Stareye parrotfish

A stareye parrotfish in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii.

There are several kinds of parrotfish in the waters off the Big Island, but the lines radiating out from the eye make the stareye easy to identify. In its initial phase (below), those lines are much less obvious, and the fish blends in with its surroundings so well that it’s sometimes difficult to spot at all.

An initial phase stareye parrotfish in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii.