THE STEINHART AQUARIUM

A VIEW FOR AND BY DOCENTS

THE STEINHART AQUARIUM

A FIELD GUIDE FOR AND BY DOCENTS ii A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

FOREWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Steinhart Aquarium, a central part of the California Academy of Sciences since 1923, two years ago opened a complex of exhibits as innovative and exciting as the institution that houses it. With the Steinhart’s spectacular return to Golden Gate Park, docents, who everyday share their passion and insight with the public, needed access to useful information specifically about the ever-growing and changing Aquarium collection of live animals. This Field Guide along with the photo IDs of the inhabitants of multispecies tanks hopes to fill an important part of that need.

This digital guide, easy to update, is well suited to track the on-going diversification of Aquarium animals. Ideally, the Field Guide will be a resource improved and updated by information and suggestions from our Academy family—curators, staff, docents, guides and other volunteers, and all who love our finny, tentacled, slithering, gliding, flying, arboreal, aquatic, terrestrial denizens—all 38,000 of them.

This is a book created by volunteers for volunteers; contributors and advisors were many and appreciated!

Researchers and Writers: Maureen Aggeler, Ellen Barth, Roberta Borgonovo, Susan Crocker, Susana Conde, Pat Dal Porto, Steve Doherty, Arville Finacom, Ann Hardeman, Sandy Linder, Ted Olsson, Will Meecham, Alan Pabst, Owen Raven, Mary Roberts, Maggie Scott, Alice Settle, Elizabeth Shultz. Peter Schmidt earns a special star for the original conception of a field guide and for writing well over half of the entries, even more if the first two editions are counted.

Photography: Nearly all the pictures within these pages were taken by Ron DeCloux, whose skill and commitment add an important visual component to our understanding. See his complete portfolio at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/collections.

Support: The Aquarium staff answered many questions almost more quickly than we could frame them, especially Tom Tucker, Bart Shepherd, Dave Chan, Nicole Chaney, Charles Delbeek, Jim Evans, Frank Glennon, Brenda Melton, Kristen Natoli, Rich Ross, Pam Schaller, Matt Wandell, Seth Wolters, Nick Yim, and others.

This is actually the fourth edition of a Steinhart Guide for and by docents. Many curators and other staff members have given us help along the way. We hope their patient explanations are reflected in these pages. Any inaccuracies are due to the our interpretations, and most certainly not to the information received.

Special thanks to Kathleen Lilienthal, Manager of Docent and Guide Services, for her unfailing support.

The Docent Materials Group Sandy Linder, Coordinator April, 2009 Table of Contents iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword ii

Fish Families 5

Field Guide Introduction 15

Steinhart Aquarium Field Guide 19

ID Pictures

California Coast Main Tank 229

Southern California Tank 237

Tidepool 240

Cal Coast Giants Tank 247

Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 249

Caribbean Tank 272

Neotropical Forest 276

Amazon Flooded Forest 282

Steinhart Species List 287

Glossary 308

Index 313

Fish Families 5 Ron DeCloux

FISH FAMILIES

CARCHARINIDAE (REQUIEM SHARKS) 12 genera 50 species

Requiem sharks are probably the largest family of living sharks with worldwide distribution in all tropical and temperate waters. Many migrate long distances and some enter brackish and freshwater. Most are small, relatively harmless species; a few are large, dangerous patrollers of coastal and open water. Better known species include the oceanic whitetip shark, sandbar shark, bull shark, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, and tiger shark. All have five gill slits, which, like all sharks, lack a cover (operculum).

Their streamlined body shape and behavior make the group the one people think of as “typical” sharks. Most are strong active swimmers and deadly hunters, well-equipped for finding and attacking prey. Like all sharks, they possess special sensing organs called ampullae of Lorenzini, gel-filled sensory pits on the snout so acute they are able to detect the electric charge produced by the nerves of another animal’s body, an incredible prey-honing system! Requiem sharks, unlike many other shark species, also have exceptionally good eyesight, comparable to human vision.

Their teeth are typically serrated and bladelike with a single cusp. Sharks as a group may have from 6 to 20 rows of teeth, depending on the species. Usually only the first two rows of teeth are used for feeding. The others are replacement teeth that move forward in conveyor-belt fashion when older teeth are broken off. Sharks may replace teeth every few days, thus keeping the functional rows razor sharp. 6 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

All are viviparous except the ovoviviparous tiger shark. In this group, viviparous females have a placenta, in the form of a yolk sac, carries nourishment from the mother’s body to the young after the pups have exhausted the food supply in their eggs.

How dangerous are these sharks. Statistics show about 50 shark attacks on humans occur each year, resulting in about 5 deaths. At least half these attacks are from requiem sharks, most notably the tiger, oceanic whitetip, and bull shark. As unsettling as those numbers seem, we are more likely to choke to death on a fish bone than be killed by a shark!

MURAENIDAE (MORAY EELS) 15 genera 200 species

Mostly marine and found worldwide in tropical and temperate seas, this diverse group is noted for large mouths with numerous sharp teeth. Most species lack pectoral and pelvic fins; the anal and dorsal fins extend along much of the body and are continuous with the caudal fin. Gill openings are small and roundish, situated on the side of the head.

Often secretive during the day, morays feed mostly at night on crustaceans, cephalopods, and small fishes. Their fanglike teeth are designed to tear rather than hold or chew, and can inflict painful wounds on humans. A second set of jaws in the pharynx can be thrust forward into the mouth to grasp prey. Like all true eels, their leptocephalus larvae are distinctive and characteristic.

CYPRINIDAE (CARPS, TRUE MINNOWS, AND THEIR RELATIVES) 210 genera 2,010 species

The Cyprinidae, found on all continents except South America, Australia, and Antarctica, is the largest family of freshwater fishes. Best known species include the goldfish (Carassius auratus) and the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), which from the 18th century has been bred in Japan in the ornamental variety known as koi.

Cyprinids as a group have a single dorsal fin, abdominal pelvic fins, a lateral line, and cycloid scales. They lack teeth in the mouth, but have 1–3 rows of pharyngeal teeth for grinding food against an opposing horny pad. All cyprinids are egg layers; most species do not guard the eggs.

SYNGNATHIDAE (PIPEFISHES, SEAHORSES, AND SEADRAGONS) 52 genera 215 species

Pipefishes, seahorses and seadragons are characterized by long tubular snouts and elongate bodies encased in rings of bony plates. The head of pipefishes is in line with the body axis, while the head of seadragons and seahorses is bent downward from the body’s main axis. Fin configuration depends on the group; however, all syngnathids are slow-moving species that depend on cryptic behaviors. Seahorses also possess a prehensile tail that lacks a caudal fin. Fish Families 7

All members of the family feed on minute invertebrates sucked into the long snout. Because they lack teeth and a true stomach, digestion is somewhat inefficient, and syngnathids need to feed almost continuously on their tiny prey.

Reproductive habit is highly unusual in that parental care is mostly left to the male. Seahorse males possess a ventral brood pouch where eggs are fertilized and incubated after deposition by the female. Male pipefishes may have a brooding pouch or a simple patch of spongy material where eggs adhere. Seadragon males carry eggs on an adhesive brood patch under the tail.

SCORPAENIDAE (SCORPIONFISHES AND ROCKFISHES) 23 genera 172 species

A large family of mostly marine fishes found in all tropical and temperate seas, the scorpionfish family takes its name from the venomous spines that adorn nearly all its members. Other characteristics include a compressed body, and most have spines on the head as well as near and on the operculum. The dorsal fin, while usually single, is often notched and supported by stout spines. Spines on the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins have venom glands at their bases that, when compressed, deliver a toxic cocktail to would-be predators or careless humans.

Scorpaenidae is the largest family of fishes along the California coast, where at least 65 species, including 60 kinds of rockfishes, are known. Rockfishes possess relatively mild toxins, but should still be handled with care. Fertilization is internal. Some species lay eggs; others give live birth, including all rockfish species

William Eschmeyer, Curator Emeritus of the Academy, is one of the world’s leading experts on scorpionfishes.

SERRANIDAE (SEA BASSES, GROUPERS, AND BASSLETS) 62 genera 449 species

Serranidae is a large family of marine fishes. They are usually found over reefs, in tropical to temperate waters.

The basslets, small, colorful planktivores that in the wild feed primarily on tiny crustaceans and fish eggs floating in the upper levels of reef waters, are the common serranids found in the Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit. Like other serranids, basslets are protogynous hermaphrodites; in other words, they are born female, and a few change sex to become dominant males as breeding needs arise. They produce large quantities of eggs and their larvae are planktonic, generally at the mercy of ocean currents until they mature into adults. 8 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

APOGONIDAE (CARDINALFISHES) 22 genera 207 species

Found in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, cardinalfishes are primarily marine, though some are found in brackish waters and a few in freshwater streams. Many species inhabit reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs to 60 feet (18 m).

The family is characterized by two separate dorsal fins, large eyes, and a large mouth. The name derives from the red coloration of some well-known species, though many are drab or striped.

Most remain hidden during the day, and then disperse over the reef at night to feed on zooplankton and small benthic invertebrates, always remaining close to the substrate. Males of many species are mouth brooders.

CHAETODONTIDAE (BUTTERFLYFISHES) 10 genera 114 species

Butterflyfishes, with their bright colors, distinctive shape, and interesting behaviors, are among the most recognizable coral reef fishes. Nearly all are found in tropical waters with the highest concentration of species occurring in the Indo-West Pacific. All species have a deep, laterally compressed body with a continuous dorsal fin and distinctive rounded anal fin. Many have a band across the eye and/or a false eyespot, patterns that may lure a predator to attack the tail rather than the head.

The mouth is small, terminal, and protrusible with small brushlike teeth. The shape and size of the jaw varies among species and correlates with the type of prey taken. Some butterflyfishes prefer small invertebrates, others nibble on coral polyps or graze on algae, and still others feed on zooplankton. The length of the jaw, which in some species may be quite elongate, allows partitioning of resources, with some species able to reach a meal unavailable to another.

POMACANTHIDAE (ANGELFISHES) 9 genera 74 species

Brightly colored, large, and elegant, the angelfishes are among the most spectacular of reef fishes. The family is circumtropical in distribution. Most are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific, mainly on coral reefs in relatively shallow water.

Like their close relatives the butterflyfishes, they have a deep, laterally compressed body, a single, unnotched dorsal fin, and a small mouth with brushlike teeth. The most observable difference between the two families is the long spine at the corner of the preopercle common to angelfishes. Many angelfishes also have extensions, often long and graceful, on the back end of the dorsal and anal fins.

Diet varies among species, ranging from algae, detritus, and plankton to sponges and small, benthic invertebrates. Typically, they spend daylight hours near the bottom in search of food, and shelter near boulders or in caves and crevices at night. Fish Families 9

Some species are noted for dramatic changes in color and pattern from juvenile to adult. Breeding groups are haremic, with a single dominant male and several females. If the male dies, the dominant female can change sex, sometimes within a matter of days.

CICHLIDAE (CICHLIDS) 105 genera 1,300 species

The Cichlidae is a family of primarily freshwater fish species with worldwide distribution. One of the largest fish families, at least 1,300 cichlid species are known and probably many others are yet to be discovered (some estimates suggest 3,000 total species may exist). Greatest cichlid diversity is found in Africa and South America. Substantial numbers are found in Central America and a few as far north as Florida and southern Texas.

As a group, cichlids are highly variable in body size, from species as small as 2.5 cm such as the kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher) displayed in Staff Picks, to those approaching 1 meter, such as the peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris) on display in the Amazonian Flooded Forest tank. Cichlids live in almost every conceivable freshwater habitat, and their diets range from other fish, to fish scales and parasites, algae, and everything in between.

Perhaps their most striking characteristic and an adaptation for success is the remarkable degree of parental care they invest in eggs, fry, and juveniles, care that may last for weeks or even months. See various species descriptions for examples. Many cichlids, such as the tilapias, are important food fishes; others such as the peacock bass, are prized as game fish.

Cichlids have been called the Darwin’s finches of the water world. oT the evolutionary biologist, their most intriguing characteristic is their rapid rate of speciation. For example, a few ancestors are thought to have invaded Lake Malawi about 700,000 years ago, and from this small number some 700 known species populate the lake today, each with a seemingly unique set of characteristics that prevent it from competing directly with others. Madagascar has a variety of cichlid species only distantly related to those of Africa, from which it separated over 100 million years ago. Knowledge of the distribution and evolutionary divergence of cichlid species worldwide has added to our understanding of the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates over time.

EMBIOTOCIDAE (SURFPERCHES) 13 genera 24 species

With the exception of one freshwater species, most surfperches are found in coastal waters of the North Pacific, and are common along the California coast. Members of the family are laterally compressed with oblong or elliptical bodies, a forked tail, and a continuous dorsal fin with a scaled ridge along its base. Most are silver, and many species are barred or striped. Many form schools or loose aggregations. 10 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

All are livebearers. Internal fertilization is aided by the thickened front part of the male’s anal fin. Young are nourished within the female. Many are born relatively quite large, and some are capable of reproducing immediately after birth.

POMACENTRIDAE (DAMSELFISHES, CHROMIS, AND ANEMONEFISHES) 28 genera 321 species

The Pomacentridae is a large family with worldwide distribution. Most species inhabit tropical seas, though a number are found in temperate seas as well. The garibaldi, the California State Fish, is a member of the family. The majority of species inhabit the Indo-Pacific, and many are common on Philippine coral reefs. Anemonefishes, better known as clownfishes and well represented in our exhibit, are damsels that live in association with sea anemones.

While a few are drab, most family members are often brightly colored in shades of green, orange, yellow, red, even neon blue. Mostly small and laterally compressed, damselfishes often occur in high population densities and, though there are always exceptions, as a group are known for their territoriality and aggressiveness, expressed in both feeding and reproductive behaviors. Size doesn’t deter members of this feisty group that regularly take on a much larger fishes.

Damselfish pairs establish a territory and defend it vigorously. Eggs are laid on the substrate, fertilized, and stoutly guarded by the male, who may also fan them with his fins to keep them cool and oxygenated. Many damsel species are capable of sex change, starting life as male and later becoming female.

CIRRHITIDAE (HAWKFISHES) 9 genera 32 species

A family of small and usually colorful species, hawkfishes are found in tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. The group is characterized by thickened and elongate pectoral fins, a single continuous dorsal fin, and numerous short filaments at the tip of each dorsal spine that look like pom poms.

All are carnivores that feed on small benthic crustaceans and fishes. The common name derives from their habit of perching on coral heads or other advantageous sites, using their large pectorals for purchase. The family lacks swim bladders, an adaptation for their benthic lifestyle.

Species studied are protogynous hermaphrodites. Dominant males are territorial and maintain a harem of females.

LABRIDAE (WRASSES) 60 genera 500 species

Wrasses are a marine family found in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. The second largest family of marine fishes, wrasses are particularly abundant and conspicuous on tropical reefs worldwide. Fish Families 11

Wrasses are most easily identified by their pointed snouts and prominent canine teeth that protrude in front of the jaw. Other common characteristics include their form of propulsion, which depends mostly on the winglike motion of the pectoral fins with only an occasional burst of speed provided by the caudal fin. Typically diurnal, many wrasses bury themselves in sand or seek crevices at night.

Size, shape, and color are quite diverse as are habitat, diet, and reproductive strategy. Males, females, and juveniles often sport different colors and shapes, adding to the challenge of identifying a given species. Food preferences vary, depending on species, from fish, mollusks, worms, corals, echinoderms, plankton, vegetation and other choices in between. Some, such as the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, are famous for their habit of removing mucus, parasites, and scales from larger fishes.

Like a number of other fish families, many species of wrasses may change sex with age. In some species, males may be primary (the initial sex) or secondary (females that have undergone sex change). In others, such as the cleaner wrasse, all individuals are born female and some change sex as necessary.

BLENNIIDAE (BLENNIES) 53 genera 345 species

Blennies are found worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas. Blennies are bottom dwellers with blunt heads and long anal fins. They often possess cirri, branching appendages on the head. Most have small comblike teeth for feeding on algae, but some steal bites of fins, scales, or skin from other fish. Most lay adhesive demersal eggs that are often guarded by the male.

Because of their small size and elongate bodies, blennies and gobies are often confused with one another; however blennies are distinguished by their single, long continuous dorsal fin, their pelvic fins situated in front of their pectorals, and their habit of resting on the bottom with curved bodies. Gobies have two-part dorsal fins and rest with straight bodies.

GOBIIDAE (GOBIES) 212 genera 1,875 species

Members of a huge family, gobies are found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters, mostly in the tropic and subtropics, but are well represented in temperate waters as well. They are typically found in shallow coastal areas and around coral reefs. The Gobiidae has more marine species (probably more than 2,000) than any other fish family.

Gobies are small, usually less than 10 cm (4 in). They have distinctive two-part dorsal fins, and the pelvic fins are fused together to form an adhesive disk used to maintain purchase on the substrate in strong currents. Most species possess two separate dorsal fins; lateral line is absent. Like bottom-dwelling blennies, gobies lack a swim bladder. Most are carnivores on benthic invertebrates; some feed on plankton.

Though reproductive variations are numerous, gobies typically spawn over a nest prepared by the male, who clears a small area where eggs are deposited and subsequently guards the eggs. 12 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

SIGANIDAE (RABBITFISHES AND SPINEFOOTS) 2 genera 25 species

Mostly marine and ranging widely in the tropical Indo-Pacific and eastern Mediterranean, siganids are highly compressed, relatively deep-bodies fishes. They have small terminal mouths, minute scales, and venomous spines on dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins that can inflict painful wounds to both divers and unwary aquarists.

The common name “rabbitfish” comes from their voracious appetites as diurnal herbivores on algae as sea grasses. All are open-water spawners. Some species are highly valued as food fishes; colorful species are sought for the aquarium trade.

ACANTHURIDAE (SURGEONFISHES) 6 genera 72 species

Acanthurids are exclusively marine dwelling and are found in all tropical and subtropical seas, except the Mediterranean. Typically found on offshore coral reefs, surgeonfishes have deep, compressed bodies with small mouths and close-set teeth efficient for nibbling and scraping small organisms from rocks and coral.

Their distinguishing feature is a modified scale on the caudal peduncle which forms a scalpel-like blade often covered with toxic slime. These spines are used for species recognition, defense, and competition for mates. Surgeonfishes are unusually long-lived, with many known to exceed 30 years of age.

Acanthurids are grazers and planktivores. Those that feed on filamentous and leafy algae perform an important service to the reef, keeping thick mats of vegetation from smothering corals. Unicornfishes are diurnal planktivores, often seen hovering above the reef gleaning nutritious morsels. Because of their elaborate coloration, intriguing behaviors, and coral-protecting feeding habits, surgeonfishes are a favorite of both visitors and aquarists.

BALISTIDAE (TRIGGERFISHES) 11 genera 40 species

Mostly found on coral reefs in relatively shallow water, triggerfishes have a highly compressed body and close-fitting scales that provide a flexible armor. They are mobile, but not fast swimmers noted for providing propulsion by the undulations of the second dorsal and the anal fins, with an occasional boost from the pectorals. The caudal fin is mostly used as a rudder. Like their close relatives the surgeonfishes, they sport spines on the caudal peduncle used to intimidate potential intraspecific competitors and others. Their small eyes on top of the head can be rotated independently.

The common name comes a unique interaction between the large first dorsal spine and the smaller second one behind. When the posterior spine is erect, it locks the strong first spine in place, wedging the fish into a protective space, perhaps a hole or under a rock, where a predator can rarely extract it. When the posterior spine is depressed, the anterior spine folds back easily, like taking a lock off a trigger. Fish Families 13

Most are solitary, diurnal predators that feed on various invertebrates. The upper jaw contains both sharp teeth for capturing prey and flattened, plate-like teeth used to crush shells, or an occasional careless human finger!

OSTRACIIDAE (BOXFISHES) 14 genera 33 species

Found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans mostly in tropical or subtropical waters, boxfishes are named for the armor-like carapace of bony polygonal plates that encompass the head and body, like a shell. This body covering has gaps for the mouth, eyes, gill openings, anus, and fins when present. Pelvic fins are absent and the upper jaw is non-protrusible. Ridges on the surface of the plates are often armed with prominent spines.

These slow moving, diurnal species feed on a variety of small sessile invertebrates and algae, depending on their armor for protection. Some species secrete a highly toxic substance which may be lethal to other fishes and even themselves if confined to small easar in an aquarium.

Species studied to date are haremic. A dominant male defends a territory containing females and subordinate males. Other common names are trunkfishes and cowfishes. 14 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium Steinhart Field Guide Introduction 15 Ron DeCloux USING THE STEINHART FIELD GUIDE

The Steinhart Field Guide (SFG) is designed to give species specific information about nearly all of the denizens of Steinhart Aquarium, including the Rainforest, in a user-friendly format. Depending on interest or need, a reader can find an overview of a particular species or simply look up a piece of information about a species that answers a visitor’s question. The Guide isn’t meant for cover-to- cover reading or memorization, but rather as a reference handbook. When conflicting testimony was discovered in the literature, information in this guide tends to agree with the most recently published papers.

Resources used for the Field Guide were extensive. The total bibliography, which is available to anyone with an interest, runs several pages, and includes books, jourmals, select websites, and first- hand information from Academy scientists and Aquarium staff.

SYSTEMATIC ORGANIZATION

The SFG is organized systematically, according to highly respected studies and reviews, including the Catalogue of Fishes, a review of the estimated 25,000 - 28,000 extant known species of fish undertaken by Academy curator William Eschmeyer, the Systematic List of Octocoral Genera by Academy curator Gary Williams, and Hexacorallians of the World, a classification by Daphne Fautin, Fellow and former curator of the Academy. 16 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

EXPLANATION OF VARIOUS CATEGORIES

Note: if no information was available, a category is omitted.

Name:

The common name assigned to a species in the Steinhart Aquarium is taken primarily from FishBase, an internationally recognized resource that depends heavily on names suggested in occasionally by other accepted common names (aka = also known as). These aliases are often referred to in scientific literature or recognized by the public. According to www.fishbase.com there are currently more than 28,500 valid fish species with more than 188,700 common names. In the FG the species name is followed by the scientific name of its family and the English language name of the family.

Distribution:

Recorded geographical distribution, per literature consulted.

Habitat:

Ecological environment. May include notes concerning diurnal versus nocturnal location and activity. Also may include information on individual vs. colonial behavior, etc.

Appearance:

A general description, typically of adult, juvenile and/or larva, from the literature consulted. Length and weight statistics are maximum size reported in the literature.

Diet:

What an organism eats.

Reproduction and Development:

Information on how a species reproduces and grows. This information is lacking for some species on exhibit at the Howard Steinhart.

Mortality/Longevity:

Big fish eat smaller fish. That cliché aside, little seems to be recorded in the references consulted as to causes of mortality. Longevity records proved to be the most elusive data to track down. The SFG provides species-specific information, and so does not include general items such as the fact that one sea anemone lived more that 50 years in captivity, since the reference did not cite the species. One important point is that many longevity records are for captive individuals not subject to predation, as well as having the benefits of veterinary care and a constant supply of adequate nutrition. Lifespan in the “real world” may be far shorter. Steinhart Field Guide Introduction 17

Conservation status:

Information in this section comments on the status of a particular species in nature and usu- ally includes a status rating by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources), occasionally includes a CITES (Convention on International Trade in En- dangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Appendix number as well as comments about un- regulated exploitation and illegal trade. Repetitious information, for example that coral reefs, coral reef fishes and the invertebrates dependent upon those coral reefs are at risk due to global warming, habitat destruction, etc. (see Coral Reef—An Overview) was not included. However, docents should be aware of such threats.

The IUCN issues a regular bulletin as to that organization’s opinion as to the status of the taxon that it is tracking. It is important to note that the IUCN is not monitoring the status of all species. Following is a categorization of the IUCN terms:

EXTINCT (EX) - A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.

EXTINCT IN THE WILD (EW) - A taxon is Extinct in the Wild when it is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range. A taxon is presumed extinct in the wild when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR) - A taxon is Critically Endangered when it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future, as defined by any of the criteria described below.

ENDANGERED (EN) - A taxon is Endangered when it is not Critically Endangered but is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, as defined by any of the criteria as described below.

VULNERABLE (VU) - A taxon is Vulnerable when it is not Critically Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.

LOWER RISK (LR) - A taxon is Lower Risk when it has been evaluated, but does not satisfy the criteria for any of the categories Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable.

DATA DEFICIENT (DD) - A taxon is Data Deficient when there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status. A taxon in this category may be well studied, and its biology well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution is lacking. Data Deficient is therefore not a category of threat or Lower Risk. Listing of taxa in this category indicates that more information is required 18 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

and acknowledges the possibility that future research will show that threatened classification is appropriate.

NOT EVALUATED (NE) - A taxon is Not Evaluated when it is has not yet been assessed against the criteria.

The IUCN Criteria for Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable can be accessed at www.redlist.org by clicking on the Categories and Criteria menu.

Other remarks on conservation status refer to CITES. The convention was concluded in 1973 in Washington, D. C., and by 1986 had more than 80 nation states as members.

CITES seeks to regulate the trade in threatened wildlife (live, dead or parts; e.g., elephant ivory) by cooperation between exporting and importing countries. The species subject to regulation are listed in three appendices:

Appendix I includes “all species which although threatened with extinction which are or may be threatened by trade. Trade in specimens of these species must be subject to particularly strict regulation in order not to further endanger their survival and must be authorized in exceptional circumstances.”

Appendix II includes “all species which although not necessarily threatened with extinction may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation . . . .” Controls on species similar in appearance to threatened species are also listed in this appendix.

Over 2000 species of coral, including all black corals (Order Antipatharia), blue corals (Order Coenothecalia), stony corals (Order Scleractinia), fire corals (Milleporidae spp., Stylasteridae spp.), and organ-pipe corals (Tubiporidae spp.) are listed in Appendix II of CITES.

Appendix III includes species given strict national protection, for which party states seek international cooperation in enforcement. Appendix III is rarely used.

The Convention is implemented by licences issued in member states, and no species listed in CITES can be legally traded without some sort of documentation.

California Academy of Sciences 19

Ron DeCloux

A FIELD GUIDE TO SPECIES OF THE STEINHART AQUARIUM

ALGAE

GREEN (DIVISION CHLOROPHYTA)

Sea Lettuce Moss Ball Ulva spp. (Ulvaceae) Aegagropila linnaeim (Cladophoraceae) Distribution: Ulva taeniata: Oregon to Point Filamentous Green Algae Dume, California. Other Ulva spp. more wide- Distribution: The free-floating spherical spread. forms are known only from Austria, Iceland, Habitat: Intertidal and shallow subtidal. Scotland, Japan, and Estonia. Appearance: Thin thallus, colored leafy Habitat: Lake balls, as they are sometimes green. called, are restricted to a few freshwater lakes. Reproduction and Development: Undergoes Appearance: Velvet-green rounded shape. a cyclic alternation of generations between the Known to grow to 30 cm (i.e., larger than the sporophyte (spore-producing alga) and game- tank it presently inhabits). tophyte (gamete-producing alga). Both types D i e t : Produces nutrition through appear identical macroscopically. Mobile flagel- photosynthesis. lated zoospores are produced by meiosis. The Reproduction and Development: Size of balls zoospores disperse and attach to a hard substrate, increases from vegetative growth. where they grow into a haploid male or female Conservation Status: A number of the lakes (the gametophyte), which produces and releases where these enigmatic balls once formed no sperm or eggs by mitosis. Fertilization produces longer support their growth, perhaps due to the diploid zygote, which settles, attaches and eutrophication and in some cases the use of grows to become a diploid sporophyte. the lakes for timber transportation, a practice Conservation status: Tolerant of organic and that blocked sunlight to the plants. The plant’s metal pollution (although there are limits). Most limited dispersal capabilities may also increase likely will increase in population numbers as the effect of local habitat degradation. their more sensitive tide pool mates die off. Grow Remarks: The moss ball is a species of rapidly and produce vast quantities of spores filamentous green macroalgae (Chlorophyta). and gametes, thus a true sea “weed.” A moss ball is a rare growth form. Remarks: A popular “sea vegetable” for The moss ball is called “Marimo” in Japan. A human consumption. mari is a soft bouncy play ball; “Mo” refers to 20 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

aquatic plants. They are not related to moss! Processed for algin, a gelatinous substance Mythology from the Iloklaido district of Japan, widely used as a thickening, stabilizing, where the few lakes with moth balls are found, emulsifying, or suspending agent in industrial, tells the story of a young couple who drowned pharmaceutical, and food products, such as ice in a local lake and their hearts turned into moss cream.used in inks and ice cream. balls. In 1952, Marimo were declared a Special Natural underwater habitat for many small Japanese Natural Treasure. species, mostly invertebrates; when uprooted One adaptation suggested for the spherical by storm surge and cast onto the shore above shape: When silt or other fine debris collects the high tide line, degenerating kelp becomes on the upper surface, gravity causes the plant habitat for numerous small land creatures. to rotate and the debris to fall off, leaving the plant able to collect more sunlight. Oar Weed Laminaria spp. (Phaeophyceae) Distribution: North Atlantic and northern Pacific; BROWN (DIVISION PHAEOPHYTA) also the Mediterranean Sea and off Brazil. Habitat: Low intertidal to subtidal areas Rockweeds Fucus distichus, F. serratus, F. vesiculosus along the coast, from 8–30 m. This genus is so (Fucaceae) characteristic at this depth, the zone is known in some schemes as the Laminaria zone. Distribution: Oregon to Point Conception, California. Appearance: Stout holdfast attaches to solid substrate to anchor its long, limber stipes and Habitat: Middle to upper tidal zone. deeply incised blades. Appearance: Dichotomously branched, murky Diet: Photosynthetic. green to dark brown algae. Length to 25 cm. Remarks: Laminaria species, as well as other Reproduction and Development: The tips of brown algae, are commercially grown for the the blades become swollen and covered with extraction of iodine and algin. Algin is used small bumps when reproductive. Fucus can in the food industry as a thickening agent produce diploid zoospores asexually. and as a mold-making material in dentistry Remarks: The Latin word fucus was originally and prosthetics. These kelp are also used as applied to “seaweeds” in general. fertilizer and stock feed in some areas

Feather Boa Kelp Macrocystis aka Giant Kelp Egregia menziesii (Alariaceae) Macrocystis pyrifera (Lessoniaceae) Distribution: Pacific Coast of North America, Distribution: Pacific coast of North America Alaska to Baja California. from central California to Baja California. Habitat: Low to subtidal rocky outcrops along Habitat: Grows in extensive beds or forests moderately exposed coasts; usually found in in cool coastal waters where hard substrate is dense stands. available for attachment. Restricted to shallow Appearance: Olive green to dark brown thick depths where young plants receive sufficient strap-like blade called “fronds,” fringed with short light for growth. lateral blades and studded with pneumatocysts Diet: Kelps photosynthesize, using the energy (gas-filled cells promoting buoyancy); blades of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide, water, surmount stubby stipe attached to fleshy, cone- and nutrients into the organic compounds like holdfast; length 5–7 meters. that sustain their growth. Unlike terrestrial Reproduction and Development: Reproduce plants, kelp absorb nutrients directly from the by spores; rapid growth. water; holdfasts, though they have a root-like Mortality/Longevity: Perennial. structure, function solely for attachment. Remarks: Common name comes from the feather Reproduction and Development: Develops boa, a style accessory worn draped around the from microscopic spore that grows into a small neck; harvested commercially as nitrogen-rich male or female gametophyte. Gametophytes “dressing” for agricultural land. produce sperm and egg that join and California Academy of Sciences 21

subsequently grow into the familiar kelp, strengthened by calcareous deposits within which when mature sheds spores to repeat the cell walls. the process. Diet: Create their own food through Mortality/Longevity: Relatively few herbivores photosynthesis. Like all red algae, they graze directly on living kelp, abalone and sea contain phycoerythrin, a pigment which urchins being notable exceptions. Most of its reflects red light and absorbs blue light. Blue energy enters the food chain as detritus, bits of light penetrates water to a greater depth than dead organic matter dissolved in the water that most other wavelengths, allowing red algae are taken up by a variety of filter feeders. The to photosynthesize in deeper water than most plant is a perennial. Holdfasts may survive 4 other algal groups. to 10 years, fronds from 6 to 12 months. Remarks: Some 1600 species of encrusting Conservation Status: An increase in the coralline algae have been described. The population of sea urchins, probably caused family also includes articulating corallines by the indiscriminate hunting of the sea otter, (see below). which preys heavily on urchins, may have been Thick encrusting corallines provide a prime reason for the disappearance of large microhabitat for a number of invertebrates, expanses of kelp forests along the Pacific Coast some of which also feed on the algal film that in the recent past. Now protected, sea otters grows on the coralline. have increased in number, and the kelp forests Encrusting corallines are especially significant again cover their historic ranges. in the ecology of coral reefs: their calcium Remarks: Kelp forests provide food and shelter carbonate structure helps cement the reef for many kinds of invertebrates and fish as well together, and they are important sources of as a few species of birds and marine mammals, primary production. such as otters and seals. Holdfasts are home for a variety of small snails, worms, and other Articulating Coralline Algae organisms. Corallina spp. (Corallinaceae) Giant kelp is the fastest growing organism Distribution: Aleutian Islands to the Galapa- known, adding almost .6 m a day to its length gos Islands (Corallina vancouveriensis). Corallina under optimal conditions! officinalis has an even greater distribution, and Kelp beds along the Pacific Coast are the most the variety chilensis occurs along the entire extensive and richly populated in the world, California coast and beyond. supporting millions of organisms representing Habitat: Corallina vancouveriensis forms dense some 1,000 species. tufts and mats in the middle to lower intertidal zone. Corallina officinalis var. chilensis occurs from tide pools to the subtidal. Appearance: Both are red (Rhodophyta) articu- RED (DIVISION RHODOPHYTA) lated calcareous algae with pinnate branching. Armored segments much more robust on Coral- Encrusting Coralline Algae lina vancouveriensis. Corallina spp. (Corallinaceae) Reproduction and Development: Alternation Distribution: Widespread in all the world’s of generations. The sporophyte and gameto- oceans. phyte plants appear similar. Habitat: Common on intertidal rocky shores Remarks: Heavy calcification of the outer part and coral reefs. of the cell wall is an effective defense against Appearance: Their crustose growth form can herbivory. range from just a few micrometers to several Generic name means “little coral.” centimeters thick. May present a few pink to Corallina officinalisis the medicinal algae of the grayish pink patches on rocks or reefs, or cover ancients, named by Linnaeus for its use as a nearly 100% of an area. Some species may be vermifuge (to expel parasites from the intesti- purple, yellow or blue. The structure is hard, nal tract). Linnaeus erroneously believed the corallines were coral-like animals. 22 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

In 1837 it was discovered that corallines were algae have purple pigmentation characteristic algae, not animals. of red seaweeds. Anchored by short, circular holdfasts. Turkish Towel Remarks: Water and air-filled sacs protect the Gigartina spp. (Gigartinaceae) seaweed from overheating and drying during Distribution: California coast (and beyond). periods of exposure. Air bubbles keep the sacs Habitat: Lower intertidal to subtidal zones. upright during submergence. Appearance: Oval, generally undivided blades Sacs may contain small crustaceans that take to width of 20 cm. Apex is blunt. Open coast advantage of protected living space. algae are thick; algae of this species in calm water are thin and crisp. Diet: Photosynthesize. Reproduction and Development: Alternation PLANTAE of generations. The sporophyte and gameto- phyte plants appear similar. ANGIOSPERMAE Remarks: Common name derives from prominent papillae. (FLOWERING PLANTS) Some gigartina spp. are grown commercially Saltgrass for the extraction of carrageenan, a gel used Distichlis spicata (Poaceae) in many food products as a thickening and Grasses stabilizing agent. Distribution: Endemic to Western Hemisphere; Iridescent Red Algae found in most of the contiguous United States Iridaea spp. (Gigartinacea) as well as Hawaii. Distribution: Along the Pacific Coast from Habitat: Coastal strand above all but highest British Columbia thru northern California. tide line; upper reaches (landward edges) of Habitat: Rocky intertidal and subtidal. tidal and seasonal wetlands; alkali basins. Appearance: Appearance: Characterized by a glistening Semi-erect, low-growing grass iridescence caused by the reflection and with wiry, stiff green leaves; c 30 cm in height refraction of light off the multiple layers of its but normally drooping, often prostrate; tiny, cuticle and cell walls. Colors change with the but conspicuous purplish-yellow flowers in angle of incident light, which in turn changes spring and early summer; salt crystals often with the movement of the thallus (leaf-like visible on stems and leaves. structure) in the currents. Reproduction and Development: Angiosperm. Asexual reproduction by cloning year-round Diet: Photosynthetic. along scaly rhizomes; seeds germinated along Reproduction and Development: Most reds spikelets viable but success rate low due to have a complex three-stage life history. harvesting by birds and marsh mammals. Remarks: Some species are a dark red, others Mortality/Longevity: Perennial. almost green or black. Color differences are due Remarks: to more or less red-producing phycoerythrin Halophyte. Roots absorb salt water pigment in the cells. from which the salt crystals are visibly secreted along blades and stems. Spikiness unpleasant Sea Sacs on bare feet. Halosaccion glandiforme (Palmariaceae) Can be weedy and invasive. Currently being Distribution: North Pacific; Alaska to Point studied for its potential to reclaim saline Conception, California. saturated soils. Habitat: Exposed rocky habitats in the mid- Cordgrass aka Pacific Cordgrass intertidal zone. Spartina foliosa (Poaceae) Appearance: Small green-yellowish sacs, Grasses usually filled with seawater and air; young Distribution: Endemic to Central and Southern California Academy of Sciences 23

California into Baja; introduced successfully the wild can grow to 18 m. Trunk is thick with a into Del Norte County; hybrids prevalent in cylindrical shaft. In flooded sites trees develop Alameda County. stilt roots and buttresses. In cultivation trees may Habitat: Salt-laden, tidal wetlands in coastal be more shrub-like. Shiny, dark green palmately estuaries, especially partially submerged compound leaves 20–25 cm in length. Buds channels; tolerates deep submersion (half its open into large creamy white flowers. Although height) for up to half a day (two high tides). showy, flowers may be hidden by dense foliage. Appearance: Stout, coarse-grained, hollow. The capsular fruit is similar to cocoa bean, a oxygen-filled stalks up to 39 cm in height; football-shaped woody pod, up to 30 cm in leaves may be 10 mm broad at base; flowers length and 12 cm in diameter, olive-yellow green appear along stalks. in color. Globular, dark brown nuts. Remarks: Reproduction and Development: Angiosperm. Nuts are edible, tasting somewhat Asexual, self-regenerative, reproduction by like peanuts; can be eaten raw, roasted, or fried. cloning year-round along buried runners Toasted seeds can be ground and reportedly (rhizomes); seeds able to germinate but success “can be prepared as a chocolate that tastes good rate low. but smells repulsive.” Mortality/Longevity: Perennial. Young leaves and flowers are cooked and used as vegetables. Conservation Status: Endangered wherever marshes are drained for shoreline development. Leaves are soaked in water to produce a liquid Threatened by spread of introduced S. used by indigenous people for protection alterniflora, a native of the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic against poisoning and as an antidote for bites coastlines which competes and hybridizes of poisonous animals. easily with S.foliosa; since S. alterniflora is a Red Mangrove soil accreting agent (S. foliosa is not), its spread Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae) threatens the continued existence of coastal Distribution: Native to tropical New World, wetlands. Atlantic and Pacific coastlines plus Galapagos Remarks: Halophyte. Able to exclude some Islands; Western coast of Africa; numerous salts from sea water as it enters root system; Pacific islands. remaining salts excreted through vegetative Habitat: Salt-saturated sand or mud, inundated glands; nitrogen fixing nodules on roots. twice daily, along tropical seacoasts, river and Keystone species of tidal marshes. Efforts estuary margins; often adjacent to coral reefs. underway to plant reclaimed wetlands with Appearance: taller growing specimens to restore clapper Ranges in height from 6–15 m; has rail habitat. Few animals equipped to eat multiple prop roots descending from widely cordgrass; it contributes directly to the health spreading branches; reddish-brown. Ridged, of the marsh ecosystem as detritus which is scaly bark; tough, broad, smooth-edged leaves, processed by microorganisms that return its dark green on top, pale beneath, 5–15 cm long. nutrients to the life cycle. Small, yellowish-white flowers produce small reddish-brown conical berries in November. Water Chestnut Tree Reproduction and Development: Vivipary Pachira aquatica (Bombacaceae) (germination of seeds while still attached to Distribution: Tropical America from southern mother plant); after a tap root from 15–30 cm Mexico to Guyana and northern Brazil. in length develops, seedlings detach, fall onto Habitat: Prefer a site that is flooded much of mud or into water and float horizontally on the time, along the edges of a swamp or river. the tide to random destinations. Best suited to areas with a wet/dry season, Mortality/Longevity: Perennial. since growth is fastest when the water recedes Conservation Status: Endangered where and oxygen is available to the roots. Grow at shoreline is cleared for fish and shrimp farming altitudes up to 1280 m, average temperature of or industrial and recreation uses. 25° C, and 100–200 cm of precipitation a year. Remarks: Halophyte; semi-succulent; lenticels Description: Showy evergreen tree which in in bark provide aeration of roots and stems. 24 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

“Mangal,” mangrove groves or stands, are Black Olive Tree aka Oxhorn Bucida important breeding, feeding and nursery Bucida buceras (Combretaceae) grounds for fish and birds; decomposed leaf Distribution: Bucida are native to Yucatan litter sustains the system. peninsula and the coast of Mexico, Central Mangroves are being used in tropical shoreline America and northern South America. Have reclamation worldwide. been planted as shade and ornamental trees in Florida and West Indies. Grown for timber Brazilian Beauty Leaf in Puerto Rico. Calophyllum brasiliense (Clusiacea) Habitat: Along streams, on coastal margins and Distribution: Natural range extends from on hummocks of mangrove swamps. Tolerate Mexico throughout Central America to salt spray, and grow well in coastal areas. Best northern South America. It also grows in the at lower elevations, temperature of 24°–30° West Indies. C, and 75–200 cm of rainfall a year, but are Habitat: A canopy tree of humid tropical drought tolerant once established. rainforests with annual rainfall above 300 cm. Description: Mature trees are 12–15 m evergreens Prefers temperatures between 24°–30 °C, and with a smooth trunk and strong wind-resistant elevations below 1500 m. Frequently found in branches. Pyramidal shape when young, but coastal areas and in plains of rivers, creeks, or develops full, oval crown with age. Leaves: marshes. dark bluish green, rounded or oval at the apex Description: Upright evergreen trees that can and tapering toward the base, blades 5–10 cm reach heights of 30–45 m. Bark is grey to black long and clustering at the branch tips. Flowers: with longitudinal furrows. Leaves are simple, small inconspicuous greenish yellow in 10 cm elliptic or oval, and about 10 cm long. They spikes, may be male or complete. Fruit: small are shiny, dark green above and light dull black-olive shaped fleshy fruits containing one green below. Numerous white fragrant showy seed; non-edible and highly tannic, messy and flowers, 5–10 cm diameter on stems with 2–20 stains when it drops. flowers per stem. White male flowers have Remarks: Wood is used as a fuel and makes clusters of 40–50 orange stamens. Fruits are excellent charcoal. It is heavy and difficult to golf-ball size globular berries, turning from work due to the high silica content. Resistant to greenish yellow to brown as they mature. dry and subterranean termites, the wood is used They are poisonous, and contain chemical for decks, pilings, bridges and ship timbers. compounds that may relieve pain and have In Haiti a bark and leaf decoction is used to anticancer and antiviral properties. treat fevers. Remarks: Timber is resistant to termites, and An unidentified mite is responsible for a horn- has been used for external buildings. shaped gall, thus the common name Oxhorn A brown dye is made from the bark. Bucida. Latex has been used in Central American West Indian Mahogany folk medicine to reduce fevers and heal cuts. Swietenia mahogani (Meliacae) In the Brazilian Amazon it is used to control diabetes. Distribution: Native range is southern Florida, Bahamas, and West Indies. Because of its value Leaves are used for anti-inflammatory effects as wood only few large trees remain, except in and in infusions to control asthma and preserves. digestive problems. Habitat: Grows on a wide variety of sites. Recently, studies suggest the roots, flowers and Requires a mean rainfall between 9–21 m per fruits have been found to contain compounds year. Can colonize areas with salt spray. more potent than aspirin or acetaminophen in relieving pain and inflammation as well Description: A medium to large tree with a as having other antifungal and antiviral broad dense crown and a straight trunk, often properties. Derivatives might prove useful buttressed. Can be 22 m tall with a diameter against some cancers and Epstein Barr virus. greater than 0.6 m. Semi-deciduous: loses California Academy of Sciences 25

leaves as new ones replace them. May be spines, which is desirable, since it makes it without leaves for a few weeks if weather is easier to harvest. Leaves are 2.5–3.5 m long unfavorable. Leaves are compound with 3–4 with many linear pointed leaflets up to 0.6 leaflets arranged like the veins of a feather. m long and 3 cm wide; dark green above There is no leaflet at the tip. Flowers are small and pale below. Inflorescence is about 30 cm and inconspicuous. Both male and female and may contain up to 30,000 flowers, both flowers are on the same tree. Brown egg-to- male and female, but primarily male. Flowers pear shaped fruit up to 13 cm long. Produce are pollinated by 2 species of beetles, which multiple winged seeds about 5 cm long, which have a tight biologic association with the are dispersed by the wind. Seeds are collected palm. Great variation in color, size, shape and for “plantations” to provide 2nd growth forests quality of fruit, usually in clusters of 50 to 100 for harvest of wood. individuals. Some varieties are seedless and Remarks: Swietenia mahogani is known as the some have a single brown seed. best source of superior wood for furniture. Remarks: Peach palm is a source of hearts Its color is deeper red and the grain more of palm. It is sold as a commercial crop in an even than other species of mahogany. It is expanding global market. Terminal buds can now rare and the major source of mahogany be cut; lateral shoots will maintain the plant wood is Swietenia macrophylla. Since the 1600s and sustain the plantation. the primary use of West Indian mahogany Native people eat the fruit as a source of has been as a cabinet wood for fine furniture. protein, carbohydrate, and fat. On average A carpenter, sailing with Sir Walter Raleigh peach palm fruit is 8% protein, 15% fat, and in 1595, first described its characteristics. 70% carbohydrate. The oil is 60% unsaturated The first recorded piece of furniture from and 40% saturated. The flavor of peach palm mahogany was a chair made in 1661. It is fruit has been described as like maize or now in Trinity Hall Museum in Aberdeen, potatoes, as slightly sweet, or as resembling a Scotland. In 1704 a severe frost killed many European chestnut. The fruit is also made into of the walnut trees in Europe and mahogany flour similar to maize or cassava and used for furniture became even more in demand. In cakes and bread. After the oil is extracted, the 1721, English parliament repealed a heavy mesocarp yields a high quality meal that is duty on timber imports from the colonies. used both by humans and as animal feed. Since then the popularity of mahogany has threatened its survival. Fanciful uses: In a lexicon of Magic, Harry Potter’s James had a wand made of mahogany. PHYLUM CNIDARIA It was “excellent for Transfiguration.” J.K. Rowling said if she had a wand it would be CLASS HYDROZOA mahogany with a phoenix feather core. Fire Coral Peach Palm Millepora sp. (Milleporidae) Bactris gasipaes (Palmae) Distribution: Pantropical. Distribution: Indigenous to Amazonian Habitat: Shallow reefs. areas of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. Cultivated widely since pre-Colombian times Appearance: Colored brownish, greenish or and distributed throughout the Neotropics. grayish, often with a yellow hue and light tips. Skeleton calcareous with diverse growth-forms Habitat: Grows on a variety of tropical sites. from fine branching, to domes, encrusting, or Optimal rainfall: between 200–380 cm per year, sheet-like. May form extensive colonies to 2 rather evenly distributed the year round. m diameter. Description: There are many cultivated Diet: Microplankton; zooxanthellae also pro- varieties with different characteristics adapted vide nutrition. to local conditions. Can attain a height of 20–30 m. Most have stiff black spines in circular rows Reproduction and Development: Sexual from base to summit. A few have minimal reproduction, with both medusa and polyp 26 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

stages; asexual reproduction via budding. Note developed and settle immediately. Anthozoan corals have only a polyp stage. Remarks: H. coerulea is the sole member of its Conservation Status: All coral reef species are genus. threatened due to global warming. Though it looks like a stony coral, it is the only Remarks: Fire corals are important reef-build- octocoral that has a massive calcium carbonate ing organisms, though they are not closely re- skeleton. much like hydrocorals or hard corals. lated to the most common group of reef-build- Blue coral can be an important reef builder. ing hard corals (Scleractinians), which belong The common name comes from the powder- to an entirely different class (Anthozoa). blue color of the skeleton, which is impregnated Unlike octocorals or hexacorals, fire corals by an oxidized iron salt manufactured by the possess polyps so small they are almost coral and not visible when the animal is microscopic. One type is armed with alive. nematocysts for food-capture and defense; the Has been called a living fossil as its morphology other type is capable of sexual reproduction. has shown little change in some 150 million Potent nematocysts are also used to clear years. the coral of organisms that might shade zooxanthellae and can inflict a painful, burning ORDER ALCYONACEA sting to humans, hence the common name. Fire corals can outcompete many other corals (SOFT CORALS AND GORGONIANS) by growing large quickly. and dominating the available space. Organ Pipe Coral Tubipora musica (Tubiporidae) Distribution: Tropical Eastern Indo-Pacific and Red Sea. CLASS ANTHOZOA Habitat: Shallow water to about 15 m. Appearance: Thickly-set tubes are joined by SUBCLASS OCTOCORALLIA calcareous shelves that often form multi-level platforms. Colonies form rounded clumps ORDER HELIOPORACEA 2–30 cm. in diameter. Tubes and platforms are (BLUE CORAL) reddish-purple; tentacles are greenish, golden- brown or gray. Blue Coral Diet: Polyps encased in the hard tubes Heliopora coerulea (Helioporidae) emerge to feed nocturnally. Microcarnivore Distribution: Red Sea, east Africa; western and of plankton. central Indo-Pacific. Reproduction and Development: Polyps arise Habitat: Normally lives in shallow reef waters, from a creeping mat or stolon. tidal to 18 m; frequently exposed at low tides. Remarks Popular in the aquaria trade. Prefers strong light and currents. Appearance: Colonies up to 1 m across; have Cladiella Cladiella spp. (Alcyoniidae) sturdy, thick, slate-like branches. Growth forms and colony shapes are variable (sheets, plates There are at least 40 species in this genus. and branching columns). Living coral is brown, Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Red Sea. the color of its zooxanthellae. Habitat: Tropical coral reefs. Zonation varies Diet: Feeds on products of its zooxanthellae, by species, intertidal to 30 m. and extends feeding tentacles at night for Appearance: Colonies may be encrusting or plankton capture. rise from a broad and short stalk, with a knobby Reproduction and Development: Sexes lobed upper surface. Many species bear brown separate; a brooder with fertilization and tentacles on white stalks. When polyps ex- larval development taking place within female panded the colony looks brown, when they polyps. Larvae are released when almost fully contract, the colony is white. Diameter varies California Academy of Sciences 27

by species, 10–30 cm. Reproduction and Development: Typically Diet: Microcarnivore of plankton. Algal reproduces asexually by budding or fragmen- endosymbionts photosynthesize. tation. Remarks: Cladiella is difficult to distinguish Mortality/Longevity: Some species are fed from Ancyonium. upon by nudibranchs and snails. Remarks: Many of the mushroom leather corals Lobophytum produce toxic terpenoid compounds. Some Lobophytum spp. (Alcyoniidae) may prove beneficial for cancer treatments or Notes apply to entire genus comprised of at other medical uses. least 47 species. Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Red Sea. Sinularia Sinularia spp. (Alcyoniidae) Habitat: Tropical coral reefs. Zonation varies by species, intertidal to 30 m. Comments apply to genus of ~110 species. Appearance: Typically colored yellowish Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Red Sea. brown, some ridged leather corals colored Habitat: Tropical coral reefs. Zonation varies green by their algal endosymbionts. Ridged by species, intertidal to at least 25 m., but most leather corals often encrusting or low and abundant in shallow lagoons. spreading. Upper surface with ridges and Appearance: Highly variable by species, as can crests. Some colonies to 1 m in diameter. Lobed be gleaned by common names. leather corals often encrusting or low and Flat Leather Coral (9 species) spreading and spreading. Upper surface with rounded or plate-like or upright and funnel-shaped, cen- finger-like lobes. Usually no real stalk; colony tral polyp-bearing portion without lobes or often grows out from a low platform. Large ridges, margin thin and undulating or lobed, polyps distinctly spaced from one another.. polyps dense or thickly set; Diet: Microcarnivore of plankton. All with Slimy Leather Coral (3 species) long, slender, algal endosymbionts. tube-like lobes which can be flabby and ex- Remarks: Like Sarcophyton, to which it’s tremely slimy; closely related, Lobophytum has two distinct Digitate Leather Coral (majority of species types of polyps, one quite small, the other in the genus) can be low, flat, and encrusting larger. Sinularia has only one. with a very short stalk, or tall and erect with well-developed stalk, colonies may be soft Sarcophyton aka Mushroom Leather Coral and flaccid, or a tough, leathery texture, upper Sarcophyton spp. (Alcyoniidae) surface with numerous finger-like lobes that More than 35 species in genus. may be singular, bifurcated, or branching; Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Red Sea. Knobby Leather Coral (many species) broad Habitat: Tropical coral reefs. Zonation varies stalk, upper surface covered with short lobes by species, intertidal–30 m. Most often found in or low rounded knobs. shallow-water reef flats in turbid water wwith Diet: Nutrition from algal symbionts; also gentle current.. microcarnivore of plankton. Appearance: The largest species in the genus Reproduction and Deveolopment: Separate reaches a height of 1 meter. It is the largest sexes; broadcast spawners. Also reproduce species in the family Alcyoniidae. Colors vary asexually by fission. Aborescent forms regu- among species: white, grey, yellowish-green, larly drop tips of branches that subsequently green. Colonies mushroom, funnel, or cup attach to rocks or other hard surfaces. shaped, often with a folded margin. Typically Remarks: Species of Sinularia can only be ac- have a thick, rubbery appearance with tentacles curately identified by microscopic examination that extend from the large, often convoluted of the skeletal sclerites. upper surface. Main stalk, often visible, bears no polyps. Chemical products such as various cytotoxic diterpenes have been isolated from some Sinularia Diet: Microcarnivore of plankton and algal species. Such compounds are being studied for photosynthesis. 28 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

their toxic effects on human cancer cells. Remarks: Unlike some Xenia species, Anthelia do not move rhythmically of their own Tree Coral accord. Capnella sp. (Nephtheidae) Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Pulsing Xenia Habitat: Reef slopes in clear water with strong Xenia spp. (Xenidae) currents. Also on coral rubble in shallow water Distribution: Red Sea, Indo-Pacific. close to shore. Habitat: Many reef locations. Appearance: Cream, gray, brown, pink to Appearance: Usually form small colonies green. Has a thick trunk, like a tree, with many with a diameter of about 10 cm. Most species branches; small, but conspicuous polyps are develop mushroom-shaped colonies with crowded on the upper branches; polyps are polyps which make pumping movements in non-retractile. their upper parts. Polyps, each on a delicate Diet: Phytoplankton and microfauna; also stem 3–5 cm tall, rise colonially from a sturdy harbors zooxanthellae and can, if necessary, stalk some 8 cm long. thrive without active feeding. Diet: Nutrition primarily from their Reproduction and Development: Reproduces zooxanthellae, but may also absorb organic both sexually and asexually. Most often in compounds through their body tissue. aquaria reproduce by dropping tips of small Reproduction and Development: Sexual; branchlets that become new colonies. Colo- internal brooders. Colonies also propagate by nizes aggressively. splitting in two. Remarks: Like most leather corals, Capnella Remarks: Purpose of the pumping action is species shed a mucous coat on a regular basis unknown; it may promote water circulation for to clear themselves of algae and debris. Such the colony that benefits feeding or gas exchange. cleansing activity is less frequent when coral is situated in a high current area. Green Star Polyps Briareum sp. (Briareidae) Waving Hands Polyps Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Anthelia spp. (Xeniidae) Habitat: Outer reef slopes and in lagoons and Distribution: Red Sea, Indo-Pacific, and east bays. Attach to solid reef structures or coral to Hawaii. rubble at 4.5–30 m. Usually carpet the area in Habitat: Shallow water with high light the form of mat-like communities—occasion- intensity,usually in areas exposed to strong ally so compact that the individual polyps are tidal currents. difficult to distinguish. Appearance: Have polyps with one or more Appearance: Central mouth with elongated rows of long pinnules along each tentacle edge tentacles on the perimeter. Completely ex- that are readily moved by water currents, thus the tended and flattened disc reveals distinctive, common name. Each stalk contains one “hand” spoke-like orientation of tentacles. Usually with eight “fingers.” Color white, gray, brown, or colored greenish overall, may be brownish, pale blue. Non-retractile polyps. Usually grow in yellowish, orangish or blueish.Polyps often mat- or crust-like colonies that may cover large extend from an encrusting sheet. Colors may areas of the reef. Height: 2–10 cm. fluoresce. Disc up to 3.5–5 cm. Diet: Nourishment primarily from products of Diet: Most nutrition provided by symbiotic symbiotic zooxanthellae. algae; also capture microplankton. Reproduction and Development: Asexual by Reproduction and Development: Colonial; means of creeping mat that forms stolon-like primarily reproduce asexually by polyp bud- fingers. Also sexual reproduction. This mat- ding from thin runners, or stolons; capable of like base from which the polyps rise on slender rapid spreading. stalks distinguishes Anthelia from other coral Conservation status: Global warming puts all look-alikes, such as Xenia (see below). coral reef-associated species (and terrestrial species too!) at risk. California Academy of Sciences 29

Remarks: Can retract polyps individually in patch reefs, outer reefs, wall lips. Depth range response to attack. is 1.5–27 m. Appearance: Light yellowish brown Finger Sea Fan candelabrum shaped colonies. Colonies Diodogorgia nodulifera (Anthothelidae) compact with stout branches. Close-set, tubular Distribution: Western Atlantic Ocean. calyces that give a knobby appearance when Habitat: Hard surfaces on low profile reefs in polyps are closed. Colonies to 30 cm. height. deep water, 25 m or more. Diet: Microcarnivore. Like most gorgonians, Appearance: Two color variations: bright the zooxanthellae in the tissue of the polyps yellow-orange with red and white polyps, and aid in nutrition. red to purple with white polyps, like those Among gorgonians, the Plexauridae is one of on display. Sclerites support the smooth, stiff the largest families branches. Diet: Lacking zooxanthellae, this sea rod feeds Sea Rods exclusively on zooplankton, and must be feed Plexaura spp. (Plexauridae) by hand in an aquarium setting. Distribution: South Florida, Bahamas, Reproduction and Development: Most often, Caribbean. brittle branches fragment and form new Habitat: Clear water patch reefs from 1.2–45 colonies. m depth. Remarks: This handsome gorgonian is popular Appearance: Some Plexaura sea rods may grow in aquaria, but requires expert care. in flat, vertical planes with only occasional dichotomous branching when small, becoming Encrusting Gorgonian bushy with age. May grow to 1.2 m or more. Erythropodium caribaeorum (Anthothelidae) When polyps are retracted, area around Distribution: Caribbean, south Florida and apertures is flat or protrudes only slightly. Bahamas. Colors variable. Habitat: Reefs, especially shallow fringe, patch Diet: Feed mainly on the products of and back reefs, 1–30 m. zooxanthellae. Appearance: Colonies form encrusting tan- Reproduction and Development: Reach colored mats. Extended polyps and tentacles maximum size in 10–30 years. are fine and hair-like. When polyps retract, Remarks: Gorgo is Greek for “grim, fierce, surface is smooth and leathery. Size 7.5–90 terrible,” a reference to the myth of three cm. sisters, the Gorgons (Medusa being the most Diet: Nutrition primarily from zooxanthellae. famous of the siblings), with snakes for hair. As in many gorgonians, tan color a result of Plexaura homomalla, common in the Caribbean, endosymbiotic zooxanthellae. has been found to contain high levels of Remarks: Able to kill stony corals and other prostaglandin, which may induce vomiting gorgonians by encrusting. Its nematocysts and subsequent learned aversion in predators. (stinging cells) can kill most stony corals by This steroid is more usually found in mammals; their touch. in humans it controls contraction and dilation Gorgonians are far more common in the of blood vessels, protects the lining of the Caribbean than in the Philippines. stomach, and reduces inflammation. A different species of Erythropodium is found in the Indo-Pacific. Slit-pore Sea Rod Plexaurella spp. (Plexauridae) Warty Sea Rod aka Swollen-knob Distribution: Southern Florida, Bahamas, Candelabrum Caribbean. Eunicea mammosa (Plexauridae) Habitat: Clearwater patch and fore reefs at Distribution: Southern Florida, Bahamas and depths of 9–50 m. Caribbean. Appearance: Similar in appearance to Plexaura Habitat: Shallow, turbulent hard substrates, spp., but usually somewhat slimmer. Colonies 30 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

are bushy with club-tipped branches growing Appearance: One of two common species in several planes. Color tends toward pale in the Caribbean. Different from most brown or yellowish, polyps a darker brown. Pseudopterogorgia, in which secondary branches Slit-like openings of retracted polyps are visible are pinnate (grow from opposing sides); on well-separated, raised mounds that dot the Muriceopsis secondary branches originate on surface of branches. all sides of the main stem and are thicker. Diet: Nutrition from symbiotic zooxanthellae; Colonies may reach 1.5 m tall. Color is a pale also may feed on microplankton. tan tinged with pink. Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae and filter Porous Sea Rods feeding. Pseudoplexaura spp. (Plexauridae) Distribution: Caribbean Sea, southern Florida, Red Gorgonian and the Bahamas. Leptogorgia chilensis (Gorgoniidae) Habitat: A common coral on Caribbean reefs. Distribution: Monterey Bay, California to Isla Appearance: Grow into bushy forms with short Cedros, Baja California. stems and thick, finger-shaped branches, up to Habitat: Depth from 15–60 m. 2 m high. The genus is recognized by the oval Appearance: Red branches with white polyps. or round openings that can be seen as pores Branch length to 90 cm. Branches not in a single when the polyps are retracted. plane. Diet: Feed on the products of their Diet: Microcarnivore. symbiotic zooxanthellae; also may feed on Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by microplankton. some nudibranchs The zoanthid anemone Remarks: The 4 species in the genus are Parazoanthus luciferus often colonizes this very similar, identified only by detailed gorgonian which results in the death of most examination. or all of the colony’s polyps. Remarks: Most gorgonian polyps are expanded Golden Gorgonian during the daylight rather than at night, a habit Muricea californica (Plexauridae) noticeable in the Southern California tank. Brown Gorgonian Muricea fruticosa (Plexauridae) Sea Plumes Distribution: Caribbean Sea including south Pseudopterogorgia spp. (Gorgoniidae) Florida and the Bahamas; southern California Distribution: Caribbean Sea, including the to Panama. Bahamas and Southern Florida, south to Habitat: Shallow water with suitable light for Brazil. photosynthetic symbionts. Habitat: Moderately deep patch reefs in clear Appearance: Usually grow densely branched water. and laterally in several planes. Medium- Appearance: Various growth forms. Some sized:15–45 cm high. develop into very large, bushy colonies to 2 m Diet: Nutrition primarily from symbiotic tall. Most have pinnate branches with polyps zooxanthellae. arranged in rows. Remarks: Members of the genus are called Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae and filter Spiny Sea Fans, so described because of the feeding. sharp terminal spikes on the calyces, or coral cups, that cover their branches. Purple Sea Plume aka Bipinnate Sea Plume Pseudopterogorgia bipinnata (Gorgoniidae) Rough Sea Plume Distribution: Southern Florida, Bahamas, Muriceopsis flavida (Plexauridae) Caribbean. Distribution: Caribbean and southern Habitat: Patch reefs. Depth range 1–12 m. Atlantic; common off Brazil. Appearance: Colonies made up of hundreds Habitat: In shallow reef communities with of individuals usually grow in a single plane vigorous currents. with broadly spread primary and secondary California Academy of Sciences 31

branches. Paired branchlets extend from Habitat: Shallow subtidal to 70 m on sand and branches at regular intervals. Coloration is mud substrates in areas of strong current that purple-violet, occasionally whitish to brilliant aids feeding. Sessile, benthic. Often found in yellow. Height to 60 cm. large beds with many individuals. Diet: Possess zooxanthellae and also filter feed Appearance: A primary polyp is modified on plankton. to form the body, which includes a base Mortality/Longevity: Commonly preyed that extends into the sediment and a stalk upon by the flamingo tongue snail (Cyphoma (the rachis) that rises between the feathery gibbosum). This snail leaves a dark trail of extensions. Large adults may extend 60 cm out exposed gorgonian skeleton where it has of the sediment with another 30 cm extending scraped away the soft tissue. into the substrate. Color from pale cream to deep orange-red. Purple Frilly Sea Plume Diet: Filter-feeder on particulate organic Pseudopterogorgia elizabethi (Gorgoniidae) matter, larvae, and other small zooplankton. Distribution: Western Atlantic Ocean; Florida, Reproduction and Development: Each polyp Caribbean. in the colony is either male or female; each Habitat: Inshore and patch reef flats and spawns its gametes into the water column slopes. where fertilization occurs. Larvae eventually Appearance: Usually less than 1 m tall. Side settle on sand and metamorphose into a may be pinnate (paired on opposite sides of the founder polyp that becomes the stalk and from main branches) but sometimes are not. which other colony polyps arise by asexual Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae and proliferation. supplemental filter feeding. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by several Remarks: Compounds that possess non- nudibranchs including Hermissenda crassicornis, steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic as well as various sea stars, including the properties have been isolated from this species sunstar (Pycnopodia helianthoides) and the and are the subject of active research, leather star (Demasterias imbricata). May rapidly burrow into sediment to avoid predation. Pacific Gorgonian Remarks: Besides the primary polyp, sea pens Rumphella sp. (Gorgoniidae) have other specialized polyps. Feeding polyps Distribution: Widespread in the Indo-Pacific. with feathery tentacles can be seen on the Habitat: Lagoons in areas of bright light and rachis or its lateral extensions. Embedded in surge. Also on reef slopes or in sand adjacent the rachis’ surface are “pumping” polyps that to reef. use cilia to draw water into the colony’s body. Appearance: Medium- to large-sized colonies, Cilia lining water channels work with larger often bushy with large, slender, rounded muscular contractions of the body to deliver branches. Grey, light yellow or light brown. nutrients throughout the body. Diet: Mainly products of their zooxanthellae. Giant sea pens typically inflate when they One of the few Pacific gorgonians to have feed, and then deflate to a much smaller zooxanthellae. size. Sometimes they completely bury in the Remarks: While this genus is widely sediment. recognized, more needs to determined about Many sea pen species are extremely abundant, its biology and systematics. forming vast fields on deep-sea abyssal plains.

ORDER PENNATULACEA (SEA PENS)

Giant Sea Pen Ptilosarcus gurneyi (Pennatulidae) Distribution: Gulf of Alaska to southern California. 32 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

SUBCLASS HEXACORALLIA AKA Habitat: Typically shallow depths in tropical ZOANTHARIA coral reefs. Particularly abundant on the back side of shallow reef flats. Forms carpet-like mats over extensive areas of dead coral. ORDER ZOANTHINARIA Appearance: Polyps reach 5 cm in height. Of- (ZOANTHID ANEMONES) ten “two-toned.” Colors highly variable, even within a species. Tentacles short and blunt; oral Zoanthid Colony Polyps disc and tentacles often of contrasting colors. Palythoa spp. (Zoanthidae) Diet: Microcarnivore of plankton as well as Distribution: Common in tropical seas world- energy from symbiotic algae. wide. Remarks: The polyps are connected with Habitat: Tropical coral reefs on ledges and branching stolons. slopes. Appearance: Polyps joined by common basal tissues with enrusting growth form. Numer- ORDER CORALLIMORPHARIA ous, broad, flattened disc-like polyps up to 3 (FALSE OR MUSHROOM CORALS) cm diameter. Stalks inconspicuous. Colored tan to brown, basal tissue lighter. Colonies Club-tipped Anemone aka Strawberry often huge. Anemone Corynactis californica (Corallimorphidae) Diet: Most energy from symbiotic algae. Also capture micro- and macroplankton. Polyps Distribution: British Columbia, Canada to open day and night. Baja California. Reproduction and Development: Most Habitat: Colonies abundant from the low rocky commonly reproduce by budding. intertidal to 30 m. Remarks: Like corallimorpharians, zoanthids Appearance: Typically red or orange-pink, are anatomically more similar to stony corals occasionally purple, yellow, buff, brown or than to any other group; however, they do not nearly white. Captive specimens usually a make a hard skeleton. washed-out pale pink. Height and diameter about 1 cm, expanded tentacular crown to 2.5 Zoanthid Colony Polyps cm in diameter. Protopalythoa spp. (Zoanthidae) Diet: Carnivorous: copepods, nauplius larvae, Distribution: Common in tropical seas world- other zooplankton. wide. Reproduction and Development: Asexual by Habitat: Tropical coral reefs. Form large ag- longitudinal fission. gregations, especially in fore reef and shallow Remarks: Corynactis and other members in the reef zones. Order Corallimorpharia more closely resemble Appearance: Olive green to brown color. Ag- true stony corals than sea anemones, but lack gregate in large mats, each individual with a a calcareous exoskeleton. prominent stalk. Polyps have flattened oral disks up to 3 cm in diameter. Color of stalk and Discosoma oral disc are the same. Tentacles may be long Discosoma spp. (Discosomatidae) or short but are always thin with pointed tips. Distribution: Widespread in Indo-Pacific; also Diet: Energy from symbiotic algae; also common in the Caribbean. microcarnivore of plankton. Habitat: Tropical coral reefs, typically in dense Remarks: P. grandis,found in the Caribbean aggregations. tank, is noted for its gigantic polyps, usually 5 Appearance: Unlike Rhodactis spp., most Disco- cm or more in diameter; thus the name. soma spp. have smooth disc surfaces that lack obvious tentacles, though some may have small Zoanthid Colony Polyps or rudimentary tentacles that are visible as rows Zoanthus spp. (Zoanthidae) of knobs. The warty corallimporharian, in the Distribution: Tropical marine. Caribbean Reef, is one of the exceptions. Color and size vary by species. Diameter to 8–15 cm. California Academy of Sciences 33

Diet: Microcarnivore of plankton; may also Habitat: Often hundreds of polyps of a species, possess zooxanthellae. all genetically identical, cover rocky substrates Reproduction and Development: Sexual and and coral rubble on reefs to 30 m. May also live asexual, mostly through budding and pedal as solitary individuals. laceration. Appearance: Spherical; short, non-retractile, Remarks: Aquarists commonly use the generic knob-like tentacles cover oral surface. Colors term Actinodiscus. vary within species (tentacles greenish, greenish-brown, blue-gray with base often a Rhodactis different color). Colors may fluoresce. Mouth Rhodactis spp. (Discosomatidae) and outer row of tentacles may be colored Distribution: Tropical marine. differently than other tentacles. Habitat: Tropical coral reefs. Diet: Most if not all nutrition provided by zoo- Appearance: 10 cm diameter. Numerous small xanthellae; may also consume plankton, food branched tentacles on the central portion of the particles, and small invertebrates. oral disc. Rim is covered with small, unbranched Reproduction and Development: Sexually tentacles and is greatly expanded nocturnally. and asexually (by longitudinal fission, pedal Diet: Mostly photosynthetic; also takes micro- laceration, or budding).File plankton. Conservation Status: Have become locally Reproduction and Development: Sexual and abundant (Monterey Bay peninsula, California) asexual, mostly through budding and pedal during the past 50 years due to rising ocean laceration. temperature. Remarks: Like other species in this order, lacks Remarks: Ricordea spp. cannot retract the a hard skeleton. tentacles that cover the disc.

Bullseye Mushroom Florida Ricordea Rhodactis inchoata (Discosomatidae) Ricordea florida (Ricordeidae) Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Distribution: Tropical western Atlantic Ocean, Habitat: Areas of tropical reef with moderate southern Florida south to Brazil; also in the light and low-energy water movement. Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Appearance: Varied colors, most often a violet Habitat: Shallow, turbid waters in large to blue; mouth often red or pink. Tentacles form colonial aggregations, also solitary in deeper cauliflower-like clusters on the central disk. waters on hard substrates. The area around the mouth is typically bare, Appearance: Rounded, grape-like tentacles giving the species its common name. Usually on the oral disc. Color intensities may vary 4–5 cm, but may grow to 8 cm. from white to near black; others exhibit bright, Diet: Feeds primarily on nutrients provided even florescent colors including orange, green, by zooxanthellae. Also snares zooplankton yellow, blue, and purple with some having with its tentacles or occasionally captures blue, purple, or orange rings surrounding even larger food items by folding the oral disc a contrasting middle color. Max. diameter: around them. 5–7.5 cm. Reproduction and Development: Reproduce Diet: Most nutrition from symbiotic algae. primarily by longitudinal fission, Also feed on small particulate matter. Remarks: Like most Rhodactis species, R. Reproduction and Development: Reproduce inchoata is semi-aggressive and placed some by fission. distance from other species. Remarks: Genetic material that produces R. floridas’s fluorescent colors has been isolated, Ricordea Mushroom introduced into the freshwater zebrafish (Danio Ricordea spp. (Ricordeidae) rerio). Under blue light they fluoresce brilliant Distribution: Pan-Pacific. Found in both Phil- green, orange, or blue, like the Ricordea polyps ippines and Caribbean. from which the pigments were derived. Perhaps parents of on-the-move teenagers will 34 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

be the next to group to place orders! colonies. The verrucae of P. damincornis are less These (and other) ricordea can warp their prominent than those of many other species. surfaces, changing the water flow that passes over Corallites are immersed in the skeleton and, them to direct particular matter to their mouth. in the wild, appear only at night. In captivity, In the wild, R. florida is known to change colors they may also extend during the day. seasonally or in response to specific events Diet: Feed on microplankton, mostly at such as hurricanes. night. Significant nutrition provided by photosynthetic zooxanthellae. Ricordea Mushroom Reproduction and Development: Sexes Ricordea yuma (Ricordeidae) separate. Their wide distribution is probably Distribution: Indo-Pacific. related not only to their ability to thrive Habitat: Coral reefs on rubble or dead coral, at under many conditions, but to the species’ various depth and often in turbid water. multiple methods of reproduction. They Appearance: R. yuma, more muted than R. brood both sexually and asexually produced florida, presents soft pinks, browns, or greens, planula larvae, the latter a feat rare among with short, club or berry-shaped protuberances coral species. They also reproduce asexually (verrucae), though some color variations, by fragmentation, a process common in many particularly those produced through captive hard corals: when a piece of the coral is broken breeding, can be strikingly vibrant. Single off by wave action or contact and settles in a mouth is upraised and surrounded by tentacles. suitable location, a new colony may thrive and Average diameter: 2.5–4 cm. grow. Also, pocilloporids are known to practice Diet: Some nutrition from products of “polyp bailout.” In this strategy, found less photosynthesizing zooxanthellae; additionally commonly in corals, a living polyp ejects itself captures plankton, other particulate matter, from the skeleton, drifts in the current, and and an occasional small invertebrate. Ricordea may settle successfully to found a new colony. spp. can warp their surfaces to change the Bailouts usually occur in response to stress. All water flow over them and direct food particles of these reproductive methods occur regularly toward their mouths. in captivity. Reproduction and Development: Both sexual Mortality/Longevity: Colonies are thought to and asexual, the latter usually by longitudinal live no longer than 7–8 years in the wild. fission of the parent colony. Remarks: Pocilloporidae are second only to Acropora spp. as contributors to reef growth. Are known as “coral guinea pigs” because they ORDER SCLERACTINIA survive well in laboratory conditions and are (STONY CORALS) among the most studied coral species. Cauliflower Coral P. damicornis is said to thrive of a greater variety Pocillopora damicornis (Pocilloporidae) of conditions than any other coral. Distribution: Widely distributed throughout Its common name is derived from the tight the Indo-Pacific. clusters of branches topped with fuzzy polyps. Habitat: Able to thrive in varied habitats Bird’s Nest Coral ranging from exposed reef fronts to protected Seriatopora histrix (Pocilloporidae) lagoons and lower reef slopes. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Appearance: Growth form varies considerably Habitat: Upper reef slopes, lagoons, deep fore- depending on depth and currents. Colonies reefs in areas with pronounced currents. may be solid and dome-shaped, like many on Appearance exhibit. Others have branches either flattened : Easily identified by its sharp- and blade-like or fine and irregular. Color is pointed, tapering branch tips and polyps lined cream to tan, green or pink. up in straight rows. Colors: brown, tan, pink, green purple yellow. A distinguishing feature of the family: wart- Diet like growths, called verrucae, which cover the : Nutrition chiefly from zooxanthellae and California Academy of Sciences 35

extends feeding tentacles at night in search of Some damselfish species are known to shelter plankton and other organic particles. within the branches of Stylophora. The fish gains Reproduction and Development: In the wild, protection and the coral receives nutritional is a hemaphroditic brooder. Also produces benefit from the fish’s waste, shown by increased asexually, both in the wild and in captivity, growth and reproductive rates by corals engaged by polyp “bailout” like Pocillopora spp. (see in this mutualistic relationship. above). Montipora Coral Remarks Hapalocarcinus marsupialis : , a species Montipora spp. (Acroporidae) of gall-forming crab, has a most unusual Distribution: Indo-Pacific. A wide distribution relationship with Seriatopora spp. The female with a very large number of species, perhaps takes up residence within the branches of 70–80. the coral, and with her chelae, influences the growing tips to grow a gall, or cage, that Habitat: Adaptable to a variety of habitats; effectively encloses her. Protected there for life commonly found in the wild in shallow turbid from most predators, she filter feeds on minute lagoons, reef crests, and deep waters. Their particles and may also feed on the coral’s mucus tolerance for a variety of conditions seems to and/or tissue. The much smaller male crab can make them a hardy group. enter the “bars” of her cage to mate. Pocillopora Appearance: Many growth forms, including and Stylophora, also pocilloporids, are hosts to columnar, branching, encrusting, and plat- this crab as well. ing. Also a wide range of colors, including bright pinks, oranges, purples, greens, and Stylophora Coral blues. They are typically very small-polyped Stylophora sp. (Pocilloporidae) corals. Distribution: Red Sea and eastern African Diet: Nutrition mostly provided by zooxan- coast and the Indo-Pacific. thellae. Habitat: Prefer reef fronts in high light and Reproduction and Development: Sexual and strong currents, but found in many other asexual. locations. Remarks: A relatively passive coral that is best Appearance: Forms round clusters of thick situated some distance from more aggressive branches, usually with round, blunt ends. corals, such as Euphyllia spp. Polyps are small, but easily seen. Colors range from pink, green, purple to tan, and branch tips Staghorn, Elkhorn and other Acropora Coral are often a paler or contrasting color. Acropora spp. (Acroporidae) Diet: Depend on the products of their Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Caribbean. zooxanthellae. Also, extend polyps to feed at Habitat: Most commonly found in shallow reef night in the wild; polyps may be visible day environments with bright light and relatively and night in captivity. strong currents. Often dominate shallow parts Reproduction and Development: Like other of the reef, especially the surf zone. pocilloporids, is a hermaphroditic brooder Appearance: Growth forms extremely vari- (though sperm and eggs develop at different able: slender branched fingers, broad antlers, times). When mature larvae are released, they table-like plates are common. Among the most can adhere to floating objects and develop colorful of reef-building corals; may be cream, into new colonies that produce still more yellow, blue, green, purple, pink, even fluores- larvae, a practice that accounts from the wide cent. Polyps small; set along the branches. distribution of some Stylophora species. Characterized by light-colored polyps at the Remarks: Stylophora’s fast growth and ability tips of branches where budding and growth to thrive in many conditions make them good take place, fueled by the energy produced by research species. Because they have been zooxanthellae in lower parts of the branch that found to produce allelopathic chemicals, they give it color. have been widely studied in immunological Diet: Feed on microplankton, mostly at night; research. significant nutrition provided by photosyn- 36 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

thetic zooxanthellae. Pacific. Reproduction and Development: Most Habitat: Various, from protected turbid Acropora species are broadcasters, a few are environment to crystal clear water on reef brooders; also readily reproduce asexually by slopes. budding and fragmentation. Fast growing. Appearance: Usually branching but sometimes Remarks: Acropora spp. are particularly sus- forms massive or encrusting colonies. Polyps ceptible to bleaching when stressed by pollu- are large and most extend from long tubular tion, warm water temperatures, or excessive columns. Each polyp has 12 tentacles, usually sediment or nutrient runoff. with blunt tips. Tentacles usually extended The most numerous and widespread genus of both day and night. the stony corals (Order Scleractinia); over 360 Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae and named species known. A major contributor to perhaps additional phytoplankton. reef structures worldwide. Remarks: Alveopora have proved difficult The crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster to maintain in captivity by the beginner or planci) is a major staghorn predator. intermediate aquarist. Clownfish have been known to take up Porites Coral residence in Alveopora, perhaps because its Porites spp. (Poritidae) longer tentacles are similar to those of an Distribution: Pan-tropical, Caribbean and anemone. Indo-Pacific. Habitat: Found in a variety of reef habitats, Cactus Coral especially shallow, sheltered areas. Pavona spp. (Agariciidae) Appearance: Form variable; may be rounded, Distribution: Indo-Pacific. flat, branching, column-like, or encrusting. Habitat: Lagoons and outer reefs, typically in Some species produce extremely large colo- relatively shallow water with strong currents nies, over 10 m across. Like many stony cor- and bright light, though capable of thriving in als, they are morphologically plastic, capable less than intense light. of considerable variation in form in response Appearance: Massive, laminar, or foliaceous to environmental conditions, such as current, colonies with corallites on both sides of the light, and habitat. leaves or plates. Like all members of the family, Diet: Most nutrition provided by photosyn- have small, fine tentacles that create a fuzzy thetic zooxanthellae. appearance or the coral’s surface. Colors: Reproduction and Development: Porites spp. mostly brown to green with white or cream belong to the approximately 15% of corals that margins. reproduce by “brooding”: the mature sperm, Diet: With such highly reduced tentacles, when released from a polyp, swims through receive a higher percentage of their nutrition the water, finds a conspecific that has ripe eggs, from photosynthesis of symbionts than most and, entering through the mouth, fertilizes the other zooxanthellate corals. eggs internally. The larvae, known as planulae, Reproduction and Development: Asexual mature within the maternal polyp. Most other reproduction by fragmentation is common, corals are broadcasters: sperm and egg are re- often hastened by the activity of boring leased synchronously; after fertilization, planula sponges. Easily fragged in captivity. larvae drift in the current until settling. Remarks: Though lacking effective feeding Remarks: Porites spp. provide habitat for a num- tentacles, sweeper tentacles are numerous and ber of organisms that are dependent on them. powerful, maintaining the coral’s territory. Along with Acropora and Pocillopora, are impor- tant contributors to reef structures worldwide. Lettuce Coral Agaricia sp. (Agariciidae) Daisy Coral aka Flowerpot Coral Distribution: The Caribbean Sea. Alveopora sp. (Poritidae) Habitat: Shallow reefs with strong wave Distribution: Red Sea, Indian Ocean to central energy. California Academy of Sciences 37

Appearance: Various growth forms include shaped polyp gradually grows into a flattened chalices, encrusting sheets, thick leaves and disc, attached to the substrate by a stalk, which flat plates. Can grow to about 2 m diameter. later dissolves. A scar on the underside of Diet: Most nutrients supplied by symbiotic the adult skeleton marks the position of the zooxanthellae. stalk. Reproduction and Development : Mortality/Longevity: Life span of some long- Hermaphroditic brooders. Shed planula larvae lived species (by one estimate): 24–46 years. year round. Conservations Status: All corals are threatened, Mortality/Longevity: Life span: over 50 years. Fungia perhaps more than some as it is valued Remarks: Their common name comes from the in both the live and dead coral trade, where it fact they resemble underwater lettuce plants. is used for jewelry and other ornaments. A primary reef-building coral of the Caribbean.. Remarks: Rather than forming colonies like most corals, Fungia corals are usually solitary Leptoseris Coral and free-living. Because they are unattached, Leptoseris sp. (Agariciidae) Fungia can be easily moved by waves, and so Distribution: Mostly known from the tropical are most often found in protected places, often Pacific, though one species in found in the at depths where wave action is reduced. Atlantic. Their typical inverted cap-gilled mushroom- Habitat: Ledges and overhands in deeper like appearance gives these corals their water; prefer reduced light and current areas. common name. Appearance: Genus consists of delicate, Are able to produce a mucus that damages leaflike species. Mostly foliate and laminar, tissues of other corals and so prevents sometimes encrusting. Colors range from overgrowth. Mucus also facilitates food green, brown, to cream, often with contrasting capture. striations and margins. By inflating the body cavity, mushroom corals Diet: Leptoseris spp. are among deepest-water are able to upright themselves after being symbiotic corals known. overturned. Remarks: The genus is fairly uncommon in Cycloseris, also a genus often on display, is the aquarium trade, though successful captive closely related to Fungia. However, Cycloseris breeding is making them more available. tends to be more perfectly round and often domed toward the center. The skeletons have Mushroom Coral differnt features (all diffiuclt to determine Fungia spp. (Fungiidae) by casual observation), and Cycloseris spp., Distribution: Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea because they are not attached to the substrate and east Africa, west to Hawaii in tropical and as juveniles, lack the stalk scar typical of Fungia. subtropical latitudes. Slipper Coral Habitat: Among other coral, rubble, or on sand. Polyphyllia sp. (Fungiidae) Appearance: Genus noted for short, tapering Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. tentacles and a very large mouth opening. The Habitat: Shallow water in protected areas. structure is home to a single polyp. Many septa Common on soft, muddy bottoms; also on stretch from the central mouth to sides of the sand and rubble. polyp. Form may be nearly circular or elongate. Diameter to 28 cm. Appearance: Elongated, slipper-shaped solitary coral with many mouths. Color: Diet: Nutrition from photosynthetic algae. usually brown, but occasionally green or Fungia corals have been observed eating cream. Tentacles brown with white tips, about jellyfish, which may be a primary food source 2 cm long and occasionally forked at the ends; for some and a good “fit” for their large extended during the day. mouths. Diet: All species in the Fungiidae bear Reproduction and Development: Sexual or endosymbiotic algae and also extend feeding asexual reproduction. In either mode, a vase- tentacles to capture zooplankton. 38 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Reproduction and Development: Reproduce green and blue. Spiky or bumpy surface. sexually by broadcast spawning. Asexually, Diet: Most nutrition from zooxanthellae, but by bits that grow and break off the parent, also extends feeder tentacles at night. eventually developing into full-grown, free- Remarks: This genus has only recently been living coral polyps. described, and is relatively new to aquarium Remarks: Like their relatives the Fungia, display. Polyphyllia juveniles are usually attached to Placement requires care as Echinophyllia has a rock or coral and detach as they mature. exceptionally long sweeper tentacles and can The closely related Cycloseris genus is always be aggressive towards nearby corals. free-living. Peaceful toward other fungids, Polyphyllia Chalice Coral maintains its territory by extending a mucous net Oxypora sp. (Pectiniidae) capable of causing necrosis in unrelated corals. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Habitat: Reef slopes in shallow water, with Galaxy Coral limited water movement. Colors may be light Galaxea fascicularis (Oculinidae) brown, cream, or green, with contrasting Distribution: Red Sea and east Africa coast; centers of brown, green, pink, or red centers. Indo-Pacific to the Fiji Islands and Samoa. Appearance: Usually laminar or foliaceous in Habitat: Occurs from shallow to deep water growth form, often with thin plates. Corallites and in clear or turbid, calm or exposed areas. always visible and often large. Appearance: Grows in many different forms: Diet: Nutrients provided by photosynthetic small encrusting types to dome shapes, from zooxanthellae during the day. Polyps with large columnar colonies to small irregular long, transparent feeding tentacles appear at branches. May form colonies several meters night. in diameter. Reproduction and Development : Diet: Nutrition provided by symbiotic Hermaphoditic broadcast spawner. zooxanthellae augmented by active plankton Remarks: Sweeper tentacles have a powerful capture. Tentacles nearly always extended, sting that can damage other species of corals even during the day. nearby. Reproduction: Coral reproduction can be Some Oxypora species have a superficial a complex phenomenon. G. fascicularus, for resemblance to Mycedium and Echinopora example, may have female colonies that species, and may be easily misidentified. produce only eggs or hermaphroditic colonies that produce both eggs and sperm. Mycedium Coral Remarks: Like others in their genus, has Mycedium elephantotus (Pectiniidae) corallites with a ring of pointed septa that gives Distribution: Red Sea, Indo-Pacific. them a star-shaped appearance. Habitat: Shallow fore reef areas and even more Has very long “sweeper” tentacles with common on reef slopes and overhangs. powerful nematocysts that discourage Appearance: Forms foliaceous (leaf-like), plate, encroachment from other coral species as cup-shaped or semi-encrusting colonies that well as conspecifics, and so needs careful may exceed 2 m in diameter. Most are brown positioning in an aquarium setting. with pink or greenish tinges and often brightly Chalice Coral colored green or red oral discs. Protuberant, Echinophyllia spp. (Pectiniidae) inclined corallites texture its surface. Distribution: Western Central Pacific. Diet: Nutrition provided by symbiotic zooxanthellae; feeds supplementally on Habitat: Tropical reefs at depths 3–35 m. plankton. Appearance: Most often forms convoluted Reproduction and Development: Like most plates, though some growth may be encrusting corals, reproduction may be either sexual or within the same colony. Color varies and asexual. commonly includes fluorescent reds, pinks, California Academy of Sciences 39

Remarks: Its scientific name and a popular striped or mottled with another color. Like common name “elephant nose coral” are other mussids, when the soft tissue expands, somewhat imaginative references to the raised it drapes dramatically over the edges of the shapes of the corallites. skeleton, often covering it completely. Diet: Nutrition derived mainly through Acanthastrea photosynthesis performed by symbiotic Acanthastrea spp. (Mussidae) zooxanthellae, but also feed on small Distribution: Indo-Pacific. invertebrates and other organic items. Habitat: Found from shallow water to about Reproduction and Development : 20 m, though some known from greater depth. Hermaphrodites, reproducing in the wild by Thrive in conditions from strong to subdued spawning. lighting and wave action from strong to mild. Remarks: The common name “Meat Coral” Appearance: May form colonies of only a few refers to the polyps’ fleshy appearance and polyps to encrusting colonies several meters common red coloration. across, depending on the species and water The name “button coral” refers to at least conditions. Some colonies may reach 3 m 5 genera of solitary polyps of the family across; ours are much smaller. Mussidae, including Acanthophyllia and Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae; extends Cynarina and Scolymia, all on display in the tentacles at night to feed on microplankton Steinhart Aquarium. and small invertebrates and can also, like This species was formerly identified as many corals, absorb dissolved organic matter Cynarina deshayesiana or Scolymia species, through their tissues. but has recently (2009) been reclassified as Reproduction and Development : a member of its own genus. A. deshaesiana is Hermaphrodites; reproduce sexually by flatter and larger thanScolymia corals and not spawning, asexually by fragmentation and as transparently fleshy or “bubbly” asCynarina fission. corals. Remarks: A favorite today among collectors, Acanthastrea is a relatively large genus (perhaps Pineapple Coral 15-17 species) in the family Mussidae. They Blastomussa merleti (Mussidae) resemble and are often difficult to distinguish Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Indonesia. from other mussid corals such as Symphyllia Habitat: Reefs, especially turbid environments and Lobophyllia, and are even confused with on lower reef slopes. species of the family Favidae. Appearance: Color: commonly dark red A fairly aggressive coral that can extend long with conspicuous green oral discs. Also mesenterial filaments from the stomach that pink, orange, brown or dark grey with white can kill or devour other coral polyps by a margins. Some aquacultured specimens are process similar to digestion. Aquarists take quite colorful. Tentacles have fleshy mantles care placing other valued corals out of reach! extended during the day that hide the colony structure below. B. merleti have much smaller Meat Coral corallites that are less closely packed together Acanthophyllia deshayesiana (Mussidae) than those of B. wellsi. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. Diet: Majority of nutrition comes from Habitat: Protected reef environments, often products of photosynthetic zooxanthellae; attached to rocks under overhangs or on soft supplemented by microplankton. substrates; prefers gentle currents. Reproduction and Development: During their Appearance: Large, fleshy polyps. Unlike its early growth, individual corals extend from a lookalike, Cynaria lacrymalis, A. deshayesiana has common center, creating a dome covered with opaque rather than translucent polyps, and has closely spaced corallites. Sometimes, however, skeletal features that differ from other mussids. these corals lose their connections and become Color may vary from red-brown to bright green cloned solitary individuals. or red, and, in some cases, specimens may be Remarks: “Blastos” used to be rare in the 40 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

aquarium trade because of the difficulty Appearance: May form colonies of loosely of collecting them in deep, turbid water. joined individuals or be solitary. Living coral However, they are easily bred in captivity and is covered by fleshy mantle that covers the are becoming more common. skeleton. Living tissue usually green or brown, sometimes pinkish or red, with a variety of Blastomussa Coral textures. Blastomussa wellsi (Mussidae) Reproduction: Hermaphroditic broadcast Distribution: Tropical Indo-Pacific. spawners. Habitat: Lower reef slopes in areas of low to Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae; also extends moderate currents. tentacles at night to feed on microplankton, Appearance: Has large, fleshy polyps that, detritus, and other organic particles. when extended, cover the skeleton. May be blue, brown, red or green. Usually grow in Button Coral small colonies of no more than a dozen polyps, Scolymia sp. (Mussidae) but more often 3–5. Distribution: Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Diet: Depends on photosynthetic zooxanthellae Habitat: Generally restricted to reef slopes, for nutrition; also microplankton. particularly in areas without large populations Mortality/Longevity: No known predators, of reef-building corals. but butterflyfishes and angelfishes typically Appearance: Wide range of forms from small feed on large polyp corals such as these. solitary corals to large colonial groups. Solitary Remarks: A highly desirable and fairly rare more common. May be flattened, rounded, or species in the aquarium trade. slightly irregular in shape with a single oral opening. Often colored green with a more Button Coral or less clear purple-colored crown around Cynarina lacrymalis (Mussidae) the polyp edge; may also be red or pink. A Distribution: Tropical Indo-Pacific. fleshy mantle, often ruffled in shape, covers Habitat: Common and widespread on deep the skeleton. Usually distinguished from reefs, shallow lagoon reefs, and soft bottoms Lobophyllia by flatter shape. in relatively calm, turbid water. Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae; extends Appearance: A single-polyp coral. Tissue tentacles at night to feed on microplankton and is distinctly translucent with skeletal septa small invertebrates. visible; color variable, but commonly brown Closed Brain Coral or gray with green fluorescent markings. The Symphyllia spp. (Mussidae) diameter of the skeleton is rarely more than 7.5 cm, but expanded polyps may extend 30 cm. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Most often solitary, but occasionally found in Habitat: Shallow and deep water, in turbid small clusters. Septa of skeleton is toothed, thus lagoons and in clear outer reef zones, usually a common name, “tooth coral.” partially shaded. Diet: Products of photosynthetic symbionts; Appearance: Very similar to Lobophyllia spp., but also microplankton, small crustaceans, even with meandering lobes which radiate from the small fish. center and form a flat colony. Also distinguished Remarks: The name is derived from the Greek by a distinct groove running along the top of word kinaria (artichoke), a form it mildly the tissue walls. resembles. One of the largest single-polyp Plating Hydnophora aka Horn Coral corals. Hydnophora spp. (Merulinidae) Lobed Brain Coral Distribution: Widely distributed in the Indo- Lobophyllia spp. (Mussidae) Pacific. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Habitat: Common in variety of reef habitats. Habitat: Some species fairly common along the Appearance: Colonies may be massive, reef rim and fore reef slope. encrusting, or branched; usually brown, California Academy of Sciences 41

greenish, or yellowish. Conical protuberances zooxanthellae as well as microplankton. over the entire colony’s surface. Tentacles Reproduction and Development : often partially extended during the day. Hermaphroditic broadcast spawners in the Diet: Nutrition mostly provided by symbiotic wild; also propagate asexually in the wild and zooxanthellae, but also take other food in captivity by fragmentation and budding. sources, such as plankton Remarks: One of many corals that extend Reproduction: Hermaphroditic, probably long sweeper tentacles as a defense against broadcast spawners. encroachment by other coral colonies. The Remarks: Hydnophora rigida is by far the most tentacles nematocysts can damage tissue of common species of the genus. corals that venture too close. Caulastrea species are a favorite of aquarists Hydnophora aka Horn Coral for their success in captivity and ease of Hydnophora rigida (Merulinidae) propagation. Distribution: Widely distributed in the Indo- The branches below the polyps offer refuge Pacific. to commensal sponges, mollusks, and other Habitat: Common in variety of reef habitats. invertebrates, including other small coral Often found in lagoons or on protected reef species. slopes. Appearance: Colonies may be massive, Diploastrea Coral encrusting, or branched; usually cream Diploastrea heliopora (Faviidae) or green. Conical protuberances, called Distribution: Red Sea and east Africa; Indo- hydnophores, cover the entire colony’s West Pacific. surface, and are formed where adjacent Habitat: Occasional on most reefs, especially corallite walls meet and fuse. Hydnophora upper slopes or in areas exposed to swell or rigida is by far the most common species of currents. the genus. Though usually branched and Appearance: Colonies are dome-shaped and often found in brown and bright to fluorescent may grow very large, up to 2 m high and 5 m green, the species in captivity may form large, across. Individual polyp skeletons (corallites) are encrusting colonies of more neutral shades. mound-like and densely situated on the colony’s Diet: Nutrition mostly provided by symbiotic surface. Usually cream or grey, sometimes zooxanthellae, but also capture plankton and greenish. Color morphs, such a bright green absorb dissolved matter. In captivity, feeding corallites with purple center, are common. tentacles are often partially extended during Diet: Nutrition from zooxanthellae; feeding the day. tentacles extended at night. Reproduction and Development : Remarks: Very dense skeleton discourages Hermaphroditic broadcast spawner. boring organisms. Remarks: Hydnophora species are aggressive, Their skeletal density, slow growth, long extending stinging sweeper tentacles and lifespan (up to 700 years, perhaps longer), mesentarial filaments, and usually winning and wide distribution have made Diploastrea encounters with other corals. useful for climate change studies. Oxygen isotopic profiles from skeletons have tracked Trumpet Coral variations in sea surface temperature to the Caulastrea sp. (Faviidae) fineness of seasons and decades, providing Distribution: Indo-Pacific. useful information about paleoclimate in the Habitat: Prefer sandy substrate at shallow tropical Indo-Pacific. to mid depths in areas protected from heavy D. heliopora is the single species in the genus. wave action. Appearance: Plump, circular polyps cluster on Brain Coral branched stalks. Septa of skeleton are distinct Diploria sp. (Faviidae) and usually visible through the polyp tissue. Distribution: Endemic to the tropical Atlantic- Diet: Rely on products of photosynthetic Caribbean. 42 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Habitat: Offshore reefs, usually at depths Habitat: Various locations on coral reefs. between 1–30 ft. Appearance: Most species of the genus Favia Appearance: Brown or yellow, usually have massive and rounded colonies, though hemispherical or plate-shaped stony coral. some are encrusting. Usually brown or green, Surface is deeply convoluted, reminiscent of a but occasionally white or yellow. Corallites human brain. May grow to 2 m. have their own walls and are separated from Diet: Most nutrition from products of their neighbors by a groove, a feature that photosynthesizing zooxanthellae. Also extends distinguishes them from Favites spp., which feeding tentacles to capture zooplankton and have shared corallite walls. Septa numerous bacteria. and visible. Reproduction and Development : Diet: Nutrition from symbiotic zooxanthellae. Hermaphroditic brooder, a common coral Also active plankton feeders; Favia extend reproductive strategy in which the egg is feeding tentacles only at night. fertilized within the polyp and released to the sea Remarks: Faviidae is the second largest stony as a more mature larvae that will spend less time coral family, after Acroporidae. If extinct in the plankton and be of larger size, both factors species are also counted, Faviidae, a major that reduce predation and increase the prospects player in reef building during the Mesozoic of successful settlement. Asexual reproduction and early Cenozoic eras, is the most species- by division of pre-existing polyp as well as rich of all coral families. formation of new polyps in the space between Commonly known as Brain Coral, because the tentacles of pre-existing polyps. The latter many species of faviid corals have a corallite method is called extratentacular budding and is pattern that looks like the structure of a human common in faviids and many other reef-forming brain. corals as a means of increasing colony size. Goniastrea Coral Echinopora Coral Goniastrea sp. (Faviidae) Echinopora lamellosa (Faviidae) Distribution: South Pacific, Indo-Pacific. Distribution: East Africa to the Red Sea; the Habitat: Shallow water areas on reef flats and Indo-Pacific east to Samoa and the Marshall fringes, rocky shores, or harbor backwaters. Islands, south to Great Barrier Reef. Appearance: Massively round or dome-shaped Habitat: A variety of coral reef habitats from with a honeycomb appearance. Colors range reef slope to sheltered areas. from shades of yellow, green, brown, and pink. Appearance: Like most Echinopora spp., E. May grow to 1 m in diameter. lamellosa grows in a variety of forms from Diet: Products of photosynthetic zooxanthellae; foliaceous (leafy) to scroll-like, branched, or also extends tentacles at night to feed on even semi-encrusting, depending on location microplankton. and currents; however, does not form the typical Reproduction and Development: Sexual by faviid brain-shaped colony. Distinct corallites, mass release of sperm and eggs, and asexually which are usually separated by several mm by budding. and look like small, spiky hillocks, cover the upper surface. Colony usually brown or green, Remarks: As a species that often grow in sometimes with yellow or pinkish tinges. shallow water, they are unusually capable of surviving violent water movements, intense Diet: Nutrition from symbiotic zooxanthellae; sunlight, and exposure to air at low tides. active feeder when tentacles extended. Reproduction and Development: Like the Maze Coral majority of stony corals, a hermaphroditic Platygrya sp. (Faviidae) broadcast spawner. Distribution: Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea and around Australia and Southeast Asia. Favia Coral (Moon Coral, Brain Coral) Favia spp. (Faviidae) Habitat: Inhabits a variety of reef locations, including reef flats, back reefs, and deeper Distribution: Widely distributed in the Pacific waters. and Atlantic Oceans. California Academy of Sciences 43

Appearance: Colonies can be massive, with sea grasses where they bury into the soft encrusting, dome-shaped or flattened. substrate. Prefer areas with gentle currents. Corallites form meandering walls of brown, Appearance: The cone shape of their skeleton’s green, or gray surrounding contrasting valleys base allows Catalaphyllia to burrow into soft of cream, pink, gray, or even fluorescent green. substrates, and the large polyps of C. jardinei Easily confused with Goniastrea and Leptoria are conspicuous and easily recognized by their species. colorful oral discs and long tentacles that make Diet: Primary nutrition received from the it look deceptively like an anemone. Colors are photosynthesis of symbiotic zooxanthellae. varied and striking. Supplemental diet from capture of Diet: Receives nutrition from the photosynthesis microplankton by stinging tentacles. of symbiotic algae. May also capture small Reproduction and Development : invertebrates and even fish in feeding tentacles, Hermaphroditic. Reported to spawn once armed with unusually powerful nematocysts. a year, between July and August, releasing Like many stony corals, they also capture sperm and eggs during the new moon. planktonic organisms, organic particles, and Conservation Status: Like all coral species, can absorb dissolved organic matter directly Platygyra spp. are listed on Appendix II through the body wall. of the Convention on International Trade Reproduction and Development: Broadcast in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning spawner. Not propagated in captivity, but international trade in the species should be may reproduce by budding under optimal carefully monitored and controlled. conditions. Also a portion of a polyp may become detached from the skeleton and form Open Brain Coral a new colony. Trachyphyllia geoffroyi (Trachyphylliidae) Conservation: Though not listed by IUCN Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Red Sea. or CITES, the popularity of C. jardenei in the Habitat: Prefers soft sand or muddy substrates aquarium trade is cause for concern about on sheltered reef slopes or in lagoons. overharvesting. Appearance: Name comes from Gr: trachys Mortality/Longevity: Strong stinging tentacles (rough) and phylon (leaf) as it looks like a are used for defense and the capture of small leaf lying on the substrate. Trachyphyllia are prey. secondarily free-living, usually beginning Remarks: The ability to expand its tissue growth as a single polyp attached to a hard with water allows the coral to lift itself out of surface. Later it breaks off, and is found accumulating sediments to avoid burial in its detached on sandy or muddy bottoms. Color muddy habitat. may vary with depth or substrate: pink to red, Strong nematocysts and long tentacles require brownish, gray, green, or blue, even multi- this potential bully to be placed some distance streaked and iridescent. Fleshy polyps extend from other corals. Only Euphyllia ancora seems well beyond the margin of the stony skeleton. to dominate this aggressive species. Diet: Nutrition from photosynthetic zooxan- Tentacles are known to raise welts on the skin thellae; also microplankton and other small of unwary aquarists. food bits. Tentacles extended in low light or at night to capture plankton. Frogspawn and Anchor Corals Remarks: A popular species in the aquarium Euphyllia spp. (Caryophylliidae) trade. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Habitat: Elegance Coral Prefer shallow environments with Catalaphyllia jardinei (Caryophylliidae) moderate wave action, especially on protected horizontal substrates or rocky outcrops. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Appearance: These are large polyp corals Habitat: Found to depths of 40 m, but do (LPC). Polyps expand during the day. Often especially well in shallower, lagoon habitats mistaken for a soft coral because large polyps and sandy or muddy areas between reefs hide the hard, cone-like calcium carbonate skel- 44 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

etal base and six-fold symmetry that identify 10– 35 m. A dominant sessile invertebrate at Euphyllia as hard corals (scleractinians). Colors: deeper sites with low water motion. various shades of brown, green, yellow, and Appearance: Color ranges from light brown to gray. Tips of tentacles usually a different color. a deep brownish purple; tentacles clear. Diet: Most nutrition provided by zooxanthel- Diet: Small organic particles and zooplankton. lae; take small meaty foods in captivity and Prey is killed or disabled by stinging tentacles probably in the wild as well. and then entrapped and carried to the mouth Reproduction and Development: Sexes by specialized sticky cells on the tentacles. Cup separate. Sexual reproduction by broadcast size: c. 4 cm. spawnjng, asexual by budding. Reproduction and Development: Sexes Remarks: Most Euphyllia spp. are aggressive separate. Fertilized eggs brooded in the and are capable of powerful stings. At night, female’s gastrovascular cavity. they can extend sweeper tentacles a foot or Remarks: More likely to occur singly than in more, most often to target other corals living groups like the orange cup coral (Balanophyllia too close, attacks that can irritate or kill. They elegans). are more tolerant of corals in the same family. Stings can cause allergic reaction in humans. Bubble Coral Euphyllia species of the Steinhart: Plerogyra sinuosa (Caryophyllidae) Anchor Coral (Euphyllia ancora) - Polyps have Distribution: Indo-Pacific and Australia re- large tubular tentacles with anchor, hammer, gion. or T-shaped tips. Color blue-grey, tan, to Habitat: Turbid bays and lagoons, on reefs in orange with cream or green outer borders on deep water or under overhangs. the tentacles. Appearance: Colonial corals often covered Frogspawn Coral (Euphyllia paradivisa) - with clusters of bubble-like structures (thus Named because of the colony’s resemblance the common name), each over 1 cm in length. to a mass of fish or frog eggs. Color green to Colored gray, bluish, greenish, brownish or brown to tan. rich cream. Diet: Light-capturing bubble-like vesicles ex- Fox Coral tend during the day to support the photosyn- Nemenzophyllia turbida (Caryophylliidae) thesis of the algal symbionts. Tentacles extend Distribution: Red Sea and east coast of Africa; at night to capture small prey. Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and north Remarks: This is a stony coral, despite the soft New Guinea. appearance the “bubbles” give during the day. Habitat: Turbid or sheltered areas on sand or muddy bottoms to 35 m. Orange Cup Coral Appearance: May be colonial or free-living. Balanophyllia elegans (Dendrophylliidae) Polyps a translucent white, green or pink, and Distribution: British Columbia to Baja quite large, totally covering the skeleton when California; common especially in southern extended during the day. California. Diet: Nutrition from symbiotic zooxanthellae; Habitat: Found on wharf pilings, under shaded lacks visible feeding tentacles. rocks and ledges from the low intertidal zone Remarks: When the polyp is expanded and to about 200 m. covers the thin skeleton, the fox coral looks like Appearance: Generally orange, but yellow a corallimorpharian in shape, size, and smooth morphs are not uncommon. Tentacles typically surface without tentacles. transparent and covered with warty knobs that store nematocysts. Up to 25 mm in diameter. Brown Cup Coral Diet: Small animals, organic particles. Captures Paracyathus sternsi (Caryophylliidae) prey with both stinging and sticky nematocysts. Distribution: British Columbia to Baja Feeds mostly at night. California. Reproduction and Development: Sexes Habitat: Lower sides of rocky reefs; depth: separate; eggs fertilized and developed in California Academy of Sciences 45

female’s gastrovascular cavity. When released, also asexual reproduction by budding of larvae settle nearby. new polyps from extensions of the skeleton. Mortality/Longevity: Polyps (the living Readily release new polyps in captivity. Note animal) can retract almost completely into its their growing colonies in Matt Wandell’s Staff protective cup. Picks tank. Remarks: Unlike tropical corals, cup coral does Remarks: Because they lack zooxanthellae, not form reefs. Instead it builds only its own Tubastrea are not reef-building corals and in cuplike limestone base, cements it to rock, and aquaria must be hand fed, usually twice a day, lives a solitary life. Groups of individuals may a tricky balancing act between offering enough live in close proximity. food to keep the corals healthy but not so much that water quality deteriorates. Whisker Coral One of the first coral genera shown to produce Duncanopsammia axifuga (Dendrophylliidae) bioactive compounds similar to soft corals. One Distribution: Australia, New Guinea and such compound, called tubastrine, has anti- eastern Indonesia. viral properties. Tubastrea also produces toxins Habitat: Deeper water, attached to hard objects that discourage competition and settlement of near sandy or muddy substrate. other stony corals. Appearance: Normally green, blue-gray, Turbinaria Cup Coral or brownish. Polyps are extended day and Turbinaria sp. (Dendrophylliidae) night, and the long tentacles can obscure the distinctive tubular corallites that support the Distribution: Throughout the Indo-Pacific. colony. Habitat: Variable, from shallow turbid water to Diet: Photosynthetic products of zooxanthellae clear reef flats and deeper reef slopes. as well as zooplankton and small invertebrates Appearance: May form cup, vase, or spreading by captured by tentacles. scroll-like shapes, depending on light and Reproduction and Development: Sexual; water conditions. Color yellow, brown, or asexual by budding. Is captive grown. Until sometimes green. Corallites separate and recently was relatively unknown in the distinct. aquarium trade. Diet: Many members of this family lack Remarks: A relatively unaggressive coral zooxanthellae and are not reef builders. The without sweeper tentacles that grows best in genus Turbinaria is an exception. fairly open space. Reproduction and Development: Unlike most stony corals, which spawn in summer, this Orange Cup Coral genus spawns in the fall. Tubastrea sp. (Dendrophylliidae) Remarks: When irritated, can produce large Distribution: Circumtropical distribution; amounts of clear mucus which can damage widespread in the Indo-Pacific. other corals; the mucus is presumed to contain Habitat: Often found in entrances to caves and nematocysts or a toxin. on underhangs where they take advantage of concentrated nutrient levels. ORDER CERIANTHARIA Appearance: Polyps may be brilliant yellow or orange (like most of those on display) as well Tube Anemone as bright green, olive green, brown or blackish Pachycerianthus fimbriatus (Cerianthidae) depending on species, the last two colors also Distribution: California (total distribution on display. poorly known). Diet: Zooplankton, such as small crustaceans Habitat: Fairly common in soft mud bottoms and fish larvae. Lack zooxanthellae; polyps of bays and harbors and protected sandy typically emerge at night when the reef’s substrates of the outer coast. Low intertidal plankton content is high. and subtidal in S. California; subtidal only in Reproduction and Development: Sexual N. California. reproduction by release of planular larvae; 46 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Appearance: Solitary tube to 35 cm long when Remarks: The family Metridiidae is one of expanded. The tough, slippery, black, secreted several groups of anemones that have a unique tube projects above the mud substrate. Ten- antipredator defense. When attacked, they con- tacular crown with two circles of translucent tract suddenly, extruding specialized nemato- whitish to brown-gold tentacles. The inner cysts through the mouth and body wall. These circle usually held over the mouth, the outer nematocysts, much larger than those found in circle projecting up or out. the tentacles, can deter or even kill predators. Diet: Small invertebrates and plankton.. Cloned Plumose Anemone Mortality/Longevity: The nudibranch Den- Metridium senile (Metridiidae) dronotus iris munches on the tentacles, yet Distribution: Southern Alaska to Southern predators are not a major threat to this species. California and both Atlantic coasts. Can live longer than 10 years. A Mediterranean species of tube anemone lived in an aquarium Habitat: Depth to 166 m. M. senile lives on for more than 50 years. rocks, shells, wood pilings and stony breakwa- ters in bays and harbors in the low intertidal Remarks: Resemble sea anemones in a tube. and subtidal zones. Unlike sea anemones the anal pore is at the Appearance: M. senile is colored white, cream, end of the body. tan, orange or brown. Height to 50 cm. Ten- Self-made tubes are composed of mainly tacular crown diameter to 25 cm, hundreds to discharged nematocyst threads, capsules and thousands of small, slender tentacles give a mucus. feathery (plumose) appearance. Tentacles retract very rapidly into the tube if Diet: Passive suspension feeders that trap the animal is disturbed.. prey in mucus-coated tentacles. Particles delivered to mouth via ciliary action. Primar- ORDER ACTINIARIA ily eats small zooplankton, copepods, and (SEA ANEMONES) larvae of decapod crustaceans, bivalves and gastropods; also eats polychaetes and scraps Giant Plumose Anemone of squid and fish. Metridium giganteum (Metridiidae) Reproduction: The plumose anemone repro- Distribution: Eastern North Pacific: Alaska to duces asexually by “pedal laceration”: break- southern California. ing off and leaving small fragments of its pedal Habitat: Subtidal, usually 12–75 m, attached to disc. Sexes are separate. When males release rocky substrate. Individuals usually aggregate sperm, females are stimulated to release eggs. in groups on deeper rocky reefs. The fertilized eggs transform into planktonic Appearance: Erect smooth column up to a planula larvae. The planulae settle and meta- meter in height. Color variable from white morphose into young anemones. through cream to tan, brown and orange. Car- Mortality/Longevity: The shagrug nudibranch ries short, feathery tentacles in white, brown feeds on small plumose anemones. Some sea or gray. stars feed on large adults. Diet: Plankton—whatever drifts by or is car- Remarks: Plumose anemones crawl slowly ried in by the tide;. along the substrate by muscular waves of the pedal disc. Reproduction and Development: Unlike the in- tertidal M. senile, which can reproduce asexually Aggregating Anemone and sexually, the giant plumose anemone seems Anthopleura elegantissima (Actiniidae) to reproduce only sexually. Reproduction occurs Distribution: Alaska, USA to Baja California. when males release sperm to trigger the release of Habitat: Rocky surfaces in very low intertidal eggs by females. Unlike M. senile, congregations to mid-intertidal, singly or in dense aggrega- are genetically distinct individuals. tions, up to several hundred per m2. Mortality/Longevity: Predators include Pi- Appearance: Aggregating individuals to 6 cm saster spp. sea star and some species of nudi- in column diameter and 8 cm across tentacular branchs California Academy of Sciences 47

crown. Non-crowded (solitary) individuals to in diameter; tentacular crown to 25 cm diam- 25 cm tentacular crown width. Column col- eter. Contracted animals form a hemispherical ored white to light green. Tentacles are tipped mound. Colored green to dark greenish-brown, pink, blue or purple. The wartlike tubercules occasionally white. are branched. Diet: Detached mussels and sea urchins, also Diet: Copepods, isopods, amphipods and other take crabs and small fishes. Zoochlorellae very small animals. Zooplankton captured with endosymbionts supplement host’s diet with tentacles. Zooxanthellae (dinoflagellates) and organic materials produced by photosynthesis. zoochlorellae (unicellular green algae) endosym- Also have symbiotic zooxanthellae. bionts supplement their host’s nutrition. Reproduction: Sexual; release sperm and Reproduction and Development: Sexes are brownish eggs from late spring through sum- separate; reproduce sexually. Sperm released mer. Hatched larvae float freely and become throughout summer. Also reproduce asexually widely dispersed before settling. by longitudinal fission. The latter process results Mortality/Longevity: Tentacles are chomped in clones of same-sexed individuals in concen- by the shag rug nudibranch Aeolidia papillosa 2 trations of several hundred individuals per m . and the gastropod Tinted Wentletrap Epitonium Mortality/Longevity: Like other anemones tinctum. The column is consumed by the wentle- may decrease in size if starving. trap snails Opalia chacei and O. funiculata, as well Preyed upon by nudibranchs such as the shag as the seaspider Pycnogonum stearnsi. Some sea rug, Aeolidia papillosa , snails, and sea stars such stars also include this giant green species on their as the leather sea star, Dermasterias imbricata. menu, especially smaller anemones. Conservation status: Tide poolers often march Conservation status: Tide poolers often march over and crush colonies. over and crush colonies. Remarks: In laboratory conditions, aggregating Remarks: Green color is due to presence of a anemones with endosymbionts move toward fluorescent green pigment in the epidermis, or away from light, apparently to maximize as well as zoochlorellae (symbiotic unicellular optimum light intensity. Anemones kept in green algae.) Anemones in caves and shaded darkness for long periods lose all endosymbi- areas may lack endosymbionts and are thus onts and don’t move toward light when light is colored very light green or white. reintroduced to their environment. The hermit crab Pagurus samuelis often Anemones with endosymbionts expand in scampers around on the giant green anemone; moderate light and contract in strong light; perhaps the crab becomes so covered with anemones lacking endosymbionts do not ex- the host’s mucus that the anemone can’t pand and contract. distinguish itself from the crab. Since hermit Pebbles, shell fragments and bits of sea algae crabs ingested into the gastrovascular cavity readily adhere to this anemone’s flesh when it are released, perhaps there is an as yet to be is above the tideline. This adaptation results in described symbiosis. reduced desiccation (sunlight is reflected, not Condylactis Sea Anemone unlike an aluminum roof). Condylactis sp. (Actiniidae) Abutting colonies have “clone wars” with their Distribution: Found throughout the Caribbean neighbors. Stinging cells (nematocysts) are and Western Atlantic; also Indo-Pacific. used to destroy their enemy’s flesh. Habitat: Found in lagoons or on inner reefs. Giant Green Anemone Appearance: Disc size: 10–40 cm. Anthopleura xanthogrammica (Actiniidae) Diet: Like many other cnidarians, these Distribution: Alaska to Panama. anemones host zooxanthellae. Also collect Habitat: Rocky intertidal, tide pools and wharf small invertebrates and fishes with their pilings; attach firmly to substrate. Usually tentacles.. The amount of food they eat solitary; in favorable locations can occur in determines how fast they grow. numbers to 14 per m2. Reproduction and Development: Male and Appearance: Column to 30 cm tall and 17 cm female release eggs and sperm into the water. 48 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

After fertilization and development, larvae Mortality/Longevity: Certain angelfish, metamorphose and settle out as juvenile butterflyfish and seastars eat tentacles. anemones. Can also reproduce asexually Remarks: M. doreensis is known to host four through splitting and budding. species of anemonefish on exhibit in the Remarks: Indo-Pacific Condylactis spp. and Steinhart Aquarium—the pink, Clark’s, and clownfish do not display symbiotic behavior spinecheek anemonefishes and well as Nemo, in the wild. However, aquarists report that if the false clownfish. introduced in an aquarium, the anemone may From a Singapore website: “To some (hungry) serve as a clownfish host. There are no clownfish visitors, the anemone reminds them of a bowl species in the Caribbean. of udon noodles”!

Bubbletip Sea Anemone Painted Anemone aka Painted Urticina Entacmaea quadricolor (Actiniidae) Urticina crassicornis (Actiniidae) Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Distribution: Alaska, USA to south of Carmel, Habitat: Usually in deep crevices with only the California; also both coasts of Atlantic. tentacles visible. Habitat: Sides and undersurfaces of rocks, low in- Appearance: Tentacles to 10 cm length, often tertidal and subtidal along exposed rocky shores. but certainly not always inflated and balloon- Appearance: Column diameter to 8 cm, height like at the tips. The oral disc and column are to 10 cm, smooth, lacking adherent material, smooth and brown, green, or occasionally a variably colored red or green, with patches of fluorescent reddish orange. green, yellow or red. Tentacles short, stocky, Diet: Microcarnivores of plankton, supple- patterned variously, tips usually white. mented with nutrition from zooxanthellae Diet: Carnivorous. Capture prey with nemato- algal symbionts. cysts. (Most reports assert nematocysts are used Reproduction and Development: Reproduce defensively rather than aggressively.) sexually by spawning and asexually, mostly by Reproduction and Development: In eastern longitudal fission. Have spawned successfully Atlantic populations, eggs are fertilized in captivity. internally and retained; young are released Remarks: Thirteen species of anemonefishes as well-developed tiny anemones. In Puget are known to occur in a symbiotic relation with Sound, WA this species spawns. Following this anemone. fertilization, planula larvae often settle on Bubbles inflate during daylight, a response inter- tubes of annelid worms or on stones. Settled preted by some researchers as providing more planulae rapidly develop into tiny 0.6 mm surface area to gather sunlight for algal symbionts. anemones. After 1 year anemones are 1.0 cm in diameter. Size is determined by available food Corkscrew Tentacle Sea Anemone rather than by age. Macrodactyla doreensis (Actiniidae) Distribution: Ryuku Islands; Philippines; White-spotted Rose Anemone Indonesia; New Guinea and the Coral Sea. Urticina lofotensis (Actiniidae) Habitat: Prefers shallow waters with soft Distribution: Northern Washington state, USA substrate of sand and/or mud. Lives with to San Diego, California, circumpolar. column buried in the substrate and rarely Habitat: Rocks and walls of surge channels, moves unless conditions stress the animal. low intertidal to 15 m on exposed outer coast. Appearance: The base is usually orange; oral Appearance: Column diameter to 10 cm, height disc, if flared, has prominent white radial lines. to 15 cm. Column bright scarlet or crimson Long tentacles are up to 15 cm long, often with with white warty spots in longitudinal rows; corkscrew shape. May grow to 50 cm, but more tentacles slender, elongate, scarlet to crimson. commonly found at 20–30 cm. Diet: Carnivorous. According to one resource, Diet: Most nutrition produced by symbiotic capture prey by stunning with nematocysts. zooxanthellae. Also feeds on particulate matter Most other reports affirm that nematocysts and small organisms. are used defensively rather than aggressively. California Academy of Sciences 49

Fish-eating Anemone which may be red, purple, or pink, grows to 20 Urticina piscivora (Actiniidae) cm. Tentacles are of uniform thickness and do Distribution: Alaska to southern California. not taper at te tip; tentacles and oral disc are Habitat: Low intertidal to about 50 m, in colored alike in shades of magenta-purple, blue, areas with rocky attachment sites and at least green , red, white or brown. moderate current. Diet: Most nutrition from products of zooxan- Appearance: Typically about 25 cm across, thellae. Also may eat fish and crustaceans., though large individuals can grow to 60 cm. Reproduction and Development: Asexual re- Column is red with white, sometimes red, production by longitudinal fission. Sexual repro- tentacles, and a creamy yellow oral disc. duction presumed although data are lacking. Diet: Invertebrates and small fishes. These Remarks: Host to at least 12 anemonefish anemones have no zooxanthellae and depend species. wholly on capturing their food, a strategy aided When disturbed, H. magifica “balls up,”showing by their exceptionally virulent nematocysts only the column with only a few tentacles (stinging cells), which can cause long-lasting protruding. lesions on humans. Food items are usually swept into the anemone’s tentacles by the current. Giant Carpet Anemone Remarks: Painted greenlings (Oxylebius pictus), Stichodactyla gigantea (Stichodactylidae) sometimes seek protection among the tentacles Carpet Anemones of fish-eating anemones as well as on the Tealia Distribution: Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea. anemone (Urticina lofotensis). Though the Habitat: Shallow water so low that the strategy is similar to that of tropical clownfishes, anemone may be exposed at low tide. Usually the greenling-anemone association is facultative on sandy surface with pedal disc attached to rather than obligatory as the fish can survive well hard surface below. in areas without anemones. Appearance: Deeply folded oral disc, covered with short, slightly tapering tentacles that Leathery Sea Anemone tend to constantly vibrate. Column ranging Heteractis crispa (Stichodactylidae) from yellowish to pinkish, tan or gray-green Distribution: Red Sea, Indian Ocean to W covered with blue to maroon warty projections. Pacific Ocean. Tentacles usually brown or greenish, though Habitat: Among coral reefs and rubble. occasionally a bright purple, deep blue, or Appearance: Very large anemone to more than striking green. May grow to a meter in 10 years. 50 cm in diameter. Expanded bushy crown Diet: Nutrition mostly from products of of tentacles obscure oral disc and mouth. photosynthetic zooxanthellae, but also captures Tentacles are up to 1 m long, slender and invertebrates and small fishes. sinuous; often opaque greyish-brown, violet Reproduction and Development: Sexes or green, occasionally pink. Tips sometimes separate; females ingest the sperm and fertilize blue or purple. Column with tough, leathery the embryos internally. Embryos are internally texture, usually with fragments of seashells brooded, released from the mouth as miniature and coral attached. copies of the adult, and drift as plankters until Diet: Microcarnivore of plankton. Zooxanthel- settling. lae present. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: At least 10 Remarks: At least 14 species of anemonefishes years, probably much longer. are symbiotic with the sebae anemone. Remarks: This big fellow has a potent sting and Magnificent Sea Anemone may harm corals and anemones as it moves Heteractis magnifica (Stichodactylidae) about. Its sting can also cause a severe reaction in humans. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Habitat: 1–25 m, often on prominent structures Sun Anemone in strong currents or in strong surge locations. Stichodactyla helianthus (Stichodactylidae) Appearance: Disc to 1 m in diameter. Column, Distribution: Common to the Bahamas, 50 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

eastern and southern Caribbean; rare in the Pacific, and Indian Oceans. northwestern Caribbean. Habitat: Moon jellies are found near coastlines; Habitat: Shallow reef areas with mild to strong they can survive over a wide range of currents; prefer strong light and water flow. temperatures (-6 °C to 31 °C; optimum 9 °C to Appearance: A large, green to whitish, carpet- 19 °C). They can also live in brackish waters. like sea anemone. The oral disc covered by They inhabit both oceans and inshore seas, many short tentacles with rounded tips. Max. often in large numbers. diameter: 15 cm. Appearance: Size range between 5 and Diet: Nutrition mainly from photosynthetic 40 cm. Delicate coloration. Lack the long, zooxanthellae. Also actively collect small potent stinging tentacles seen in some other invertebrates and fish with their tentacles. The jellyfishes. amount of food they eat determines how fast Diet: A. aurita feeds on plankton. A mucous they grow. layer traps small organisms on the jellyfish’s Reproduction and Development: Sexes surface. Flagellae move the food from point separate; release eggs and sperm into the water. of capture along well defined paths to the Can reproduce asexually through splitting ad animal’s stomach. budding. May occupy large areas in dense Reproduction and Development: Males and aggregations. females are distinct and reproduction is sexual. Remarks: Research suggests a peptide molecule Sexes can be distinguished since females hold found in a toxin produced by the sun anemone the fertilized eggs, which appear as whitish- may have pharmacological value in the treatment gray clumps on the manubrium (the conical of such various conditions as type-2 diabetes and mass that extends from the undersurface of autoimmune diseases in humans. the jellyfish.) Males may sometimes be seen with long sperm filaments trailing from the Miniature Carpet Anemone oral arms. After fertilization there are several Stichodactyla tapetum (Stichodactylidae) distinct larval forms as the organism develops Distribution: Indian and Pacific Oceans, Red Sea. from egg to adult. Habitat: In rock crevices on fringing coral reefs; Mortality/Longevity: The death of the organism also on sand, mud or rock of reef shallows in may follow reproduction, which leaves the areas of moderate water flow. gonads open to infection and degradation. Appearance: Tentacles short, bulbous, densely Documented predators include the ocean packed. Often arrayed in fields on the entire sunfish, the leatherback sea turtle, and a few disc. species of larger jellies. They are also hunted Diet: Primarily by-products of symbiotic by birds. They are relatively defenseless, since zooxanthellae as well as drifting plankton. they do not have tentacles that sting. A. aurita is a food item in many Asian and Southeast Reproduction and Development: Sexual Asian countries. reproduction. Members of this family rarely divide in captivity. Upside-down Jellyfish Remarks: Tentacles deliver a potent sting for Cassiopea andromeda (Cassiopeidae) their size. Distribution: Native to Indo-Pacific, but Some species of Stichodactyla anemones host introduced in Caribbean, southern Florida, anemone fish. This species does not. Hawaii, and elsewhere. Habitat: Upon shallow substrates, typically in calm sandy areas, often around mangroves. Intertidal to 10 m. CLASS SCYPHOZOA Appearance: To 30 cm diameter, disc-shaped bell (TRUE JELLYFISH) has elaborately fringed oral arms. Coloration Moon Jelly is gray, brown or green with triangular white Aurelia aurita (Ulmaridae) blotches surrounding the bell. Distribution: Widespread. Atlantic, Arctic, Diet: Symbiotic algae in its tissues provide California Academy of Sciences 51

nutrition by photosynthesis, thus the upside off and eventually grow into the familiar, large down posture that allows algae, which live medusa stage. on the ventral surface, to receive maximum Mortality/Longevity: In the medusa stage, sea sunlight. The rhythmic pulsations create water nettles live from 2–6 mos, usually perishing in flow that carries zooplankton over the tentacles rough waters or being eaten by predators— to supplement the diet. ocean sunfish and leatherback turtles are two Reproduction and Development: Reproduce of the most prevalent jellyfish predators. both asexually (by budding) and sexually. Remarks: Question: What has no heart, bones, Conservation Status: Common and eyes or brain, is made up of 95% water, and yet widespread, though pressure from coastal is still a remarkably efficient ocean predator? development along mangrove shallows may (The jellyfish) pose a future threat. Some jellies commute 1,000 m up and down in Remarks: The sting is relatively mild, but the water column daily! may create an irritating, itchy rash; especially Larval and juvenile cancer crabs may hitch sensitive individuals can experience vomiting rides on the jelly, dropping off as the jelly and skeletal pain. comes inshore. Sea Nettle Sea nettle stings can result in extreme localized Chrysaora fuscescens (Pelagiidae) pain. Fortunately this jelly is not aggressive. Distribution: Mostly found along the west In recent years, tests of a commercially coast of North America from Mexico to British developed sting inhibitor have shown promise Columbia. in reducing the severity and frequency of stings from sea nettles and other jellies. Reportedly, Appearance: The sea nettle is a giant, semi- the inhibitor is chemically based on the mucus transparent jellyfish, with an amber-colored, coating of clownfish, known to protect against swimming bell commonly as large as 30 cm anemone stings. in diameter, with some measuring more than a meter. In addition to four oral arms attached Sea nettles were first captive bred at the to the underside of the mouth, the sea nettle Monterey Bay Aquarium. has 24 long tentacles around the perimeter of The bell of this and other jellies is called a the bell that extend up to 4 m. “medusa” because, with its long, fringing Diet: Carnivorous; feeds on zooplankton, small tentacles, it resembles the snake-haired Gorgon crustaceans, comb jellies, fish eggs and larvae. Medusa of Greek mythology. Sea nettles sting their prey with their tentacles, which have millions of microscopic stinging cells that inject toxins to stun or kill tiny animals. The main oral arms then transport PHYLUM ANNELIDA food to the heart-shaped gastric pouches in Featherduster Worms the bell, where digestion occurs. Jellyfish are prodigious predators; they swim and feed Sabellastarte sp. and Protula sp. continuously. Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Hawaii. Reproduction: Like any other jellyfish, the Habitat: Mainly tropical marine areas, with life cycle of sea nettles has both a polyp and muddy or sandy bottoms. a medusa stage. Sexes are separate; egg and Appearance: Featherduster worms are sessile sperm are broadcast into the surrounding marine segmented worms. They form and water during summer. Ciliated larvae develop live in tubes, attached to rocks, coral or sand in the water column, eventually settling on by their bases. Their plumes extend beyond a hard surface and growing into miniature the open end of the tube to feed. They have polyps. The polyp lives on the bottom and primitive eyes and will withdraw the plume survives the winter in a dormant state. During if they sense motion. Some species may be May through August, the polyp asexually shed their plumes if environmental conditions reproduces tiny sea nettle medusas that bud are poor. 52 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Diet: Filter feeders eating plankton, detritus, Washington, eggs are released during May and bacteria, using the plumes to sweep food or June, while in Oregon and California toward the mouth. eggs are released during April. The green- Reproduction and Development: Simple colored eggs exit the female in groups of methods of reproduction. Some species may two or three; intermittent spawning lasts reproduce asexually at times. Most have around one and one-half hours. Following separate sexes, with poorly defined gonads. fertilization, the trochophore larvae begins Usually broadcast gametes through excretory development for several days as the foot, openings into the water. In some species the mantle and larval eyes form. Larvae settle when worm may leave the tube to reproduce. they locate an appropriately hard substrate Remarks: Tube worms in the family Sabellidae containing crustose coralline algae. The larvae produce non-calcareous tubes from skin like metamorphose into a miniature adult in 12 secretions. Those in the family Serpulidae hours after settlement. The developing shell secrete calcium carbonate into their tubes. The valves are initially lightly calcified and thus tube mouth is blocked by an operculum when very flexible. By the sixth day the diminutive the worm retracts. chiton has all external morphological features excepting its gills. Thirty days after settlement The “featherdusters” are tentacles covered with it has a fully-developed radula and is equipped microscopic cilia. The cilia move water past the to attack its coralline algae “salads.” food groove and capture bacteria and plankton contained in the water. The food groove is lined Mortality/Longevity: Predators include the sea with mucus producing cells. Food particles get star Pisaster ochraceus. knocked into the mucus, which is thick and Remarks: Its coloration blends well with gluey on top, but liquid and mobile below. the substrate of coralline algae. Thus its The cilia move the mucus carrying the worm’s appearance is likely an adaptation against dinner into the gut. Essentially, the worm has visual predators. produced a conveyor belt to feed itself. Activity rhythms vary by depth. Individuals in the intertidal zone don’t move when exposed during a low tide; they only locomote once immersed by a rising tide. PHYLUM MOLLUSCA Mossy Chiton CLASS POLYPLACOPHORA Mopalia muscosa (Mopaliidae) (CHITONS) Distribution: British Columbia, Canada to Baja California Lined Chiton Habitat: On rocks and in tide pools, middle Tonicella lineata (Ischnochitoninae) to lower intertidal in locations with light to Distribution: Aleutian Islands, Alaska south moderate surf; also in estuaries, very unusual to San Miguel Island, California, west to Sea habitat for a chiton. of Okhotsk and northern Japan. Appearance: Length to 9 cm. Shell is dull Habitat: On rocky substrates covered with brown, and frequently eroded and encrusted. erect or crustose coralline algae in the intertidal The fleshy girdle surrounding the shell plates zone and subtidal waters. is densely covered with stiff, reddish-brown Appearance: Length to 5 cm. Body is elongate- bristles; thus the common name. oval, valve is low, rounded, smooth and shiny. Diet: Forages exclusively at night. Primarily Coloration is typically reddish and marked feeds upon the red algae turkish towel (Gigar- with sinuous or zigzag lines of alternating tina papillata) and the green alga Cladophora spp. colors of blue, red, whitish; occasionally In some studies, mossy chiton’s guts contained blotched or lacking in color. up to 15% animal matter, a large percentage Diet: Primarily coralline algae. consumed inadvertently. Reproduction and Development: Spawning Reproduction and Development: Spawn varies by latitude. On San Juan Island, mostly in spring and summer. Eggs and sperm California Academy of Sciences 53

usually shed in large tide pools. Following covered-by-lid slow-cooking over a fire might fertilization, hatching occurs within a day’s be the answer culinary anthropologists seek. time. Free-swimming larvae settle around 11 The commensal inhabitants include the days. Mossy chitons attain sexual maturity at polynoid worm Arctonoe vittata and the pea 2 years of age. crab Opisthopus transversus, which cling to Mortality/Longevity: A popular treat for the chiton’s gills. They feed on plankton and Pisaster ochraceus. detritus brought in by the respiratory currents Remarks: A chiton’ shell is composed of 8 of the gumboot host. overlapping plates that can flex over irregular shapes of rocks, allowing the animal to create a tight, secure seal. Most chitons can also roll into a plate-covered ball in response to danger. CLASS GASTROPODA (SNAILS AND SLUGS) Gumboot Chiton Cryptochiton stelleri (Acanthochitonidae) Red Abalone Distribution: Northern Hokkaido Island, Japan; Haliotis rufescens (Haliotidae) Kurile Islands, Japan; Kamchatka, Siberia; Aleu- Distribution: Sunset Bay, Oregon to Baja tian Islands, Alaska; to the California Channel California. Islands of San Miguel and San Nicolas. Habitat: Uncommon in the lower intertidal Habitat: Low intertidal in areas protected zone in rocky areas with heavy surf. Most now from strong surf. Also subtidal in kelp forests. in 6–17 m depth in central California. Adults not nomadic; in one study marked in- Appearance: Shell (to 30 cm) is usually brick dividuals remained within 20 m of the release red and overgrown with fouling organisms. site for over 2 years. Shell’s color influenced by diet. The red color Appearance: Length to 35 cm. Dark brown to is from the pigment phycoerythrin consumed “brick” red in color. Mantle thick and leathery. in its red algae diet. Brown specimens eat pri- Diet: Red algae, especially Gigartina spp., marily brown algae. Iridaea spp. and certain coralline algae; also Diet: Algae, especially red and brown species. green and brown algae. Drifting pieces of algae are trapped by epipodal Reproduction and Development: Spawning tentacles before the foot traps the plant. occurs in the spring in California. A gumboot Reproduction and Development: After may lose 5% of its body weight at this time. spawning, fertilized eggs sink. Half a day Eggs are laid in gelatinous spiral strings up to later swimming trochophore larvae develop. 1 m long. The laying of this string triggers the About one day later this becomes a veliger males to release sperm. 0.5 mm larvae hatch larva. After a week or two, depending on water 5 days after fertilization. After a 20-hour free- temperature, the larvae settle to the bottom, swimming stage, larvae settle. metamorphose, and begin to graze. Growth Mortality/Longevity: Does not affix firmly to the slows with increasing size and age. rocky substrate like other chitons. Thus is often Mortality/Longevity: Mortality is very high washed out of the low intertidal to be stranded in the planktonic stages. Settled abalone are on the high beach during storms. Valves are often preyed upon by sea stars, crabs, octopuses, broken, but are able to mend. Has few predators. fishes, sea otters and humans. Individuals can The predaceous lurid rock snail rasps pits into live more than 20 years. the dorsal surface. Largely ignored by sea otters. Conservation status: Highly endangered. Live to more than 20 years. Due to overexploitation by the abalone fish- Remarks: This species is the largest chiton on ery, the population plummeted in the late the planet. twentieth century. Poaching continues to be The valves of this chiton frequently occur in a problem. historic kitchen middens of coastal California Remarks: The holes in the shell excrete feces, Native Americans. Exactly how gumboots urine, gametes and water that has circulated were prepared remains unknown. Long, through the gills. 54 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Red abalone have been used as a laboratory bing) occur on the stipes and holdfasts of the animal in many physiological and biochemical feather boa kelp, Egregia menziesii. They move investigations. to a rock substrate when about 1 cm long, de- velop ribbing and change shell color. Reach 3 Rough Keyhole Limpet cm in three years. Diodora aspera (Fissurellidae) Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by sea stars Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. including the ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus). Habitat: Beneath stones or canopy of algae in Remarks: Gives an escape response to its three the lower intertidal zone in its northern range, known sea star predators, but rarely to other more common subtidally in the south. predatory sea stars. Appearance: Shell to 7 cm long, thick, triangular in profile. Color gray with radiating grayish- Owl Limpet aka Giant Owl Limpet brown, or black and white radiating striations. Lottia gigantea (Acmaeidae) Diet: Omnivorous. Encrusting bryozoans are Distribution: Washington state to Baja Cali- consumed in preference to algae. fornia. Reproduction and Development: Spawners. Habitat: Cliff faces and rocks of surf-beaten After various larval stages metamorphose, high to middle intertidal. At low tide large larvae settle to substrate and metamorphose individuals occupy a “home scar” in a rock into miniature adults. that exactly fits the margin of their shells. Owl Mortality/Longevity: Consumed by sea stars limpets aggressively defend their territory. including the sunflower star and the Pacific Appearance: Low, oval shell has an eroded sea star. surface; length to 9 cm. Brown shell with Remarks: Upon contact with sea stars this white spots. limpet extends its foot, elevating the shell. The Diet: During high tide graze upon algal film mantle flap divides at its margin into a series of within their territory (appropriately the size of 2 folds, two of which extend greatly to cover the a large dinner plate; 1000 cm ). dorsum and ventral surface; thus the starfish Reproduction and Development: Breed in lacks a toehold. autumn and winter in California. Change sex from male to female. Shield Limpet Collisella pelta (Acmaeidae) Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by humans as well as shorebirds such as oystercatchers. Distribution: Aleutian Islands, Alaska south Can live at least 15 years. to Baja California. Conservation status: Not on IUCN Red List. Habitat: Rocky reefs, mid-low subtidal zones. However, collection by humans as a food source Active only when wet or submerged. Associ- threatens many populations. Prized as a food in ated with brown algae and mussel beds. Mexico. Illegally poached in California. Appearance: Ribbed shell to 4 cm in diameter. Remarks: Owl limpets push smaller limpets Exterior color highly variable: brown/green; including other Lottia gigantea, mussels and also colored “checkered” black and white. sea anemones out of its territory by “bulldoz- Variation at least partially caused by dietary ing” (pushing) them with their shell. Small differences. barnacles are rasped off with its goethite (a Diet: A wide variety of algae, both microscopic hard iron compound) -capped radula. and large. Primarily feeds upon erect algae, Coastal Native American middens often con- especially the reds (Endocladia muricata, Rho- tain owl limpet shells. doglossum spp., Iridaea spp.), and the browns (Pelvetia fastigiata, feather boa kelp Egregia There was once a commercial fishery for menziesii, and sea palm Postelia palmaeformis). limpets, primarily owl limpets, in California. During 1919 and 1920 the limpet harvest was Reproduction and Development: Spawn more than 8000 kg. throughout the year in central California. Young (typically black, with weak shell rib- California Academy of Sciences 55

Black Turban Snail Habitat: Found inshore on brown algae and Tegula funebralis (Trochidae) on rocks; offshore on kelp forests. Distribution: Vancouver Island, Canada to Appearance: Cone-shaped yellow shell with Central Baja California. purple bands along the beaded spiral; foot Habitat: Tide pools and on rocks in middle bright orange or yellow. Diameter to 2.5 cm. intertidal of protected areas. Diet: Hydroids, encrusting bryozoans, Appearance: Shell dark purple to black. Di- detritus, diatoms, dead fish; also known to ameter to 3 cm. Males tend to have a pale foot feed on club-tipped anemones (Corynactis while females have a dark foot. californica). Diet: Opportunistically grazes upon brown Reproduction and Development: Separate algae, microscopic films, attached macroalgae sexes; broadcast sperm and eggs into the sea and wrack. Prefers soft algae such as giant kelp where fertilization occurs. (Macrocystis), bull kelp (Nereocystis), and turk- Remarks: When attacking an anemone, the ish towel (Gigartina). Very young snails graze blue ring top snail rears up on its foot, lunges, on the film of microscopic algae on rocks. and bites at one of the anemone’s tentacles. Reproduction and Development: Sexes are The foot regularly discharges a mucous layer separate. Females deposit eggs in gelatinous on the shell which apparently makes the masses, each containing several hundred animal more difficult for predators to grasp. eggs. Veliger larvae hatch from the mass on the seventh day. Larvae settle one week later. Blue Top Snail Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by hu- Calliostoma ligatum (Callistomatidae) mans, sea otters, the red rock crab (Cancer Distribution: Eastern Pacific: Alaska to Baja productus), and especially the ochre sea star California. (Pisaster ochraceus). May live to 20–30 years, Habitat: Brown algae inshore on rocks and extremely old for a gastropod. offshore kelp forests. Remarks: Formerly popular as food with Appearance: Cone-shaped yellow shell with Native Americans. purple bands along the beaded spiral; foot bright orange or yellow. Diameter to 2.5 cm. Brown Turban Snail Diet: Omnivore; feeds on kelp, hydroids, encrust- Tegula brunnea (Trochidae) ing bryozoans, detritus, diatoms, dead fish. Distribution: Oregon to Santa Barbara Island, Reproduction and Development: Separate California. sexes; broadcast sperm or eggs into the sea Habitat: Rocky shore, low intertidal to sub- where fertilization occurs. tidal deep tidal lagoon and surge channel subhabitats, often on upper blades and stipes Red Top Snail of subtidal kelp. Lithopoma gibberosum (Turbinidae) Appearance: Shell color orange or bright Distribution: British Columbia to Baja brown. Shell is smooth and rounded, diameter California. to 3 cm. Habitat: Low intertidal rocks and subtidal Diet: Opportunistically graze upon brown algae kelp beds. Macrocystis, Egregia Laminaria. including and Appearance: Squat, cone-shaped, brick-red Reproduction and Development: Sexes are shell often overgrown by algae or hydroids. separate. Diameter to 12 cm. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by sea stars Diet: Algae. Pisaster ., Cancer antennarius of spp the crab , Reproduction and Development: Broadcast and sea otters. spawners. Little is known about their biology.

