BONY FISH SPECIES

The following bony fishes are found within the coral cap region of the sanctuary (0-130 ft, 0-40m deep). Common names are listed, if known.

Click on a link below to go directly to a specific group of fish, or scroll down the page to see them all. Click on any photo to see a larger image.

Markings at the base of a fish's tail often help with identification. Can you identify these 7 fish?

Angelfish
Barracuda
Batfish
Bigeye
Blenny
Bonnetmouth
Boxfish
Butterflyfish
Cardinalfish
Chub
Cobia
Conger Eel
Cornetfish
Damselfish
Dolphin
Dragonet
Driftfishes
Drum
False Moray Eel
Filefish
Flyingfish
Frogfish

Goatfish
Goby
Grunt
Halfbeak
Hawkfish
Jack
Jawfish
Lefteyed Flounder
Lionfish
Lizardfish
Mackerel
Moray Eel
Mullet
Needlefish
Ocean Sunfish
Parrotfish
Pipefish
Porgy
Puffer
Remora

Sea Bass (Grouper)
Sea Robins
Scorpionfish
Snake Eel
Snapper
Soapfish
Spadefish
Spaghetti Eel
Spiny Puffer
Squirrelfish
Surgeonfish
Threadfin
Tilefish
Triggerfish
Trumpetfish
Tripletail
Wrasse

Angelfish List

Angelfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Cherubfish	Centropyge argi
Blue Angelfish (juvenile) (juvenile)	Holacanthus bermudensis
Queen Angelfish	Holacanthus ciliaris
Townsend Angelfish (hybrid of Blue & Queen Angelfish)	Holacanthus townsendi
Rock Beauty	Holacanthus tricolor
French Angelfish (adult) (transitioning to adult colors) (transitioning to adult colors) (juvenile) (juvenile cleaning a Doctorfish)	Pomacanthus paru

top of page

Barracuda List

Barracudas

Common Name	Scientific Name
Great Barracuda	Sphyraena barracuda

top of page

Batfish List

Batfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Pancake Batfish	Halieutichthys aculeatus

top of page

Bigeye List

Bigeyes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Glasseye Snapper	Heteropriacanthus cruentatus
Bigeye	Priacanthus arenatus
Short Bigeye	Pristigenys alta

top of page

Blenny List

Blennies

Common Name	Scientific Name
Banner Blenny	Emblemaria atlantica
Sailfin Blenny	Emblemaria pandionis
Barred Blenny	Hypleurochilus bermudensis
Tessellated Blenny	Hypsoblennius invemar
Redlip Blenny	Ophioblennius macclurei
Seaweed Blenny (yellow variation) (yellow variation) (dark variation) (striped variation)	Parablennius marmoreus
Molly Miller	Scartella cristata
Dwarf Blenny	Starksia nanodes
Checkered Blenny	Starksia ocellata

top of page

Bonnetmouth List

Bonnetmouths

Common Name	Scientific Name
Bonnetmouth	Emmelichthyops atlanticus
Boga	Inermia vittata

top of page

Boxfish List

Boxfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Spotted Trunkfish	Lactophrys bicaudalis
Honeycomb Cowfish	Acanthostracion polygonia
Scrawled Cowfish	Acanthostracion quadricornis
Smooth Trunkfish (juvenile) (juvenile, aka bumble bee)	Lactophrys triqueter
Golden Smooth Trunkfish	Lactophrys triqueter

top of page

Butterflyfish List

Butterflyfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Foureye Butterflyfish	Chaetodon capistratus
Spotfin Butterflyfish	Chaetodon ocellatus
Reef Butterflyfish	Chaetodon sedentarius
Banded Butterflyfish	Chaetodon striatus
Longsnout Butterfly	Prognathodes aculeatus

top of page

Cardinalfish List

Cardinalfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Bigtooth Cardinalfish	Apogon affinis
Flamefish (Flamefish top, Two Spot Cardinalfish bottom)	Apogon maculatus
Mimic Cardinalfish	Apogon phenax
Pale Cardinalfish	Apogon planifrons
Two-spot Cardinalfish (Flamefish top, Two Spot Cardinalfish bottom)	Apogon pseudomaculatus
Sawcheek Cardinalfish	Apogon quadrisquamatus
Roughlip Cardinalfish	Apogon robinsi
Belted Cardinalfish	Apogon townsendi
Freckled Cardinalfish	Phaeoptyx conklini
Dusky Cardinalfish	Phaeoptyx pigmentaria

top of page

Chub List

Chubs

Common Name	Scientific Name
Bermuda/Yellow Chub	Kyphosus sectatrix

top of page

Cobia List

Cobia

Common Name	Scientific Name
Cobia	Rachycentron canadum

top of page

Conger Eel List

Conger Eels

Common Name	Scientific Name
Conger Eel	Conger oceanicus
Threadtail Conger	Uroconger syringinus

top of page

Cornetfish List

Cornetfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Red Cornetfish	Fistularia petimba

top of page

Damselfish List

Damselfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Sergeant Major	Abudefduf saxatilis
Blue Chromis	Chromis cyanea
Yellowtail Reeffish	Chromis enchrysura
Sunshinefish (juvenile)	Chromis insolata
Brown Chromis	Chromis multilineata
Purple Reeffish	Chromis scotti
Yellowtail Damselfish	Microspathodon chrysurus
Longfin Damselfish (juvenile)	Stegastes diencaeus
Dusky Damselfish (juvenile)	Stegastes adustus
Bicolor Damselfish	Stegastes partitus
Threespot Damselfish	Stegastes planifrons
Cocoa Damselfish (juvenile)	Stegastes variabilis

top of page

Dolphin List

Dolphins

Common Name	Scientific Name
Dolphin	Coryphaena hippurus

top of page

Dragonet List

Dragonets

Common Name	Scientific Name
Lancer Dragonet	Paradiplogrammus bairdi

top of page

Driftfish List

Driftfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Man of War Fish (image from JT on M/V Fling)	Nomeius gronovii

top of page

Drum List

Drums

Common Name	Scientific Name
Jackknife Fish	Equetus lanceolatus
Spotted Drum (transitioning juvenile) (juvenile)	Equetus punctatus
Highhat	Pareques acuminatus
Cubbyu	Pareques umbrosus

top of page

False Moray Eel List

False Moray Eels

Common Name	Scientific Name
Collared Eel	Kaupichthys nuchalis

top of page

Filefish List

Filefishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Unicorn Filefish	Aluterus monoceros
Scrawled Filefish	Aluterus scriptus
Whitespotted Filefish (spotted phase) (orange phase) (orange phase)	Cantherhines macrocerus
Orangespotted Filefish	Cantherhines pullus
Planehead Filefish	Stephanolepis hispida
Pygmy Filefish	Stephanolepis setifer

top of page

Flyingfish List

Flyingfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Margined Flyingfish	Cheilopogon cyanopterus
Atlantic Flyingfish	Cheilopogon melanurus
Blackwing Flyingfish	Hirundichthys rondeleti
Sailfin Flyingfish	Parexocoetus brachypterus

top of page

Frogfish List

Frogfishes

Common Name	Scientific Name
Sargassumfish	Histrio histrio
Longlure Frogfish	Antennarius multiocellatus

top of page

Continue to next page of fishes (Goatfish to Remora)

Continue to last page of fishes (Sea Bass to Wrasse)

Download a List of Bony Fish Species (440kb pdf) found in the coral cap region of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.