) and the spotted trunkfish (white-mouth) are hard to tell apart;

the easiest way is to look at their mouths.

SPOTTED TRUNKFISH

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PORCUPINE FISH & BALLOONFISH

PORCUPINE FISH BALLOONFISH

Porcupine fish are large (1.5') and friendly. They'll stay about five feet away and swim along beside you.
Balloonfish are smaller (10") and shyer with noticeable spines.

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5: HOLOCENTRIDAE��SOLDIERFISH & SQUIRRELFISH

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SOLDIERFISH & SQUIRRELFISH

BLACKBAR SOLDIERFISH LONGSPINE SQUIRRELFISH

The blackbar soldierfish (smaller eyes, black stripe) and the longspine squirrelfish (bigger eyes, bigger

dorsal spines) are both solitary red fish that like the dark. They hang out under piers, coral, and rocks.

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6: SILVER FISH��JACKS - BARRACUDA

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SILVER FISH

BAR JACK HORSE-EYE JACK GREAT BARRACUDA

Jacks are fast-moving hunters. Bar jacks are easily identified by the iridescent blue line that runs from

their back to their tail. Horse-eye jacks have a slopping face with a forked yellow tail.

The great barracuda is a long (2.5') cigar shaped-fish with an underslung jaw. It moves leisurely along

the periphery of the reef.

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7: ODD-SHAPED SWIMMERS

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TRUMPETFISH - SPOTTED DRUM - PEACOCK FLOUNDER

TRUMPETFISH SPOTTED DRUM PEACOCK FLOUNDER

Trumpetfish are easily identify by their long, thick stick shape. They have a long snout and dorsal fins right next to their tail. They like to hide behind

things and will often swim beside fish half their size or hang vertically to fit in with coral. They can change colors to match their surroundings.

Spotted drums have a very long dorsal fin that arches over their back. The younger the fish, the longer their dorsal fin is in proportion to their body.

The little babies are almost all dorsal fin.

Peacock flounder lay on the bottom of the sand and half bury themselves. They can camouflage. If you see something that looks like a sand-colored

dinner plate resting on the sand, you've found a peacock flounder. Their blue dots become more prominent when they move.

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SPOTTED SCORPIONFISH & LIONFISH

SPOTTED SCORPIONFISH LIONFISH

Spotted scorpionfish lay motionless on the sandy bottom. They're rarely seen, but don't touch them.
Lionfish don't belong in the Caribbean. They're an Indo-Pacific species that's invaded the Caribbean due to aquarium owners discarding them in the Atlantic. They're the only species you can spearfish within the protected waters of Bonaire. They're easily identified by their many undulating spiny fins. Don't touch them.

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8: NON-FISH REEF CREATURES

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CEPHALOPODS

COMMON OCTOPUS CARIBBEAN REEF SQUID

CARIBBEAN OCTOPUS

The common octopus is seen during the day. The Caribbean octopus is seen at night.
Groups of squid in rows of three are often seen swimming at Klein Bonaire.

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EELS

GREEN MORAY SPOTTED MORAY SHARPTAIL EEL

The green moray is a thick green eel often seen poking out of holes or from under coral.
The spotted moray is a white and black spotted thick eel often seen poking out of holes or from under coral.
The sharptail eel is skinny and light brown with white spots. It has two nostril nubs protruding from above its mouth.

It likes to swim along the sand or coral bottom at dusk. There are no snakes on Bonaire. If you see something

snakelike, this is what you've seen.

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SHRIMP - SEAHORSES

BANDED CORAL SHRIMP LONGSNOUT SEAHORSE

The banded coral shrimp is a 2" long white and red clawed shrimp with a thickish body and claws. Its

legs and antennae are spindly. It's often seen hiding under ledges.

The longsnout seahorse is a seahorse with a long snout.

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TURTLES

GREEN SEA TURTLE HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLE

Green sea turtles have a smooth rounded beak and smooth shell. They like to eat seagrass and algae.
Hawksbill sea turtles have a pointed hawk-like beak and a rough shell. They like to eat

coral and invertebrates.

Turtles come up every ten minutes to breathe. Stay ten feet back so they're not afraid to surface to breathe.

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9: CORALS, SPONGES, & FRIENDS

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HARD CORALS

STAGHORN CORAL ELKHORN CORAL BLADE FIRE CORAL

FINGER CORAL YELLOW PENCIL CORAL BRANCHING FIRE CORAL

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HARD CORALS

GREAT STAR CORAL BRAIN CORAL

PILLAR CORAL

MAZE CORAL ORANGE CUP CORAL

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SOFT CORALS

BLACK SEA ROD BENT SEA ROD YELLOW SEA WHIP

SEA FAN SEA PLUME WHITE TELESTO

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SPONGES

PURPLE BRANCHING VASE ORANGE ELEPHANT EAR YELLOW TUBE

GIANT BARREL TOUCH-ME-NOT ROPE

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THINGS THAT LIVE ON CORALS

WHITE ENCRUSTING ZOANTHID SEA PEARL ALGAE FLAMINGO TONGUE SNAIL

REEF TUNICATE CHRISTMAS TREE WORMS SPLIT-CROWN FEATHER DUSTER WORM

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THE END