Blue Ring Top Snail Wavy Turban Snail Calliostoma annulatum (Callistomatidae) Lithopoma undosum (Turbinidae) Distribution: Found inshore on brown algae Distribution: Eastern Pacific: Point Conception and on rocks; offshore on kelp forests. to northern Baja California. 56 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Habitat: Low intertidal zone to sub-intertidal A conch pearl is formed when an animal or to about 20 m depth. mineral particle trapped beneath the mantle is Appearance: A large marine gastropod. covered with layers of calcium carbonate until Circular shell with undulating (“wavy”) it reaches nearly marble-size. ridges. Max. size: 13 cm. Marble Cone Snail Diet: Algae. Conus marmoreus (Conidae) Remarks: The shell is often covered with algae Distribution: Red Sea, Indo-Pacific. and other encrusting organism, an effective Habitat: Shallow water to 90 m depth. means of camouflage. Appearance: Shell length to 10 cm. Flat, Queen Conch noduled spire. Reticulated pattern of black or Strombus gigas (Strombidae) dark brown with white patches overall. Distribution: South Florida, Bahamas and Diet: A predator of predators; harpoons on Caribbean. other members of its family (Conidae). Its Habitat: Sea grass beds (especially turtle grass “harpoon” is a single, specialized radula tooth Thalassia testudinum), sand flats and shallow, equipped with a spearlike barbed tip. The sandy lagoons, often around patch reefs. barbed tooth has a groove through which the Appearance: Short conical spire with blunt snail injects a neurotoxic peptide poison into spikes. Shell’s exterior is orangish, often ob- its victim. scured by algal growth and debris. Aperture Remarks: Research on cone snail toxins is an rosy-pink, with a thickened flared lip. Mottled active field and has resulted in a new highly gray head with large proboscis and long eye effective painkiller recently approved by the stalks. Eye at tip of stalk, tentacles below. Long, FDA that, unlike opium-derived medications, claw-like operculum. has a low risk of addiction. Diet: Primarily microscopic algae grazed from Small cone snails pose little danger to humans the surface of the blades of turtle grass. beyond a beelike sting; however, large cone Reproduction and Development: Mating oc- snails inject enough toxin to be deadly. About curs in open sandy areas, the two partners lined 30 human deaths have been attributed to cone up fore to aft. Packets consisting of gelatinous snail envenomation. strings of eggs are deposited on sandy sub- strates. Eggs hatch into planktonic larvae. Adult reaches 30 cm length in 2–3 years. After that time SUBCLASS OPISTHOBRANCHIA shell is thickened by additional layers of calcium (SEA SLUGS AND THEIR KIN) carbonate added on the internal surface. Mortality/Longevity: Juveniles preyed White Dorid upon by gastropod mollusks, cephalopods, Doris odhneri (Dorididae) crustaceans and fishes. Adults are consumed Distribution: Alaska to California. by sharks and loggerhead turtles; the latter is Habitat: Rocky areas, mostly at low intertidal capable of crushing the shells of adult queen and subtidal depths. conchs. Avidly preyed upon by humans as a food source. Diet: Sponges. Conservation Status: Has become uncommon Appearance: Body of uniform color, usually in many locations, especially in shallow depths, white. Like all dorid nudibranchs, the due to overharvesting for food. rhinophores and gills are retractable into pockets on the mantle. Tubercles on the mantle Remarks: Locomote by hopping by extending are especially large around the animal’s the muscular foot and “pole vaulting.” Adults rhinophores and gill bush to protect these can move vertically with waving motions of the structures. Max. length: 20 cm. foot and also adhere to substrates. Remarks: Dorids have radulae with smooth, The conchfish (Astrapogon stellatus) spends hook-like teeth characteristic of the family. daylight within the mantle cavity of this conch, The radula, a file-like organ possessed by all and emerges nocturnally to feed. California Academy of Sciences 57

mollusks except bivalves, is covered with few eggs to as many as a million. Eggs mature chitinous teeth which the white dorid uses to in from five to 50 days depending on water scrape off its food. temperature. Many species of nudibranchs are identified by Mortality/Longevity: Less than one year. the structure of their radular teeth. Remarks: An encounter between members Terry Gosliner, Academy Senior Scientist, of this species may result in mutual mating is one of the world’s leading experts on or hostile combat with the victor dining on nudibranchs. the loser. One of several nudibranch species valued in Sea Lemon medical research for the study of ganglia and Peltodoris nobilis (Dorididae) nerves. Dorid Nudibranchs A good example of warning coloration; fish Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. have been observed to avoid this brightly Habitat: Rocky areas, mostly at low intertidal colored species whose nematocysts inflict and subtidal depths to about 25m. Often seen damage to the tissues of unwary consumers. on harbor pilings. Adults store nematocysts, ingested from their Appearance: Color variable: may be pale cnidarian prey, in the cerata. yellow to a deep rich yellow or orange. Back is covered with tubercules and dark spots; gills California Sea Hare are white at the tips. One of the largest of all Aplysia californica (Aplysiidae) nudibranchs; max. size: 20 cm. Distribution: Humboldt Bay, California to Diet: Sponges. Gulf of California. Reproduction and Development: Hermaph- Habitat: Among seaweed, sometimes in rodites. The coiled cream-colored egg ribbons, kelp canopy, lower intertidal to over 18 m. each containing as many as 2 million eggs, are Occasionally in sandy areas, mudflats, bottom sometimes seen in the exhibit. of bays, estuaries and harbors. Remarks: P. nobilis is one several dorid Appearance: A huge (to more than 40 cm long nudibranchs with a fruity, distinct lemon scent and weighing several kg) sea slug; reddish, usually given off when the animal is handled, brownish and/or greenish (color dependent thus its common name. When concentrated, on diet). the odor repels many predators. Diet: Herbivore. Feeds primarily diurnally on California is well-known for the diversity of various algae and the eelgrass Zostera. nudibranchs found in its coastal waters. Reproduction and Development: All adults are simultaneous hermaphrodites. During Opalescent Nudibranch mating, any individual may perform as a male, Hermissenda crassicornis (Fabelinidae) or as a female, or as both sexes simultaneously. Distribution: Kodiak Island, Alaska to Baja “Daisy chains” of mating animals are often California, Mexico; Japan reported from the field. The designated female Habitat: Tidepools, rocks, pilings, mudflats. lays long, tangled, yellow-green, spaghetti- Benthic: low tide line to 37 m. like egg strings containing up to one million Appearance: Length to 5 cm. Grayish white eggs intertidally and subtidally among rocks body with neon blue edges, brilliant orange and algae. The eggs hatch ~two weeks later. dorsal pinstripe from front to back. Cerata Hatched veliger larvae swim for ~one month, are burnt umber to brown with orange to settle and metamorphose into juveniles white tips. which double their weight every 10 days for Diet: Hydroids, sea anemones, sponges, 3 months. corals, bryozoans, other nudibranchs. Mortality/Longevity: Very few species Reproduction and Developmen t : have been reported as preying on post- Hermaphroditic (possessing both male and larval sea hares, possibly due to their toxic female organs), though rarely self-fertilizing. digestive gland. Giant green anemones are Egg strings in narrow coils with as little as a 58 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

one exception; however, these anemones Habitat: Lives within small cracks on shallow regurgitate if they consume the digestive reef flat corals. This species is a “small” giant gland. Sea hares live one year or less. clam; maximum length is 10 cm. Valves have Remarks: When alarmed, sea hares exude a very short fluted concentric sculpture on the dark purple fluid which gets its color from a tests. pigment in the red algae in the slug’s diet. Diet: Filter feeds but majority (perhaps ap- Due to its large nerve cell bodies (in the pe- proaching 90%) of nutrition is a result of the ripheries of the 9 major ganglia linked by activities of endosymbiont zooxanthellae. nerve fiber tracts), the sea hare has become a Reproduction and Development: Uses valves darling of researchers relating overt behavior of shell to bore into substrate. of animals to the structure and function of cells Conservation status: Not yet on the IUCN Red and the cellular network. List. Exploited by humans as a food source. Remarks: The colorful pigments in the mantle tissue probably reduce light intensity to CLASS BIVALVIA AKA protect zooxanthellae. PELECYPODA Giant Clam California Mussel Tridacna derasa (Tridacnidae) Mytilus californianus (Mytiloidae) Distribution: Cocos Keeling atoll to Australia; Distribution: Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Fiji, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Palau, Southern Baja California. Indonesia and Philippines. Habitat: Abundant clusters attached to sub- Habitat: Quiet waters, often associated with strate and each other with byssal fibers in sandy or silty habitats in shallow reef flats. massive beds. Low intertidal to 40 m deep. Some occur deeper, to 30 m in clear water. Common in surf-swept rocky areas. Appearance: Unmistakable, the common Appearance: Shell length typically to 13 cm (25 name says it all. Tridacna derasa is second larg- cm in some subtidal areas). Blue-black exterior, est species in genera, length to 50 cm. T. gigas sculpted with ribs and irregular growth lines. is the largest (to 1.37 m) bivalve in the world. T. derasa weigh to more than 500 kg. Mantles Diet: When submerged, filter-feed nearly con- are typically mottled deep blue, green or tur- tinuously on detritus particles and plankton quoise due to pigments that probably reduce (esp. dinoflagellates). light intensity. Reproduction and Development: Separate Diet: Intercellular symbiotic zooxanthellae sexes; broadcast sperm or eggs into the sea photosynthesize and produce food for their where fertilization occurs. Spawn November– host clam. The gape of all tridacnids is di- May. Larvae are free-swimming ~ 4 weeks. rected upwards, allowing maximum exposure After settling and attachment, grows to full to sunlight for their algal symbionts. Like size in about 3 years. most bivalves, a giant clam pumps water and Mortality/Longevity: Preyed on by sea stars, planktonic items into its mantle cavity with its in our area, esp. the ochre sea star (Pisaster incurrent siphon. This allows for filter feeding ochraceus), snails, crabs, birds, and humans. with its elaborate gill structures, as well as gas They create mussel beds—coastal areas densely exchange. Expels with its excurrent siphon. covered with mussels—which provide habitat Reproduction: Broadcast spawners; release for many small worms and crustaceans. sperm and eggs into open waters. Fertilized Sea otters have devastated formerly extensive eggs develop into planktonic larvae that settle mussel beds in Monterey Bay. and attach with byssal threads to the substrate. Mortality/Longevity: Crocea Giant Clam Humans have harvested Tridacna crocea (Tridacnidae) this tasty bivalve for years. The giant clam Tridacna gigas is reputed to live to 200 years. Distribution: Malay Peninsula to Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Okinawa, Conservation Status: Rare in many areas Fiji and Guam. due to overharvesting as a food for humans. California Academy of Sciences 59

Commercial propagation shows promise of called “killer clams,” with stories of humans success and may offset some taking of natural caught and drowned by sinister attacks on populations. arms and legs. Fortunately for divers, these Remarks: Despite seafarers’ tales of fellow tall tales are untrue. The most common injury crew members being caught in this clam’s trap- associated with giant clams are hernias, back like valves, it is unlikely that this could occur. strains, or broken toes, self-inflicted on people trying to lift these huge animals from the water! Giant Clam Tridacna gigas (Tridacnidae) Maxima Clam aka Small Giant Clam Distribution: Found throughout the tropical Tridacna maxima (Tridacnidae) Indo-Pacfic. Distribution: Has widest range of giant clam Habitat: Benthic on rocky or sandy substrate species. Indo-Pacific coastlines from east Africa of coral reefs and lagoons to depths of 20 m. to China, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands. Appearance: T. gigas is the largest and heaviest of all living mollusks. The pale Habitat: On reefs or sand, often embedded in or clear spots on the mantle, known as coral in shallow water. “windows,” allow sunlight to enter and Appearance: Aptly named, the small giant clam stimulate the photosynthesis of symbiotic is less than a third the size of T. gigas. Grows to algae (zooxanthellae). The two holes in the 40 cm. Mantle is usually bright blue, green, or mantle are the siphons, one is fringed with brown, but may be orange or lavender. Shell tentacles for the intake of water for food and has distinctively furrowed edges. oxygen, the other tube-like for the discharge Diet: Nutrients from photosynthesis of zoo- of large volumes of water if the clam’s shell xanthellae and from filter-feeding. closes rapidly Reproduction and Development: Broadcast Diet: Zooxanthellae provide most of the spawner. Like other Tridacnas, juveniles are clam’s nutrition as well as a ready supply of males when first sexually mature, but later oxygen. In turn, the clam provides protection become hermaphrodites. Sperm and eggs and access to light for the zooxanthellae. Like are released at different times to avoid self- other clams, also uses gills to filter small food fertilization. particles from the water and to carry out gas Mortality/Longevity: Tridacna clams, especially exchange. the mantles, are preyed upon by mantis and Reproduction and Development: Tridacnas are cleaner shrimps, various snails, crabs, wrasses, broadcast spawners, releasing sperm and eggs triggerfishes, and angelfishes. into the open water in great numbers. Fertilized Conservation Status: Classified as Lower Risk eggs develop into planktonic larvae that – conservation dependent on IUCN Red List; settle and attach to the substrate with byssal also Appendix II of CITES. threads. Byssal threads become less necessary as increasing weight holds the animal in place. Squamosa Clam Mortality/Longevity: Very long-lived. One Tridacna squamosa (Tridacnidae) resource suggests 100-year lifespan, another Distribution: South Africa; Red Sea to Samoa, 200 years! Tonga and Marshall Islands. Conservation Status: Listed as vulnerable Habitat: Shallow reef flats to depths of about by the IUCN. The giant clam is declining in 20 m. Live vertically oriented with the hinge numbers, and is extinct in many parts of its side down. former range. In Southeast Asia and the Pacific Appearance: Width to 40 cm. The rows of large islands, the flesh is considered a delicacy. In leaflike flutes on the surface of the valves are China, the adductor muscle is believed to be an diagnostic. Like all Tridacna giant clams the aphrodisiac and sells for large sums. Recently, mantle color of individuals is highly variable commercial propagation shows some promise due to the presence of zooxanthellae as well as of success. pigments of brilliant green, blue, red, violet, or Remarks: Giant clams have sometimes been brown in the mantle tissue. 60 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Diet: Filter feeds but majority (perhaps ap- Has several hundred eyes at edge of mantle; proaching 90%) of nutrition is a result of the these detect light and dark, but do not form activities of intercellular endosymbiont zoo- images. xanthellae that live in blood sinuses within the mantle. Giant Rock Scallop Crassedoma giganteum (Pectinidae) Reproduction and Development: Initially at- tached to substrate with byssal threads. Grow Distribution: Common from British Columbia very rapidly during the first 2 years. to Baja. Mortality/Longevity: May reach adult size Habitat: In or on rock crevices, pilings, and when 30 years old. floats; intertidal to 50 m. Conservation status: IUCN listed as Threat- Appearance: Typical scallop shape. While most ened. Tridacna clams are being heavily ex- scallops grow to c. 18 cm, this giant can reach ploited as a food item for humans. The meat 30 cm in diameter. Females larger than males. of a single conspecific individual (T. gigas) Diet: Filter feed on plankton and suspended was recently poached and sold (for $3.00 vs. organic particles. the $300.00 retail rate) in Papua New Guinea. Reproduction and Development: Protandrous Remarks: The pigments in the mantle probably hermaphrodites. Usually spawn in spring, reduce light intensity to protect zooxanthellae April to mid-June depending on latitude. from overexposure. Larvae are planktonic. Mortality/Longevity: Live to 25 years. Scallop aka Swimming Scallop Remarks: Juveniles can swim. At about 2.5 cm Chlamys spp. (Pectinidae) diameter, individuals cement to rock or other Distribution: Gulf of Alaska to San Diego. hard surface with byssal threads. Habitat: Mostly subtidal, or sometimes Humans gather rock scallops and consume the intertidal, at depths of 2–150 m. adductor muscle, raw or fried. Appearance: Up to 6 cm in length. Convex valves CAS displays casts of the real thing, as they with ribs radiating from umbo (prominence near are extremely difficult to maintain in captivity. the hinge) to ventral edge, and covered with prominent spines or ruffles. Usually has sponges encrusting on its surface. CLASS CEPHALOPODA Diet: Filter feeds about 4 liters of water per gram per hour, using their ctenidia (or gills) to Chambered Nautilus collect microscopic food and oxygen. Nautilus pompilius (Nautilidae) Reproduction and Development: Sexes are Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean to Fiji. separate. Veligers (free swimming, planktonic Habitat: 60–750 m. Rise to shallower depths larvae) arise 50 hours or so after eggs are each evening. fertilized. Shells form annual growth rings. Appearance: Snail-like shell lined with alter- Mortality/Longevity: This scallop lives about nating wavy brown and white lines. Circum- 6 years (at least in Southern British Columbia.) ference to 20 cm. A variety of sea stars prey on this mollusk. Diet: Migrate to shallower waters each evening Also, is parasitized by Odostomia columbiana, to feed. Benthic scavenger and predator. Prey the clam sucker snail, so called because it uses located visually. Preferentially eat decapod its eversible proboscis to suck body juices from crustaceans, such as crab, also carrion. its host. Reproduction and Development: Males have Remarks: Escapes predators by swimming, a modified arm which functions to transfer a forcing water out as a jet near the bivalve’s sperm packet. Fertilization occurs much later hinge. Encrusting sponge and scallop are in a when the eggs are deposited. Mature at one year. mutualistic relationship. The sponge repels sea star predators, possibly by chemical secretions; Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by carnivorous the scallop’s movement may reduce sediment fishes. accumulation on sponges. Conservation status: Collected for the shell California Academy of Sciences 61

trade. Consumed in its range by humans. Not the challenge. Steinhart Biologist Rich Ross in on IUCN Red List. 2010 was the first person to successfully breed Remarks: Only extant genus of cephalopods and hatch M. pfefferi in captivity. He was also with an external shell. the first to cultivate the dwarf cuttlefish Sepia Internally the shell is divided by transverse bandensis a year earlier. septae into chambers; only the last chamber is Mortality/Longevity: Life span: c. 1 year. occupied by the animal. Remarks: When disturbed, M. pfefferi earns To “swim,” the nautilus draws water into its common name by quickly changing from a its mantle cavity and then expels if forcefully dark base color to a rippling pattern of black, through a siphon, which can be moved to change dark brown, and white, with yellow patches the animal’s direction. Though the nautilus is around the mantel, arms and eyes. Arm tips able to adjust its neutral buoyancy much like a may be bright red. From birth, juvenile M. submarine, by adding to or reducing the amount pfefferi are capable of the same camouflage of liquid in its chambers, its water jet provides patterns as the adults. the propulsion for its often daily migration from This fellow’s flamboyance may also carry a the cool depths it prefers in the daytime to the warning message. One researcher recently nighttime shallows where it feeds. claimed this species to be the only cuttlefish known to be toxic, asserting that muscle tissue Flambuoyant Cuttlefish of this species possesses a toxin as deadly as Metasepia pfefferi (Sepiidae) that of its cephalopod relative, the blue-ringed Cuttlefish octopus! Aquarists beware, certainly until Distribution: From Indonesia, the Philippines, further substantiation. Papua New Guinea, to Australia. Cuttlefish swim by undulations of the fin Habitat: Shallow, low-energy tropical marine that passes around the body, and can also waters (3 to 85 m) with mud, sand, or coral move quickly, like other cephalopods, by “jet- rubble substrate. propulsion,” forcefully expelling water from Appearance: The mantle and head are covered the body cavity through the funnel. with flap-like, fleshy protuberances (papillae), Other cuttlefish species maintain buoyancy and a V-shaped fleshy ridge runs along the by regulating the gas-to-liquid ratio in a underside. Yellow fins flutter along the sides to porous, internal structure, made of aragonite propel the animal slowly though the water or (CaCO3) and called a cuttlebone. Without the along the substrate. Max mantle length: 6–8 cm. cuttlebone, the animal, because of the weight of Diet: Active diurnal foragers on a variety its tissues, would be about 4% denser than sea of foods, especially fish and crustaceans, water and sink. M. pfefferi has an extra trick. Its including “hard-hitting” mantis shrimp. cuttlebone is so small that it cannot maintain Encircling the mouth are 8 purplish, blade-like buoyancy and regularly sinks to the substrate. arms with rows of suckers used to manipulate Instead of swimming, it uses its tentacles to prey and 2 flattened, retractable tentacles crawl along the bottom like an octopus! which can be rapidly extended to catch prey. The cuttlefish maintains buoyancy by Use camouflage to stalk their prey; also blow regulating the gas-to-liquid ratio in a porous, jets of water through the funnel to uncover internal structure, made of aragonite (CaCO3) prey in sand or mud. and called a cuttlebone. Without the cuttlebone, Reproduction and Development: After the animal, because of the weight of its tissues, display by the male, copulation occurs face-to- would be about 4% denser than sea water and face. The male uses a modified arm to insert his sink. sperm under the female’s mantle, where eggs All cephalopods, with the exception of are fertilized then laid, usually in a protected nautiluses and a single group of octopods, space, such a crevices or even coconut shells, produce and release sepia ink, a dark pigment unreachable by predatory fish. used to confuse and escape from predators. M. pfefferi has never been successfully bred and Cuttlefish have brown ink (sepia) and octopuses raised in captivity, until the Steinhart took on generally produce blank ink. Ink is produces 62 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

in sacs located between the gills, mixed with The Steinhart Aquarium is the first institution mucus, and spread through the water by a jet in the U.S. to breed dwarf cuttlefish. To date, of water from the funnel. (2010) more than 350 have hatched at the Recent studies have shown that cephalopod Academy, most of which have been sent to ink is toxic to some cells, including cancer cells. other aquaria and research institutions. Quote from Rich Ross, Academy biologist and Dwarf Cuttlefish cuttlefish breeder extraordinaire: Over time, Sepia bandensis (Sepiidae) [cuttlefish] learn to recognize and respond to Cuttlefish you, and will often greet you when you walk Distribution: The Indo-Pacific region, into the room (or maybe they just know you including the Philippines, Indonesia, and bring the food). They are smart, beautiful and Papua New Guinea. unusual, and unlike certain other eight-armed Habitat: Shallow coastal waters near or on cephalopods (think octopus), they don’t try to coral reefs or sandy substrates. escape from your aquarium! Appearance: Length: 5 cm–10 cm. It has 8 arms Giant Pacific Octopus with rows of suckers along each and 2 feeding Enteroctopus dofleini (Octopodidae) tentacles. The animal moves by the undulation of lateral fins that surround the body. Distribution: Range throughout temperate Pacific waters, from southern California north Diet: Crustaceans and fish. The feeding to Alaska, west to the Aleutian Islands and tentacles shoot out to capture prey with suckers Japan. and , along with arms and a parrot-like beak, hold the prize while the cuttlefish radula Habitat: Occur in intertidal zones and to scrapes off digestible parts. Active diurnally. depths up to 750 m. Reproduction and Development: They mate Appearance: Large bulbous “head” (mantle) at 2–4 months of age, a time when the male with 8 tentacles bearing suckers. Very large changes colors to black and white and displays specimens can have a tentacle span of more aggressive behavior to other males. Viable eggs than 9 m from tip to tip, and weigh more than may take up to a month to hatch. 45 kg. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 6 mos. to 3 yrs. Diet: Mostly crustaceans (shrimps, crabs, scallops,) and mollusks (abalones, clams); fish Remarks: The cuttlefish isn’t a fish at all–it and other octopuses are also eaten. Shells of is a cephalopod, closely related to octopuses, prey that are difficult to pull or bite open can squid, and nautiluses. be “drilled” in order to gain access to the soft Cuttlefish have an internal shell within their tissue: salivary secretions soften the shell, and a bodies that they can fill with more or less gas tiny hole is created with the radula (a toothed, to create neutral buoyancy. Cuttlebone is often hardened “tongue”). The octopus then secretes collected and used as a calcium supplement, a toxin that paralyzes the prey and begins to beak sharpener, and all-purpose toy for caged dissolve it. The shell is pulled apart and the birds. soft tissues are consumed. Like most cephalopods, cuttlefish have 3 Reproduction and Development: Males hearts. Two hearts pump blood to the gills, appear to be drawn to the female by following and a central heart pumps oxygenated blood a scent she releases into the currents. The to the body. third right arm of the male has a modified tip Masters of camouflage, cuttlefish and most that is used during mating to transfer large cephalopods can change their colors, shapes spermatophores (up to 1 m long) to the female, and textures in seconds to avoid predators and which she accepts from one or more males, blend into their surroundings. They have keen and stores for future use. It may take several vision, but are color blind. weeks for the female to find a suitable den for They also produce large amounts of ink, both her eggs. She lays the 20,000 to 100,000 eggs, as a decoy and foul-tasting deterrent. Known fertilizing each as it is produced. She tends, as sepia ink, after the genus name of cuttlefish, cleans, and aerates them until they hatch 5–7 it was a dye once prized by artists. months later (rate of development depends California Academy of Sciences 63

