The longnose butterflyfish is identified by its elongate nose. It has a black upper head and silvery white below. The rest of the body is yellow with a large black spot below the tail base.
The jewel damselfish has a brownish body that often fades to light tan or white toward the tail. It is covered in small blue spots.
The dash-dot goatfish is white in coloration, with a black stripe that extends from the nose to beneath the back of the dorsal fin. A large black spot is present just before the tail fin. The dash-dot goatfish also has yellow on its upper back.
The pennant bannerfish is a white butterflyfish with three black bands, one through the eye, one through the dorsal and anal fin and the other along the upper rear of the body. The top of the snout is yellow. The tallest dorsal spines trails a father-like pennant.
Although sometimes ruddy or reddish in coloration, the ruddy fusilier can also be bluish silver. This fusilier has red or black tips on the tail lobes and has a thin, brown to black mid-lateral stripe.
Variable colors but most commonly shades of brown. Covered in numerous small spots on head and forebody. Brown striped area toward rear of body.
This small damselfish is variable in color (commonly pale mauve or black in Fiji) but always retains a yellow nose and a large, black spot on the middle of the dorsal fin. Talbot’s demoiselle has yellow pelvic fins as well.
In the TP, the crescent wrasse has a yellow “crescent moon” on its tail fin. This wrasse is blue and green in coloration, with purple and green bands on the head. Its pectoral fins have a broad pinkish purple band. The IP look similar but do not have the yellow crescent moon.
The redfin butterflyfish is orange-yellow in coloration and has purple oblique stripes. Its anal fin is reddish in color. Both the base of the anal fin and tail fin are lined with a black band.
Many of you know that REEF helps out sea-dwelling creatures, but you may not know that we also help prepare our future land-dwelling leaders to deal with issues facing our marine ecosystems. Meet the faces of our Marine Conservation Internship Program! Every four months, REEF invites hundreds of applicants to compete for four internship positions. The chosen interns implement community outreach and education programs focused on reef fish identification and lionfish handling and collection. Interns also dive and volunteer with partner organizations in the Florida Keys.