Fish Gallery - Tropical Eastern Pacific (incl. Gulf of California)

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Black eye ring. 2. Black bar from mid-dorsal fin to base of tail.

DESCRIPTION:

Silver head; silver-yellow body. Black ring around snout. Black bar from in front of dorsal fin to above eye.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Three black bands; through eye, from foredorsal fin to pectoral fin, and rear.

DESCRIPTION:

Silver-gray. Black border on rear dorsal and anal fins. Three bands on base of tail.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Two yellow bars on head.

DESCRIPTION:

Gray body with two yellow bars on face/head.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. White bar behind pectoral fin. 2. Yellow tail.

DESCRIPTION:

Dark blue body. Yellow to orange markings on dorsal and anal fins. Round area, "crown" of light blue spots on forehead. Often solitary, also in large schools.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Yellow pectoral fin. 2. Yellow mask runs horizontal over eyes.

DESCRIPTION:

Light blue to dark purple; also known as the purple surgeonfish. Narrow, light blue to yellow stripe along base of dorsal and anal fins. Also known as the purple surgeonfish.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Numerous black spots on body. 1. Yellow tail. 2. White band behind eye.

DESCRIPTION:

Gray to brown. Row of three retractile spines on base of tail. The similar yellowtailed surgeonfish (P. laticlavius) is only found in the Galapagos and lacks the black spots.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Long dorsal fin end with thread-like tip. 2. Long snout. 3. Three bold black bands over eye to ventral fins, rear body and on tail.

DESCRIPTION:

White with yellowish areas. Orange saddle outlined in black on snout. Short horns or spines over eyes. Common throughout region and the tropical Indo-Pacific.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Four pair of dark bars on body and two wide bars on base of tail. 2. Tubular nostrils extend beyond upper lip.

DESCRIPTION:

Deeper bodied than other snappers. Back dark greenish brown to brown, fading to lighter shades of copper, reddish brown or maroon sides and belly. Solitary, may mix with yellow snappers.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Several dark bars on back, which can pale or darken rapidly. 2. Eyes silvery (never golden).

DESCRIPTION:

Silvery gray with darkish scale markings; dusky spots on snout and gill cover.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 1. Dark spot on a clear tail (vs. the Cortez grunt that has a dark spot on a yellowish tail).

DESCRIPTION:

White spots on the body form horizontal rows (vs. the Cortez grunt that has white spots arranged in oblique rows).