on temperature.) Females do not feed during Diet: Small crabs (a favorite), hermit crabs, and this time, and die after the eggs hatch. (The other crustaceans, mollusks, and an occasional male returns to the sea after mating and dies.) fish. Nocturnal forager. The young are about the size of a grain of Reproduction and Development: Mate rice, and spend 4–12 weeks drifting in the offshore at depth, then females spawn in the plankton, before settling to the bottom for shallow subtidal. Larvae hatch after 6–8 weeks further development. A giant octopus becomes of protection and grooming by the female, sexually mature in about three years. who then dies. Juveniles usually live within Mortality/Longevity: Predators include the protection of kelp holdfasts before moving marine mammals (harbor seals, sea otters, and offshore onto the continental shelf, where they sperm whales). Also, occasionally are eaten are quite common. by others of their own kind and are caught Mortality/Longevity: Life span: about 2 years. commercially. Life span in the wild is 3-5 years. Remarks: See description of giant Pacific Conservation Status: Not endangered. octopus for added information about octopuses However, the octopus is sensitive to water in general. pollution and its populations in some areas Female red octopuses in the Discovery Tide may depend on limiting contaminants. pool may on occasion spawn and be seen Remarks: The animals are surprisingly grooming and aerating their eggs. intelligent invertebrates. They are able to learn These animals should not be touched! Not only and to perform complex tasks, such as twisting do they have sharp beaks and the inclination the cap off a jar to reach enclosed food. Captive to use them, they also secrete venom from animals have been known to leave their tank at salivary glands on the wound, which can take night to feed in other, nearby tanks, and then several weeks to heal. return to their home tank before morning. They are notable for their complex eyes, similar in structure and acuity to the human eye. The octopus can change color in less than a PHYLUM ARTHROPODA second. In the skin, specialized cells called chromatophores hold yellow, red, orange, CLASS CHELICERATA blue or black pigments. When the tiny muscles ORDER SCORPIONES around the pigment cells contract, the colors show as large spots; when they relax, the colors Death Stalker Scorpion dissipate. The octopus uses color change as Leiurus quinquestriatus (Buthidae) camouflage, but also changes color with shifts Distribution: North Africa and the Middle in interest and activity, such as during feeding. East. When pursued or threatened, the octopus can Habitat: Dry habitats, especially desert areas squirt ink into the water before fleeing, an except on sand dunes. Hides under stones or action that confuses and obscures the vision of in small, natural burrows and crevices. predators, helping the animal to escape. Appearance: About 8 cm long; tan body with This species is the largest octopus known: the slim, small pincers, used for capturing and record forweight is 70 kg (153 lbs) and 7 m (23 manipulating prey, and segmented tail with ft) arm span. stinger, used for delivering venom. Pincers Red Octopus and stinger tip often dark, even black. Females Octopus rubescens (Octopodidae) larger than males. Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. Diet: Spiders, insects including crickets, flies, Habitat: From the intertidal and shallow moths. Occasionally captured by pincers alone, subtidal as juveniles to 180 m depth as adults. but usually by venom delivery. Appearance: Often red, as its common name Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- implies; however, able to change colors—in the rous; female bears eggs internally for up to a blink of an eye. year, about 30 young are born live. 64 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Mortality and Longevity: Lifespan: up to 5 Mortality/Longevity: Predators include owls years in the wild. and bats. Remarks: Adaptations of scorpions to arid Conservation Status: Important to the area habitat include waxy outer covering of ecology and food chain. exoskeleton that reduces desiccation; ability Remarks: Venom in the scorpion’s stinger is to estivate and/or hibernate; nocturnal habit. used to subdue struggling prey and for self The death stalker is the most toxic scorpion defense. The venom is not very potent or on the planet. Its venom can cause extreme painful to humans. pain, convulsions, paralysis, even death by Females are more active in food seeking; males heart or respiratory failure. Sting is rarely fatal are more active in mate seeking. In both sexes, to a healthy adult, but severity of symptoms older scorpions are more active than younger is weight-dependent; small children are at ones. extreme risk. Like all scorpions, has poor eyesight, excellent Components of venom are being studied for hearing, and a fine sense of touch (body hairs potential use in the treatment of brain tumors detect air and ground vibrations). and diabetes. Also like all scorpions, they fluoresce under Only the most experienced keepers should ultraviolet light, a characteristic that allows care for this aggressive arachnid. Fortunately, scientists (and well-equipped backpackers) to antivenom is available. detect them in the night and perhaps signals Scorpions that have small, narrow pincers gen- scorpions to avoid damaging UV light. erally possess more toxic venom than brawnier types, presumably to make up in chemical po- tency what they lack in physical strength. ORDER ARANEAE Scorpions kill twice as many people as snakes (TRUE SPIDERS) do. Cobalt Blue Tarantula Note this scorpion is in the same family as the Haplopelma lividum (Theraphosidae) species in African Hall’s Olive Baboon exhibit. Distribution: Southeast Asia. Desert Hairy Scorpion Habitat: Tropical forests. H. lividum lives in Hadrurus arizonensis (Caraboctonidae) deep burrows. Reclusive; seldom seen outside Distribution: Found in Mexico, western its burrow during the day, becoming somewhat Arizona, southern California and Nevada, more active at night. southwestern Utah. Appearance: Iridescent blue legs, light brown Habitat: Semi-arid and arid habitats. Dig and carapace. Abdomen dark brown, often with live in deep burrows in soil during summer. horizontal stripes. Appearance: Black cephalothorax with Diet: Insects. Silk is laid down in and around pale yellow rimmed segments; pale yellow the burrow, and the spider darts out to capture abdomen, pincer-like pedipalps, and legs; pale insects that disturb the silk. undersurface; and abundant erect dark brown Remarks: Notable for its aggressiveness. It sensory hairs. Largest of the nine scorpion is not recommended for hobbyists unless species in North America. Max. size: 14 cm. they are experienced and well informed. Like Diet: Other scorpions, insects, spiders, small Asian tarantulas generally, H. lividum lacks the lizards and snakes. Forages at night for prey urticating hairs of North and South American and mates. species; instead it relies on biting for defense. Reproduction and Development : Like all Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird Eater scorpions, the female gives birth to live young, Lasiodora parahybana (Theraphosidae) which remain on the mother’s back for 10–15 Distribution: Throughout eastern Brazil. days. After shedding their first skin, the young scatter to live independently. Young grow Habitat: Terrestrial; floor of tropical rainforests. slowly, shedding their skin several more times Appearance: A large-bodied tarantula with before maturity. abdomen and legs covered with sensitive, long, California Academy of Sciences 65 and partially pink or salmon-colored hairs.. damage”! Translation: handle with care! Max. size: body, 9-10 cm; leg span, 20-25 cm. Will become aggressive if threatened. Diet: Eat large crawling insects and other Though body hairs are most often used to invertebrates, small rodents, lizards, & frogs. detect predators and prey by picking up air Regardless of its name, the spider is rarely seen movements around the spider, they are also eating birds. However, it does occasionally used as defensive weapons. If pursued by a attack the newly hatched chicks of ground- potential foe, the spider rubs its legs against dwelling birds. Prey is subdued by venom its abdomen, throwing tiny, barbed hairs that injected by chelicerae. Digestive juices are become imbedded in the attacker. The barbs injected that liquefy the kill, which is then can cause significant irritation, especially if sucked in by the mouthparts. lodged in the eyes or nasal passages. Reproduction and Development: This species, Possible origin of the fanciful name “Bird- like most tarantulas, is solitary and comes in Eating Spider”: In 1705, a Swiss naturalist and contact with others of its species only during painter, Madame Maria Sibylla Merian, painted mating. Once sexually mature, the male spins a Dutch Guianan bird-eating spider with a size a small area of silk onto which he deposits his ridiculed as a flight of female fancy until 1863 sperm. The sperm is then absorbed into the when an English naturalist observed a spider of pedipalps, which during mating are inserted into similar features and size in the Amazon forest. the reproductive organ of the female, transfer- ring sperm which can remain viable within the Black Widow Spider female. The female lays up to 2000 eggs in a Latrodectus mactans (Theridiidae) thick, silken sac, approximately 3 months after Distribution: In the U.S. ranges north to New breeding. She will guard this sac fiercely, and England, south to Florida, Texas, Oklahoma; incubation lasts approximately 3 weeks, after west to California, and throughout the which white spiderlings are born. Young are southwest deserts. Also found in Canada, voracious feeders. As a result the babies grow Mexico, the West Indies, and South America. very quickly, up to 15 cm in the first year. Habitat: Favors retreats close to the ground, Mortality/Longevity: Tarantulas have few especially dark, sheltered spots, such as enemies except the tarantula hawk wasps. under stones, in woodpiles, crevices, barns, Members of this wasp family use their sting and outbuildings. Usually not found indoors. to paralyze species specific tarantualas. The Appearance: Female is glossy, coal-black color wasp lays an egg on the tarantula’s abdomen with long, slender legs and round abdomen; and then seals the spider in its burrow. The her underside usually carries a characteristic wasp larva hatches and feeds on the immobile red hourglass mark. Larger than the browner and doomed tarantula. Males usually die male, the female may grow to about 3.8 cm, shortly after maturity and mating, usually counting legspan. Females can live up to 15 years in the wild, Diet: Carnivorous, mostly on insects, but perhaps significantly longer. Typically thrive also on other small invertebrates. When prey in captivity 4–8 years. becomes ensnared in the web, black widow Conservation Status: Still quite common, wraps it in silken threads and injects venom. though destruction of the rainforests reduces When movement ceases, the spider releases natural habitat. digestive enzymes that liquefy the flesh of prey. Remarks: Like most tarantulas and some other Reproduction and Development: Female spiders, if this spider loses one of its legs, it can produces eggs sacs, which she guards until regrow the lost appendage, which begins as a spiderlings hatch and are wind dispersed. small stump & then grows more complete with A single mating provides her with a lifetime each molting. sperm supply. The widespread story that While not highly aggressive and bites are not female’s eat the male after mating is actually fatal to humans, this big bruiser can inflict a an infrequent occurrence. serious wound which one researcher defined Mortality/Longevity: Probably lives, like most as “capable of medically significant mechanical spiders, about one year. Preyed upon by mud- dauber wasps. 66 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Remarks: Bright markings serve as warning to This spider lives in hot places. The long predators. While eating a black widow may not cylindrical abdomen of the spider may be kill a bird or other small predator, the digestive angled towards the sun to reduce the amount discomfort warns the attacker that this spider of exposed body surface and thus prevent is to be avoided. Males are less venomous and overheating. The reflective silvery surface of also less brightly marked. much of the body serves the same purpose. Black widow venom is highly potent (15 times See Nephila madagascariensis for more that of rattlesnakes and reportedly more potent information on Nephilia spp. than that of cobras or coral snakes); however, because the spider is not large, the chelicerae Madagascar Golden Orb Spider cannot inject venom to depth or in quantity. Nephila madagascariensis (Nephilidae) Golden Orb Weavers It is rare for bites to kill humans, though young children or the elderly are likely to have severe Distribution: Various species of orb weaving reactions. Most victims recover completely in spiders are widely distributed. They exist in 2–5 days. the southern United States, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. Golden Orb Weaving Spider Nephila madagascariensis is found on the island of Nephila sp. (Nephilidae) Madagascar and certain parts of Southern Africa. Golden Orb Weavers Appearance: Females are much larger than Distribution: Southeast U.S south through mature males, reaching 10–14 cm length when Argentina and Peru. Nephilia spp. are found full grown. Males are about one-sixth this size. worldwide in the tropics and subtropics. In females, the dorsal side of the abdomen has Habitat: Areas of high humidity and relatively bright yellow markings surrounded by a light open space; forest areas along trails and gray border. The rest of the body and legs are clearing edges. black with patches of brown. Appearance: Highly sexually dimorphic. Diet: Eat insects that get caught in their webs, Females, which grow up to 8 cm, are 5–6 times primarily flying insects. They kill their prey with larger than males. Adults are mostly yellow a venomous bite. While painful, a bite from this with elongated abdomen and long, hairy legs. spider would not seriously hurt humans. Diet: Small flying insects: beetles, flies, moths, Reproduction and Development: Mating occurs etc. After prey is entangled in the web, the at the center of the web where the female lives. The spider incapacitates it by biting and then males stays in a corner of the web, and approaches encases it in silk. the female when she is eating or is in the process Reproduction: Mating is a tricky proposition of molting her exoskeleton, and mating occurs. for orb weaving males. For successful In about 30 days the eggs hatch. The nymph reproduction, males must successfully spiderlings, each about as big as a pinhead remain stimulate females in order to prevent being in the egg case for 5– 6 days until their first molt. a meal for their would-be mate, though this Then they emerge and stay in a tight cluster until unfortunate ending is relatively rare with this their second molt, about 24–30 days later. After species. this molt, they begin to disperse. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: a single season Mortality/Longevity: Females usually live about (1 year). a year, and males about 6 mos. Remarks: Orb weavers construct webs for Remarks: Golden orb spiders weave large, defense and capture of prey. strong webs out of golden colored silk. The webs can be as big as 2 m across. The silk The silk of the web usually has a golden color strands are reputed to be five times stronger which is visible to the naked eye and is the than steel and three times more elastic than source of the common name. Kevlar. The impressive web of most orb weavers is a Spiders can produce up to seven types of semi-permanent structure, repaired and rebuilt silk, each optimized for a certain task. These daily as necessary. can include silk for drag lines, structural silk, California Academy of Sciences 67

cementing silk, tough outer silk for the egg release their hold on rocks or plant stems they case, soft inner silk in the egg case, and others. pop up to the surface. They weave their threads from a liquid, While hunting they hold on to the shore with stored as a gel in the spinning gland. The gel their back legs and rest their bodies on the is a mixture of water-soluble proteins that water surface. Fishing spiders have vibration- turns into a solid fiber when pulled through detecting organs on their front legs and feet structures in the spinning gland, called that help them identify not only the source spinnerets. Scientist are trying to mimic the of the vibration, but also the distance and process, using genetically engineered bacteria direction to the source. They feel vibrations to produce the protein gel. They have invented carried in the water, just as other spiders feel artificial “spinnerets” where the gel is mixed vibrations transmitted through their webs. with salt water and forced through tiny channels. While they have succeeded in getting silk, it was not high quality. SUBPHYLUM CRUSTACEA Fishing Spider Dolomedes okefinokensis (Pisauridae) CLASS MALACOSTRACA Distribution: Swamps in the southeast United States, particularly southern Georgia and ORDER STOMATOPODA Florida. (MANTIS SHRIMPS) Habitat: Dolomedes spiders live in semi-aquatic areas. Peacock Mantis Shrimp Appearance: In general, members of the genus Odontodactylus scyllarus (Odontodactylidae) Dolomedes are large (2.5–7.5 cm) and hairy; Distribution: Indo-Pacific. most species are brown with a striking pale Habitat: Warm waters of bays, lagoons, and stripe on each side. D. okefinokensis exhibit reefs in sand or rubble areas where they build female gigantism and male dwarfism, with the U-shaped burrows. male being less than half the size of the female. Appearance: Beautifully colored in peacock Diet: Fishing spiders usually eat aquatic colors of greens, blues, and reds. Has a green insects, but they have also been known to eat body, blue head, green antennal scales, red limbs. small fish and even small frogs. They often The body is elongated with a long, flattened, hunt nocturnally, to avoid predators. Like most blue tail and ranges in size from 3–18 cm. Highly spiders they inject venom to kill and digest noticeable is the pair of clubbed-shaped, praying the prey. mantis-like claws. Reproduction and Development: Females Diet: Feeds on other shrimp, worms, snails, may eat the males after breeding. This may crabs, mollusks. Lies in wait for prey in front help the female have adequate nutrition to of burrow, then swims out and quickly crushes produce healthy young. prey with a strong, powerful smash. The Mortality/Longevity: Main predators are birds claw moves through the water so quickly it and lizards. Dragonflies may also eat young generates cavitation bubbles, which explode spiders. Probably live for one season. with a second powerful burst. The speed with Remarks: Dolomedes spiders are covered which the claw moves through the water in short hydrophobic hairs. This aquatic generates a force 100 times the shrimp’s body adaptation gives them many advantages. weight, and is so fast it can only be caught and They can use surface tension to stand or run measured by expensive, high-speed cameras. on water. The air trapped among the hairs Reproduction and Development: The male forms a thin film over their bodies when they deposits his sperm in a special pouch on the descend beneath the water. They breathe with female’s body and she releases her eggs and book lungs that open into the air film, allowing sticks them together in a mass which she carries them to breath under water. The trapped air by her front legs. The embryos hatch in about also makes them buoyant, and when they six weeks. 68 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Remarks: Large peacock mantis shrimp If a snapping shrimp loses its over-sized claw, generate forces powerful enough to crush the the small claw grows into the new snapping shell of a large conch, and have been known claw while the missing limb regenerates into in captivity to break the glass of their tanks! a small claw. The amazingly complex eyes of mantis shrimp Wood Shrimp detect 12 base colors (compared to our 3). Atyopsis moluccensis (Atyidae) They also can discern ultraviolet, infrared Basket Shrimps frequencies, and the polarization of light! Distribution: Southeast Asia. Mantis shrimps are popular ingredients in Japanese and Cantonese dishes. Habitat: Freshwater streams in areas with driftwood, caves and vegetation for hiding Divers note that they are very active and places. curious. Appearance: Max. size: 12 cm. Most It should be no surprise that, in most aquaria, individuals are brownish with a lighter strip this fellow lives alone! down the back, though color is variable with surroundings and mood, Males have larger ORDER DECAPODA and thicker forelegs than females. The species (CRABS, SHRIMPS, LOBSTERS, ETC.) lacks pincers; chelae have evolved instead into fan-like appendages tipped with tufts Pistol Shrimp of long bristles used for gathering small food Alpheus sp. (Alpheidae) particles. Distribution: Maldive Islands to Great Barrier Diet: Suspension feeder; uses specialized Reef, Australia. appendages to filter food and then wipes Habitat: Sand, 5-40 m. appendages across mouth. Appearance: Length to 3 cm. Like all pistol or Reproduction: Difficult to breed in captivity. snapping shrimp of the family Alpheidae, have Remarks: Because of it large size, the wood asymmetrical claws, with the larger capable of shrimp is rarely a prey item for small fish, and producing a remarkably loud snapping sound. so an attractive and intriguing addition to our Diet: Fairly omnivorous; algal and animal tank of Borneo freshwater fishes material. Black and Red Bee Shrimp Reproduction and Development: Like all Caridina cf. Cantonensis (Atyidae) shrimp, sexes are separate. After mating the Distribution: Southern China, still found in female carries the eggs beneath the abdomen the wild in South Eastern Asia. It is a popular on modified swimmerets. choice for aquarium hobbyists. Remarks: Many pistol species in this genus live Habitat: A fresh water fish, it prefers soft acidic in association with a burrow-guarding goby water. species, as in this tank. The shrimp maintains contact with the goby with its antennae, the Appearance: The bee shrimp has bands of goby alerts the poor-sighted shrimp to danger, black and white; the red bee shrimp has red and both shelter in their shared burrow. and white. Some have been selectively bred over time to increase the amount and intensity Shrimp use their snap to ward off trespassers of the white. Adult size: 1 in to 1.2 in. and to stun prey, such as small crabs. Claws close with incredible speed, generating a Diet: Omnivore. Algae eaters by nature, the powerful water stream that travels up to 100 bee shrimp will eat naturally occurring algae km/hour creating a low-pressure bubble in its in the home aquarium and are happy with wake. As the pressures equilibrate, the bubble supplements. bursts with a sonic bang. Reproduction: When the female’s ovaries One source noted that when many pistol are developed, she will shed her skin and shrimp are “shooting” at the same time, the pheromones to the water. The sexually mature sound can be so loud that sonar used to seek males will overtake her, flipping around and submarines is useless. furiously whamming her tail. The winner California Academy of Sciences 69

will copulate the female by sliding along Anemone Shrimp side, attaching a slip-covered sperm package Periclimenes venustus (Palaemonidae) (spermatophore) on to her genital opening Distribution: Indo-Pacific; including Australia. located right between her striding legs. The Habitat: Commonly associate with anemones female will find a safe place to hide and lay and certain corals. the eggs, a process that dissolves the slipcover Appearance: About 2.5 cm long. Light purple and thus fertilizes the eggs. Gestation is usually body with white spots; well camouflaged on 3-4 weeks, and the newly hatched shrimp then frogspawn coral (Euphyllia spp.) a common host. fend for themselves. Diet: These cleaners sway and wave their Mortality/Longevity: The bee shrimp take a antennae, using their motion and bright colors little bit longer to mature and longer to hatch to attract fishes in order to feed on their dead than many other dwarf shrimp. The shrimp tissue and parasites. may live up to 2 years. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: about 2 yrs. Copper is toxic to the bee shrimp (and to all Remarks: Like only a few other animals, able dwarf shrimp). to live in association with anemones and corals Conservation Status: Not at risk; bred without being stung. successfully around the world for the aquarium trade. Humpback Cleaner Shrimp Remarks: Bee shrimp are good overall cleaners Lysmata amboinensis (Hippolytidae) for tanks, always crawling in search of food Distribution: Red Sea to Australia; Indonesia, and algae. They are non-aggressive toward Society Islands. other fish. Habitat: Active day and night at cleaning stations on coral and rocky reefs, 8–25 m. California Bay Shrimp Reside in pairs or groups (to 100 individuals) Crangon franciscorum (Crangonidae) in caves and crevices. Distribution: From southeastern Alaska to San Appearance: Length to 6 cm. Dorsal redline on Diego. A common species in San Francisco Bay tan body. Long white antennae. and other Pacific Coast estuaries. Diet: Glean parasites and infected skin from Habitat:. Sand or mud substrate. Euryhaline large, stationary reef fishes such as morays, (able to tolerate varying levels of salinity). triggerfishes and groupers. Appearance: The largest of common SF Bay Reproduction and Development: (See L. shrimp species: females to 4.8 cm, males to californica) 3.7 cm. Remarks: Cleaner shrimp advertise their Diet: Especially mysid shrimp; also amphipods, services by their bright coloration and by bivalves, foraminifera, isopods, copepods, waving their very long antennae, which plant material. Their turnover of bottom contrast with the dark recess of their station. sediments as they search for food may improve Finding Nemo nutrient recycling. Jacques, a character in , is a humpback cleaner shrimp. Reproduction and Development: Males and females separate; females oviparous, can store In aquaria, cleaner shrimp are valued because sperm; move to more saline habitat to spawn; they clean not only the fish, but the tank as well. young seek low salinity nursery areas. Red Rock Shrimp Mortality/Longevity: Males live about a year, Lysmata californica (Alpheidae) females to two years. Distribution: Eastern Pacific, from Santa Remarks: Species abundance correlates to Barbara to Baja California. increased levels freshwater outflow; numbers Habitat: Found in shallow waters among rocky are relatively low during drought years. crevices Once the basis of a commercial fishery in SF Appearance: Max length: 7.5 cm. Conspicuously Bay. Today is fished primarily for bait, with colered with longitudinal broken stripes over some human consumption. a red transparent body. 70 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Diet: Scavengers on scrapes of decaying tissue Mortality/Longevity: Life span: about 4 years or, when available, the carcasses of dead fish in captivity. and invertebrates. Opportunistic “cleaner” Remarks: Usually live in pairs, aggressively shrimp. defending their territory. Reproduction and Development: Studied members of the genus Lysmata, including L. Commensal Shrimp aka Sexy Shrimp californica, have been recently shown to be Thor amboinensis (Hippolytidae) protandric simultaneous hermaphrodites, Distribution: Common in tropical seas a long name that describes a most unusual worldwide. reproductive system. Juveniles first mature and Habitat: Coral reefs; in association with giant reproduce as males (thus the “protandric”), but anemones. later attain the female sexual function as well Appearance: Length to 2 cm. This distinctively (thus “hermaphoditic”). Put any two Lysmata colored brown-orange prawn with large white shrimp in a tank and don’t worry if you have a spots is a stout shrimp with short legs and sexual pair: you do! Each is able to inseminate claws. Eyes are white. the other, and each is able to lay and brood eggs Diet: Feeds on scraps missed by its commensal (thus “simultaneous”). No self-fertilization has anemone. been observed. Whatever works! Remarks: Not observed to be a cleaner shrimp. Remarks: Red rock shrimp often share Some Thor anemone shrimp species may gain crevices with and act as cleaners to moray protection by mimicking cleaner shrimps, eels. According to one source: “They are also which many fishes avoid eating. known to perform cleaning activities on divers’ The distinctive vertical position and movement hands when placed in their vicinity, paying of the abdomen earn this shrimp its common particular attention to areas around fingernails name of “sexy.” or scratches on the skin.” A small commercial fishery exists for these Harlequin Shrimp shrimp as they are considered choice bait Hymenocera picta (Gnathophyllidae) for recreational anglers of many fish species, Distribution: Along East Africa, the Red Sea, such as opaleye, rubberlip surfperch, and to Indonesia, south to northern Australia and pile perch. as far east as the Galapagos. The species may be moving northward, Habitat: Hard rocky or coral substrates, with perhaps due to climate change, as they have many hiding places. been found seasonally for more than 20 Appearance: Pinkish white body color with years in the open ocean filter housing of the splashes of purple-edged pink spots. Stalked Monterey Bay Aquarium. eyes and antennae flattened and leaf-shaped. Fire Shrimp Max.size: c. 5 cm. Lysmata debelius (Hippolytidae) Diet: This shrimp feeds solely on the tube feet Distribution: Indo-Pacific. of sea stars. Nocturnal feeder; uses large claws to pry sea stars off coral reefs. Habitat: Coral reefs, in or near overhangs or caves. Reproduction and Development: Male and female pairs defend their territory. Females Appearance: Carapace bright red with white produce ~1,000 eggs at a time that hatch in spots. Lower legs and antennae white. Max. about 18 days. Larvae planktonic. size: 5 cm. Remarks: Have been bred successfully in Diet: In the wild, the fire shrimp is primarily captivity. a cleaner, setting up cleaning stations on the reef. In an aquarium setting, they often feed on Advice to aquarists: given known feeding algae or scavenge and forego their cleaner role. habits, don’t keep these aggressive fellows close to prized sea stars. Reproduction and Development: Hermaph- roditic. Any two shrimp make a pair! (See L. On the up side, H. picta is known to feed on californica) crown-of-thorns sea stars, so perhaps it should be considered a reef preservationist! California Academy of Sciences 71

Banded Coral Shrimp salinities, and occasionally in freshwater near Stenopus hispidus (Stenopodidae) estuaries. Distribution: Worldwide tropical distribution. Appearance: The blue crab has sapphire-tinted Habitat: Coral reefs. claws and a mottled brownish shell; females Appearance: Strikingly colorful with have red highlights on their pincer tips. contrasting red and white bands on body and Appendages include a pair pincers of large/ large pincers. Short spines cover the body unequal size, three pairs pointed walking legs. and are used for defense. Males smaller, more and the fifth pair flattened for swimming. The slender than females. carapace (shell) can be up to 10 cm long and 25 Diet: A cleaner shrimp, it removes dead tissue, cm wide, and the crab may weigh up to 1 kg. algae and parasites from fish. Olfactory sensors Like crabs in general, males and females are in the tentacles and pincers make it adept at differentiated by their abdomens—long and finding food. narrow (male), wide and rounded (female). Mortality/Longevity: Life span in captivity: Diet: Primarily molluscs, crustaceans and fish, 2–2.5 years. but will feed on almost anything, including plants, carrion and smaller blue crabs. Remarks: Like most cleaner shrimp species on coral reefs, they congregate at cleaning Reproduction and Development: The female stations, waving their extremely long antennae mates only once after her final molt. She is to advertise their services. grasped by a pair of male appendages and carried right side up under the crab, mating These “picky” eaters have been known to clean for many hours. Able to store sperm for up to under the fingernails of hands! a year, the female may spawn several times Look for molts in their tanks; all cleaner shrimp after this single mating. The larvae hatch after molt every 3–8 weeks. 14-17 days, remain in the plankton, undergoing Candy Shrimp complex molts for many weeks, and eventually Rhynchocinetes durbanensis (Rhynchocinetidae) settle as minute crabs. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Mortality/Longevity: Life span in the wild is 1–3 years. Causes of mortality are predation, Habitat: Lives deep in cracks and crevices of disease and exploitation. coral reefs, often in large numbers. Conservation Status: Blue crabs are sensitive Appearance: Transparent, with bold red and to environmental changes, and play a key role white stripes. Long rostrum bears spines along in managing their prey populations. Constant both the upper and lower edges. Males tend over-harvesting has negatively affected their to have larger claws than females. Max. size: ecosystems. c. 5 cm. Remarks: Blue crabs are the Maryland State Diet: Omnivore/scavenger. Mostly nocturnal. crustacean, and are very heavily harvested. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 4 years. Blue crabs have recently been found in San Remarks: This species is not a cleaner shrimp. Francisco Bay, where they may be a threat to Also called the “hinge-beak shrimp” as the the native crab population. They have a prickly rostrum can be moved up and down independent disposition and are quick to use their sharp of the head. With these long, flexible beaks, they front pincers. can reach food not available to others. Dungeness Crab Blue Crab Cancer magister (Cancridae) Callinectes sapidus (Portunidae) Distribution: Alaska, south to Pismo Beach or Swimming Crabs perhaps Santa Barbara, California. Distribution: North American coast, from Habitat: Adults commonly on deep sandy Nova Scotia south to Uruguay. Introduced substrates, subtidal to 230 m; not abundant elsewhere. below 90 m. Occasionally on soft bottoms; Habitat: They live in brackish coastal lagoons remain buried in mud with only eyes and and estuaries, muddy shores, bays with low antennae exposed. Juveniles in sandy bays. 72 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Appearance: Carapace to 23 cm across in plentiful enough for commercial catch. males, to 16.5 cm in females. Nasty fighters; known to pinch painfully Diet: Adults are rather non-discriminating through neoprene gloves of curious SCUBA nocturnal carnivores. Diminutive crustaceans divers. are favored prey items. Small bivalves are also consumed; shells are crushed or opened by Green Shore Crab chipping away the margins with their powerful Hemigrapsus oregonensis (Grapsidae) claws. Also consume worms and fishes as well Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. The as fresh carrion. common shore crab of San Francisco Bay. Reproduction and Development: Mating Habitat: Open mud flats, algal mats, eelgrass occurs from April to September in British beds in bays, estuaries, and on open beaches. Columbia and perhaps earlier in California. Appearance: Many color variations from Females able to retain viable sperm for up grayish green to white, often mottled; carapace to several months; gravid mostly during up to 5 cm. November to February and spawn between Diet: Feeds mainly on diatoms and green algae, September and December. Clutch from 700 but will scavenge and take meat if available. thousand to 2.5 million eggs. Hatching begins Feeds primarily at night. during December, peaking during March. Reproduction and Development: Females Molting of the adults follows reproduction. brood up to 4,500 eggs per mating. Larvae Mortality/Longevity: Larval stages are eaten spend about 5 weeks in the plankton before in enormous numbers by herring, pilchard and metamorphosis and settling. Females may salmon. Crabs live to eight years or possibly mate twice a year. longer. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by various Remarks: Largest edible crab on the North shorebirds. These crabs are good diggers, and American west coast. Accounts for 99% can bury themselves rapidly in sand to escape of all crab species taken commercially in predators. California. Conservation Status: While our native green Red Rock Crab shore crab is still plentiful, their population may Cancer productus (Cancridae) be seriously compromised by the aggressive European green crab (Carcinus maenas), which Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. feeds on the smaller H. oregonensis and may Habitat: Rocky areas of bays and estuaries; displace it from its favored habitats. found on gravel, rock, and sand; often buries Remarks: This small crab tolerates varying itself in sandy substrate. salinities and temperatures well, and so is Appearance: Carapace usually a reddish color common in estuaries where salt and fresh in adults, juveniles highly variable, often with waters mix. stripes. Large claws with black tips. A large crab, up to 18 cm across the carapace. Purple Shore Crab Diet: Voracious hunter of live and dead organic Hemigrapsus nudus (Grapsidae) matter. Most active at night. Uses powerful claws Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. to open clams, mussels, snails, barnacles, as well Habitat: Rocky shore, upper to low intertidal un- as to catch smaller crabs and hold dead fish. der stones and among seaweeds. Less common Reproduction and Development: Mating along clay banks in sloughs and estuaries. occurs most often in summer after female Appearance: Carapace to 5.5 cm wide in males, has molted. Males will often guard a molting 3.5 cm in females; smooth and convex anteri- female until her exoskeleton hardens. Female orly, flat posteriorly. Usually colored purple, may carry up to ½ million eggs on her pleopods occasionally yellow-green or reddish brown. (swimming appendages). Diet: Diatoms and other algae. Also scavenge Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by fish and animal material. seabirds, such as gulls. Reproduction and Development: In Central Remarks: Large and good eating, but not California breeding occurs from November California Academy of Sciences 73

to April. Fertile females ready to molt emit cm in males, 7 cm in females. Often heavily a pheromone, which attracts males. Mating decorated, and during the day, seldom noticed occurs after the female molts, while she is still until it moves. soft-shelled. Size of brood correlates with the Diet: Algae, sponges, small crustaceans, size of the female, from 441 eggs in a female bryozoans. with a 1.2 cm carapace width, to more than Mortality/Longevity: An important food 36,400 in a female 3.4 cm wide. One brood source for several fishes, including croakers, per year is typical, two rarely. Hatched lar- some rockfishes, and cabezon. vae enter the plankton and metamorphose Remarks: Crabs in this family are known as through several stages before the first juvenile decorator crabs for their habit of attaching crab instar. marine algae or invertebrates to their carapace, Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by shore- which has tiny hooks (setae) that hold their birds and fishes. “riders” securely. Different species tend to

