Caribbean Fish ID

Fish Family 

• Common names

  • Identifiers

Acanthuridae 

• Surgeonfish

  • Spine on each side of caudal peduncle

  • Thin bodied

  • oval

• Ocean surgeon

  • Deep blue, crescent-shaped tail

  • Not usually in big schools

• Blue tang

  • White or yellow spine

• Doctorfish

  • Vertical stripes on posterior half of body

  • Tail is not crescent-shaped 

Carangidae 

• Jacks

  • Predators

  • Fast swimmers

  • Small caudal peduncle

  • Deeply forked caudal fin

• Bar jack 

  • Blue and black border on back that continues on lower caudal fin

Haemulidae 

• Grunts

  • Pointed head, similar to snappers

  • Smaller than snappers, with deeper notch in caudal fin

  • No prominent canines

• French grunt

  • Clear yellow stripes that are diagonal below lateral line

• Porkfish

  • Strongly sloped forehead

  • Striking two vertical lines

• Black margate

  • High back profiles

  • Dark patch behind pectoral fin

Lutjanidae 

• Snappers

  • Triangular head

  • Single continuous dorsal fin

  • Shallo-notched caudal fin

  • Large mouths and prominent canine teeth

• Yellowtail snapper

  • Bright yellow mid body stripe and tail

Serranidae 

• Groupers 

  • Large body

  • Large mouth, big lips

  • Solitary

  • Carnivores, live near bottom

• Hamlets

  • Flat bead profile

  • Small

  • Simultaneous hermaphrodites

• Yellowfin grouper

  • Outer third of pectoral fin is yellow

  • Ends of rectangular blotches are rounded on body

  • Thin irregular tail margin

• Nassau grouper

  • Saddle blotch

  • 
    

• Coney

  • 2 spots on base of tail

  • 2 spots on lower lip

Pomacanthidae 

• Angelfish

  • Larger than butterflyfish

  • Rounded foreheads

  • Spine from rear cheek to lower gills

  • Various colors

• French angelfish

  • Caudal fin rounded

  • Yellow rim on scales

Chaetodontidae 

• Butterflyfish

  • Round and tin-bodied

  • Slightly concave foreheads

  • Travel alone or in pairs

  • Typical colors are white, black, and yellow

• Four-eye butterflyfish

  • False eye spot near caudal fin

Balistidae 

• Triggerfish

  • Elongated dorsal spine that can be raised

• Queen triggerfish

  • Small lines radiate from eye

  • 2 blue strips on face

  • Streaming tips on rear dorsal and caudal fins

Monacanthidae

• Filefishes

  • Elongated dorsal spine that can be raised

Pomacentridae 

• Damselfish

  • Small, oval

  • Adults often brown/black

  • Juveniles colorful

  • Territorial

• Chromis

  • Small, oval

  • plankton feeders

  • Deeply forked tails

• Yellowtail damselfish

  • Bright blue dots on back

  • Yellow tail

  • Juveniles have more blue dots and a translucent tail

• Blue chromis

  • Deeply forked tail with dark borders

  • Brilliant blue

• Sergeant major

  • Five black body bars

  • Upper lip doesn’t overhang lower

Labridae 

• Wrasses

  • Smaller more elongated than parrotfish

• Bluehead wrasse

  • Blue head

  • 2 dark bars behind head

• Creole wrasse

  • Snout dark purple

  • Rest of body, violet or lavender

  • Yellow to reddish area on lower rear body

• Spanish hogfish

  • Purple upper forebody

  • Yellow belly and tail

  • hermaphrodites

Scaridae 

• Parrotfish

  • Powerful jaw

  • Fused teeth

  • Bright colors

  • Sequential hermaphrodite

  • Obvious scales

  • Important herbivore 

• Stoplight parrotfish

  • Female

    • Large mottle scales

    • Red belly and tail

  • Male

    • Bright yellow spot at upper corner of gill cover

    • Yellow area at base of tail

    • Salmon to yellow crescent on tail

Sphyraenidae

• Barracuda

  • Large, elongated body

  • Long jaws, numerous teeth

  • Constantly work jaws to circulate water over their gills