I like this photo for the three layers of different-colored underwater landscape. There’s the blue-green of the bottom, the pale, splotchy intermediate layer of rock, and the red-hued outcropping in the foreground. And complementing everything is the back end of a Christmas wrasse, disappearing from view.
These three were swimming together, the two goatfish probing for prey and the saddle wrasse hanging about to snaffle up tasty tidbits stirred up by the two other fish.
This is a supermale fivestripe wrasse. There are many colorful wrasses in Hawaii, but the fivestripe wrasse is one of the less common varieties. Despite the impressive name, it’s less than five inches in length.
The bluespine unicornfish must be a contender for any ‘Grumpiest Looking Fish’ awards. This one though was enjoying the attention of a small yellow and blue Hawaiian cleaner wrasse.
Cleaner wrasses establish territories where other fish come to be cleaned, removing mucus, dead tissue, and parasites from their customers. This service is obviously valued by other fish. They will line up to be cleaned, waiting their turn. Often times, their expressions are quite blissful during the process. But most significant, cleaner wrasse perform their services on bigger fish, including predators, without becoming prey.
Zebra moray eels are one of the easiest eels to identify, their circular stripes differentiating them from any other eel. They feed mostly on crabs, which they crush with their blunt teeth.
These eels can grow to five feet in length, but are usually smaller. This one though is probably about as large as they get. The yellow tang near its head could be as long as six or seven inches, while the saddle wrasse at its tail tops out at ten inches. That would make this eel somewhere between four and five feet long. It’s certainly the biggest zebra moray that I’ve seen.
I happened upon this little gang of fish while I was swimming. At the top is a bluefin trevally, in the center a pair of blue goatfish, and at the bottom a male bird wrasse. Trevallies and goatfish regularly hunt together, often in the company of an eel or octopus. They try to flush out or ambush small fish as their prey. The bird wrasse eats mostly marine invertebrates but will also take small fish .
I often see fish like these hunting, but have yet to see any of them snag a meal, though they clearly are reasonably successful hunters.
The pearl wrasse, which is endemic to Hawaii, gets its name from the markings of the female, which look like strings of pearls. The male pearl wrasse is predominantly green with fine blue lines.
I hadn’t seen a pearl wrasse before, or at least not identified one, until this female showed up in a fairly shallow area. She was there for several days before apparently moving on and I haven’t seen her again since.
A striking fish at any time, this one was particularly brilliant when the sun caught her colors.
Despite its less-than-flattering name, the Hawaiian hogfish is quite an attractive fish. This one is a female, somewhere between a sub-adult and mature fish, I think. I don’t see a lot of these when I’m snorkeling, and usually they’re too deep to get a decent photo. This one was not only cruising the shallows, but obliging enough to cross not far in front of me.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
Graham's Island 