Striped Shore Crab aka Lined Shore Crab choose different organisms as decorations. Pachygrapsus crassipes (Graspidae) Decorator crabs take good care of their living Distribution: Oregon to Baja California, also symbionts. When the crabs molt, especially the Gulf of California; introduced to Japan and when they are small and still vulnerable to Korean coast in the late 1800s. predation, they remove the “decorations” from their old shell and apply them to the new! Habitat: Intertidal zone in crevices, tide pools, mussel beds; or along muddy shores of bays The size of decorator crabs varies significantly. and estuaries. Semi-terrestrial, living on land One study suggests this differential reduces at least half the time, but returning regularly competition in the wild for crevice refuges in to water to moisten gills. rocky habitats. Appearance: Square dark body with green Decorator crab species also seem to partition cross stripes. food resources, with some specializing on species of kelp and others being more general Diet: Feeds on films of algae and diatoms, feeders on both plants and a variety of scraped off with claws. Also scavenges and animals. takes live limpets, snails, crabs, and insects. Most active at night. They are often very destructive in our displays. They pick and tear at anything they can. That’s Reproduction and Development: Reach full why you don’t see very many in the exhibits. size in about 3 years, molting some 20 times before maturity. Female broods about 50,000 Graceful Decorator Crab eggs under her abdomen during each breeding Oregonia gracilis (Majidae) cycle. Distribution: Bering Sea to Monterey, Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by sea gulls, rats, California; Japan. raccoons, and humans. Habitat: Intertidal to about 425 m. Often on Remarks: These crabs can spend up to 3 days wharf piles or in eelgrass beds. In intertidal out of water, depending on the water stored areas, remains below water surface. in gill chambers. Appearance: Heart-shaped carapace with Their eclectic and voracious feeding habits long rostrum. The only decorator (or masking) make them the clean-up crew of the high crab with a long, hooked spine behind the intertidal. eye. Long, thin, spider-like legs and pincers. Like many of its family, is a camouflage Masking Crab aka Decorator Crab artist, usually liberally decorated with Loxorhynchus crispatus (Majidae) algae, sponges, bryozoans and/or hydroids. Distribution:: Northern California south to Carapace up to 5 cm. Baja California. Diet: Brown algae; also, known to eat carrion. Habitat: Common on pilings, kelp beds, and Reproduction and Development: Usually subtidal rocks to 183 m depth. spawn between May and August during spring Appearance: A large crab with carapace to 9 and summer plankton blooms. 74 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Mortality/Longevity: Pacific halibut is a fiddler crabs. Usually in or near mangrove known predator; probably other fishes, sandbanks. Prefer slightly sandier substrates cephalopods, and sea otters as well. Lives up to mudbanks, burrows located in the intertidal to several years. zone of both substrates. Remarks: Masking or decorator crabs typically Appearance: Carapace width to 2.5 cm. Strong add camouflaging items to their bodies by sexual dimorphism; males have one of their attaching them to hook-like spines on the chelae very greatly enlarged (the “fiddle”), carapace and legs. This strategy may conceal females dull colored with chelae equal and small. the crabs from predators, prey, or both. Diet: Organic matter in the sand. Reproduction and Development: Northern Kelp Crab Males gain Pugettia producta (Majidae) the attention of potential mates by waving their enormous chela in a semaphore manner; Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. each species of Uca has a distinctive huge claw Habitat: Rocky intertidal in kelp beds and tide movement pattern. The male also attracts a pools with abundant surfgrass or algae. The female with acoustic signals by rapping the crab uses the vegetation as protection from sun propodus (elbow) of his claw against the and predators. Subtidal to 70 m. substrate or by rapid flexion of the walking Appearance: Mostly dark brown to green. legs. The number of pulses (raps) in a series, Color varies with diet depending on the as well as the interval between every series, type of algae consumed, providing a natural is characteristic to each Uca species. Females camouflage. Like other members of its family, detect these acoustical signals in special organs noted for its unique, elongated carapace with in their legs. extended rostrum and four pairs of relatively Remarks: When disturbed, quickly retreat into long, slender walking legs. Because of these a burrow, which may not be their own, or dig features, the family common name is “spider a new one. crabs.” Males use their huge claw to defend their Diet: Mainly a nocturnal vegetarian feeding burrow turf against other males. Male-to-male on bull kelp, sea lettuce, rockweed and other combat is highly ritualized. The huge chela is kelp. Occasionally will take barnacles, mussels, held like a shield. Combat involves variations hydroids, and bryozoans in winter when of pushing and extension. vegetation is scarce. Reproduction and Development: Females Common Hermit Crab usually mate June to July, though can mate Dardanus pedunculatus (Diogenidae) year round. Fertilized eggs develop for several Distribution: Indo-Pacific. months underneath the female’s abdomen. Habitat: Coral, rock or sand; depth to 40 m. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by sculpins, Likely the most common species of hermit crab gulls, cabezon, and sea otters among others. in the locations in which it occurs. Remarks: Most crabs in this family are called Appearance: To 10 cm. Spiny chelipeds, masking crabs; they attach fragments of shells light-colored bristles. Candy-cane white and and algae to their carapace for camouflage. P. red-striped eyestalks, green eyes. Abdomen producta, a large active crab, maintains a clean protected by a recycled mollusk shell. surface, perhaps for ease of movement. Diet: Algae, scavenger. P. producta is a feisty animal; long legs are Remarks: Adults locate a prospective empty dextrous, and claws can pinch hard. home with their eyes and inspect it by inserting one of their chelae into its interior. No real Orange Fiddler Crab estate agents are employed. If the shell seems Uca vocans (Ocypodidae) like a good fit on their “test drive,” they walk Distribution: Indo-Western Pacific: Madagascar, away with their find. On the other hand, if the South Africa to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, fit, weight, or movability doesn’t suit, the crab Philippines. returns to its old, crowded shell with no qualms Habitat: Adults are semi-terrestrial, like all about searching for other choices. California Academy of Sciences 75

The mollusk shells selected as homes for this Used as bait by shore fishermen. otherwise naked crustacean are typically coated Mole crabs are collected to indicate levels of with diminutive sea anemones (Calliactis spp.). DDT and neurotoxins produced seasonally This symbiotic pairing provides protection by diatoms, substances that are toxic to birds, and camouflage for the hermit, and gives the otters, and fish that eat them. hitchhiking anemones food shared with the crab. When disturbed, the anemones aboard for the Hermit Crab free ride expel acontia (lengthy stinging cells). Pagurus spp. (Paguridae) Hermit crabs have been observed transferring Distribution: Some species in this genus occur their hitchhikers to a new shell when they in northern Japan, the Bering Strait, and south outgrow their home! to Baja California. Habitat: Tide pools in upper to middle inter- Naked or Pacific Mole Crab tidal zones. Some species reported to more Emerita analoga (Hippidae) than 110 m depth. Distribution: Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja Appearance: These clever crabs appropriate California and from Ecuador to Argentina. gastropod mollusk shells into defensive homes. Habitat: The swash zone of the sandy intertidal On our seacoast there are typically 4 species of beach, which ranges from the lowest to highest hermits in the intertidal. Their appearance is reaches of the waves at any given time. The most obviously recognized by their appropri- swash zone changes with the tides, and so does ated shell (Tegula is a popular choice). the location of the mole crabs Diet: Scavenge dead algae and animal matter. Appearance: Gray or sand-colored crab that Reproduction and Development: : Sexes sepa- lacks claws or spines. Females are larger than rate, fertilization is internal. The male often males. Swims, crawls, and burrows, always grasps the edge of the female’s shell and drags moving backwards, using its five pairs of legs. it around with him, waiting for the female to Hairs on appendages aid in rapid movement molt, after which he deposits sperm on her through the sand. First pair of antennae reach abdomen. Females carry eggs and then release above the sand for respiration, and eyes with planktonic larvae. Once they have outgrown long stalks often extend above the sand as well. their home due to weight gain they select a Diet: Small organisms, mostly diatoms. When larger, empty shell. the sand is covered by a wave, the second Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by fishes, pair of antennae are extended above the sand crabs, and sea anemones. to collect these tiny organisms, which are Remarks: Hermit crabs (Anomura) have 3 pairs brought toward the mouth and scraped off. of walking legs. True crabs (Brachyura) have a The movement is quick; a mole crab can make pair of claws and 4 pairs of walking legs. several passes for food in one receding wave. Their abdomens are long, slender, soft and Reproduction and Development: Females usually flexed to the right which allows them produce about one clutch of eggs per month, to fit into old snail shells, which are practically which she carries, like many crab species, all right handed. attached on her abdomen beneath the telson until they hatch. Planktonic larvae Black-eyed Hermit Crab metamorphose through multiple stage, often Pagurus armatus (Paguridae) traveling far offshore until some successfully Distribution: Coastal areas of the Pacific settle onto beaches. Northwest from Alaska, British Columbia, Mortality/Longevity: A major food source for the Puget Sound area of Washington south to shorebirds and some fish species of the surf California. zone, such as barred surfperch. Also eaten by Habitat: Found on a variety of substrates, from sea otters. muddy areas to protected sandy bottoms from Remarks: Mole crabs are found on the beach the intertidal zone to depths of 120 m. in large numbers from spring to fall. In winter, Appearance: One of the largest species of storms carry them to offshore sandbars. hermit crabs. Easily identified by its large, oval, 76 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

black compound eyes set on short eyestalks. Vampire Crab Legs and claws have red and orange bands Geosesarma sp.’vampire” (Sesarmidae) with white spots; the dark brown claws Distribution: Southeast Asia. have short spines on the dorsal surface. Max Habitat: Inhabits forests or near running fresh carapace length: 4 cm. water. On land, usually make burrows for Diet: Hermit crabs generally feed on detritus hiding and resting. but may scavenge on dead animal and plant Appearance: Carapace length: c. 2.5 cm. Small material. pincers, similar in size. Pincers and other Reproduction and Development: In October, appendages tend to be purplish, carapace the females carry their brood of eggs under variable in color from reddish to blue. Eyes the abdominal telson flap. The first brood may be a bright neon orange or red. hatches in February and March. Adult Diet: Active during the day; feeds mostly on females can carry up to three broods with the insects, alive or dead. May also take other small last brood hatching in September. The larval invertebrates. and advanced developmental stages of these Reproduction and Development: This crab hermit crabs lasts a total of 73 days depending genus is quite unusual, the only group known on temperature. to reproduce in a freshwater environment. Remarks: When hermit crabs outgrow their Other crabs, even the few terrestrial species, shells they are vulnerable to predation until they must return to salt or at least brackish water locate and move into a larger shell. to reproduce; the eggs ultimately hatch A point of interest: the holotype of Pagurus into planktonic larvae that “go to sea” to armatus was lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. metamorphose through a variety of stages before developing into the adult form. The Hairy Hermit Crab mostly terrestrial vampire crab, on the other Pagurus hirsutiusculus (Paguridae) hand, has large eggs. The young go through Distribution: Alaska to southern California; their larval stages within the egg, and hatch Siberia, Japan; common in San Francisco Bay. out as fully developed small crabs. Are being Habitat: Intertidal tidepools, gravelly beaches, bred successfully in captivity. Like all crabs, and under rocks and algae; more abundant in the female has a wide abdomen where eggs protected water. Tolerant of brackish water. are cemented and protected until they hatch. Appearance: Length to 3 cm, but generally Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 2–3 years. smaller. Antennae grayish brown with white Remarks: Genus Geosesarma consists of about bands and spots. Walking legs white, often 40 members, all small terrestrial crabs. The with blue bands. Body remarkably hairy. “vampire crab” was described fairly recently. Diet: Generally a scavenger feeing on detritus The common name seems a reference to the and dead animal matter, though also feeds on glowing eyes, reminiscent of the vampires in seed weed and occasionally takes live prey. old movies. Reproduction and Development: LIke other Another species of Geosesarma from Malaysia crabs, female attaches eggs to her pleopods seems to live symbiotically with several species (swimming legs), carrying up to 5 broods of pitcher plants. The crab uses the plant as a through spring and summer. Larvae are safe harbor from predators, and in return drops planktonic, metamorphosing through various its own insect prey and feces that nourish the stages before settling to the bottom. plant. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by fish, primarily sculpins. CLASS CIRRIPEDI.A Remarks: Unlike most hermit crabs, this species (BARNACLES AND THEIR KIN) usually chooses a shell so small that the snail can- not withdraw its body completely for protection. Acorn Barnacle When a predator is encountered, the hairy hermit Balanus glandula (Balanidae) crab may abandon its shell completely, depend- Distribution: Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Baja ing instead on speed for defense. California. California Academy of Sciences 77

Habitat: On rocks, pier pilings and hard- be 60 yrs. or more. Prey to some sea stars and shelled invertebrates in the high and middle snails. intertidal zones in bays, estuaries and espe- Remarks: Edible; found in the middens of cially along the open coast. coastal Native Americans. Appearance: Diameter to 2.2 cm. Colored Empty shells provide refuge to small rock white to grayish. crabs and juvenile red octopuses (Octopus Diet: Like all barnacles, is a filter feeder. rubescens). Reproduction and Development: Hermaph- Gooseneck Barnacle roditic. Produce 2–6 broods during the winter Pollicipes polymerus (Scalpellidae) and spring, 1,000–30,000 larvae per brood; number correlated with size of the parent. Distribution: British Columbia, Canada to Larvae settle in the spring and summer. Typi- Baja California. cally reach a diameter of 1.5 cm after 3 years; Habitat: High to middle intertidal on wave- crowding by conspecifics reduces the rate of swept rocky shores in clusters, and also among growth. Larvae that settle in the spring are California barnacles (Mytilus californianus). reproductive their first winter. Appearance: To 8 cm in height. Tough stalk Mortality/Longevity: Predatory gastropods (peduncle). Top (capitulum) covered with more and sea stars take their toll, as do limpets than 5 plates. feeding upon or bulldozing off juvenile Diet: Filter feed upon detritus, large zooplank- barnacles on their turf. May live to 10 years. ton and crustaceans to 1 cm long. Remarks: Various barnacle species create Reproduction and Development: Hermaph- serious and expensive fouling problems on roditic. Reproduction occurs during summer ship hulls and pilings. In two years, 10 tons in northern California. Fertilized eggs are of barnacles may attach to a large tanker, brooded in the mantle cavity of the shell. causing huge losses in fuel efficiency. Time from fertilization until release of larvae is about one month. A female may produce Giant Acorn Barnacle 3–7 broods per year; 100,000–240,000 larvae Balanus nubilus (Balanidae) are produced per brood. Growth is slow in Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. attached juveniles over 1 cm in length. Sexu- Habitat: Found on pier pilings, rocks and ally mature at 5 years. hard-shelled animals, upper subtidal to depth Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by Pisaster 300 feet. Prefers areas of current or waves that ochraceus. Fully grown individuals may be 20 deliver food. years old. Appearance: Sessile; volcano-like shell attached Remarks: Exported to Spain and Portugal as to hard substrate. A large barnacle, often 5–8 a food delicacy. cm in diameter. Diet: Plankton and detritus; feathery legs protrude and filter water to trap particulate matter. Reproduction and Development: Each SUBPHYLUM HEXAPODA animal contains both sexes (hermaphroditic). They cross-fertilize, passing sperm to one CLASS INSECTA another via internal fertilization. A barnacle can fertilize itself if there’s no other barnacle ORDER BLATTODEA within reach. Not a bad strategy when you’re glued to one Giant Cockroach spot. And if you’re not going anywhere fast, Blaberus giganteus (Blaberidae) some part of you should be able to make the Distribution: Central and South America. reproductive journey: barnacles have the Habitat: Also called giant cave cockroaches, longest penises in relation to adult size than they live in caves, under stones and in dead any such equipped organism known! tree branches. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: Thought to Appearance: A giant cockroach has a flattened, 78 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

oval body, about 9 cm long and 4 cm wide. for extended periods. Males defend mating Females are slightly larger than males. They territories, and use their horns in fights with commonly run along the ground, although rivals, ramming each other and hissing loudly. the adults have wings that are rarely if ever Mortality/Longevity: Likely predators include used for flight. They have long, very slender large spiders, tenrecs, and birds. When antennae and two sensory organs, called cerci, disturbed, both sexes sound an alarm hiss at the tip of the abdomen. to startle predators. Can live up to 5 years. Diet: Cockroaches are omnivores and detritivores. Conservation Status: These cockroaches live They help recycle decaying matter on the ground in forest pockets that are dying (degradation into useful nutrients for plants. and fragmentation) so Madagascar is a top Reproduction and Development: All species conservation priority. of cockroaches are ovoviviparous. After Remarks: Territory sizes are small: a male mating, the female forms a protective pouch may sit on a rock and defend it for months. to hold the eggs until they hatch. She keeps Dominant males stand on their “toes” to “show the pouch inside her abdomen, taking it out off.” only once to turn it and retracting it until Indigenous people call this species Kofokofoka, gestation is complete. Incubation is about 60 approximating the hisser’s call. days. The female expels the pouch when the Madagascar hissing cockroaches are not pests, eggs start to hatch. do not inhabit houses, cannot fly, are not Mortality/Longevity: They can live about 20 aggressive, and do not bite. months as adults. Remarks: Females emit a pheromone that induces males to mate. Male courtship rituals ORDER MANTODEA include raising wings at right angles to (PRAYING MANTIDS) abdomen and making trembling movements Ghost Praying Mantis with abdomen. Phyllocrania paradoxa (Hymenopodidae) Happily these huge insects provide services to the Distribution: Tropical Africa including forest, and are not found in the average kitchen! Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia. Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Habitat: Warm, highly humid tropical forests. Gromphadorhina portentosa (Blaberidae) Appearance: Miniature species of leaf mantis, Distribution: Madagascar. growing to under 5 cm. Sexual dimorphism is Habitat: Tropical lowland forest floor, hiding usual, with females slightly longer, and having in leaf litter and rotting logs. a wider abdomen than males. Colors can vary Appearance: Dark brown exoskeleton, no from grey/green to dark brown or almost wings, foot pads and hooks to climb smooth black. Colors are dependent on humidity and Phyllocrania surfaces. Females have larger, heavier bodies. light levels. has leaf-like head and Males sport horns. They are one of the largest shoulder shields, and leaf-like protrusions cockroach species in the world (5–7.5 cm long hanging from its limbs. This “dead-leaf” and weighing up to 25 gm). appearance makes it very difficult to see. Diet: Drosophila, Diet: Nocturnal scavengers of decaying plant In captivity ghost mantids eat material, small insects and animal carcasses. houseflies, crickets, flour worms. Reproduction and Development: Reproduction and Development: Mating No specific occurs year around. The male hisses during information found. In general mantids courtship by constricting its abdomen to reproductive organs are found at the tip of expel air through breathing holes (spiracles), their abdomen. Females usually attract males producing both calling and courtship sounds. with pheromones, there is a brief courtship Females carry 15–40 eggs internally, then bear dance, and the male alights on the female’s live young. Nymphs molt their exoskeleton back. After fertilization the female deposits as they grow, reaching sexual maturity in batches of eggs, using an ovipositor at the tip 7 months. Parents and offspring stay close of her abdomen. The eggs stick to stems and California Academy of Sciences 79

leaves, and each batch is housed in an egg legs together simultaneously, and can remain case made from an abdominal secretion. The underwater for a long time breathing air case hardens to protect the eggs from birds, trapped in a chamber under its wing covers. and other predators. After about a month the Large swarms of these beetles sometimes fly nymphs hatch and then molt several times, to artificial lights at night. each time becoming more like the adult form. When disturbed, they eject a milky fluid which Mortality/Longevity: Generally a long-lived contains a mixture of steroid compounds, species. Molt every 3–5 weeks, until the 4th presumably as a deterrent to fish predators. and final molting. Life span: up to 14 months They benefit humans because they eat other in captivity. invertebrates including mosquito larvae and Remarks: The scientific name is probably pupae. derived from Greek for “leaf “(phyllo) and Latin for “head” (crania), thus “leafy head mantis.” ORDER LEPIDOPTERA (BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS) ORDER COELEOPTERA (BEETLES) Banded Orange Dryadula phaetusa (Nymphalidae) Sunburst Diving Beetle Brush-footed Butterflies Thermonectus marmoratus (Dytiscidae) Distribution: Native throughout the Predaceous Diving Beetles continental Neotropics, from central Mexico Distribution: Arizona, Southern California, to Brazil; summer migrant in U.S. north to New Mexico, Western Texas and Mexico. Kansas. Habitat: Freshwater rivers, lakes, intermittent Habitat: Disturbed lowland areas. streams, and pools. Because they are winged, Appearance: Males: bright brown and orange- they travel to other areas when their water striped pattern above; striking and quite source dries up. different brown, orange, and white pattern Appearance: Bodies are oval and flattened with below. Females somewhat duller. smooth contours. Gold markings on the black Diet: Caterpillars feed on various host passion carapace and yellow spots on the abdomen flower vine species; adults feed primarily on give the species its common name. Females nectar and bird droppings. slightly larger than males. Length: 10–15 mm. Reproduction and Development: Eggs are Diet: Small aquatic animals such as mosquito laid singly on stems and leaves of host plants. larvae, water mites, and worms. The beetles Mortality/Longevity: Long lived for butterflies may also eat dead organisms found on the (See Postman). surface film or the bottom, engulfing small items and chewing large ones. They have Remarks: The Banded Orange is the sole member sometimes been seen swarming a prey item of its genus. The genus is distinguished by having and feeding en masse. shorter, broader wings and shorter antennae than others in the heliconiine subfamily. Reproduction and Development: Diving beetles undergo complete metamorphosis. Their eggs Giant Owl Butterfly are attached to underwater plants and hatch into Caligo memnon (Nymphalidae) the larval stage. Larvae later pupate in mud near Brush-footed Butterflies water; and the adult emerges ready to breed a Distribution: Mexico south to Amazonia. few weeks late. Habitat: Rainforests and secondary forests. Mortality/Longevity: Both adults and larvae are Appearance: A very large butterfly: wingspan predators and, with strong sickle-shaped jaws, up to 12.5 cm. can attack prey larger than themselves. They survive dry periods by burrowing into the mud. Diet: Adults feed on rotting fruit, sipping liquids through their proboscis. Remarks: With their streamlined body, the beetle swims effortlessly by flexing its hind Remarks: Giant owls not always applauded by human cohabitants. Larvae are large and 80 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

voracious, and one individual can consume more than once. Not a pupal mater. (See Zebra an entire banana leaf more than 3 feet long! Longwing). Eggs laid singly on underside of Common name derived from the large host plant. “eyespots” on the underside of wings, thought Mortality/Longevity: Like all Heliconians, to be deterrents to bird predators. they are long-lived Remarks: Adults roost alone on underside of Julia Longwing leaves. Dryas julia (Nymphalidae) Brush-footed Butterflies Zebra Longwing Distribution: Resident in Brazil north through Heliconius charithonia (Nymphalidae) Central America, Mexico, West Indies, Brush-footed Butterflies peninsular Florida, and South Texas. Strays Distribution: Tropics and subtropics of Central as far north as eastern Nebraska. and South America. Also West Indies, Mexico, Habitat: Subtropical forest openings and southern Texas, Florida, and occasionally edges, and nearby fields. as far west as New Mexico and north to the Appearance: Elongate forewings, thus the Carolinas. common name Males bright orange above Habitat: Moist forests, edges, and fields. and below; upperside of hindwing has narrow Appearance: Long, narrow wings patterned black border on outer margin. Female duller, with black and yellow stripes. with more black markings above. Diet: Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen. Diet: Caterpillars feed on passion vines; adults Larvae feed almost exclusively on the leaves on nectar from flowers. of a few host species of passion flowers (genus Reproduction: Like all species in the subfamily Passiflora). Heliconiinae, also known as heliconians or Reproduction and Development: Almost half longwings, adults lay eggs only on select host of the Heliconian species, including the Zebra plants of the genus Passiflora,commonly called Longwing, practice a unique mating behavior passion vines or passion flowers.D. julia eggs known as pupal mating. The male seeks out are laid singly on new growth; caterpillars feed larval host plants to find female pupae of its on leaves. Larvae of heliconians species, and may fend off other males from one Remarks: The Julia, like many other or more pupae for up to a week before the female butterflies in the rainforest exhibit, belongs butterfly emerges. Mating takes place before the to the Longwing or Heliconian subfamily female is fully hardened. With the exception (Heliconiinae). of one other species, Heliconians are the only butterflies known to practice this behavior. Isabella’s Longwing Mortality/Longevity: From 3–6 months (sources Eueides isabella (Nymphalidae) vary). Taken by birds and larger insects. Brush-footed Butterflies Remarks: Declared the Florida State Butterfly Distribution: Widely distributed in Central in 1996. America and throughout northern South America south through Brazil. Occasional Species name refers to the Charities, or Graces, migrant to southern U.S., especially Texas. of Greek mythology, known as the epitome of charm and natural beauty. Habitat: Occur from sea level to 1,500 m in tropical forests. The Zebra Longwing, because of its striking pattern and long life, is a favorite species for Appearance: Upper wing: outer half of forewing butterfly exhibits. black with yellow areas, area close to body orange with a black stripe. Hindwing orange This species also practices communal roosting with 2 black stripes. Underwing similar. Doris Longwing Diet: Caterpillars: host passion vine leaves; Heliconius doris (Nymphalidae) adults: nectar and pollen. Brush-footed Butterflies Reproduction and Development: Males mate Distribution: Central America to northwestern with receptive females, which may breed Amazonia. California Academy of Sciences 81

Habitat: From sea level to 1,800 m in forest dense forest. clearings. Fly and feed mostly in the mid-story. Appearance: Iridescent black wings that exhibit Appearance: Appears in several color morphs; blue metallic sheen under right light conditions; hindwing markings may be red-orange, blue, a variety of white bands on fore- and hindwings. or green. Two white markings on forewing. H. sapho is often confused with its co-mimic H. Diet: Nectar and pollen. cydno, but can be distinguished by the small red Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by birds. teardrop patterns close to the body. Remarks: Heliconians are unique. Unlike other Diet: Larvae feed on host passion flower vines butterflies, they not only sip nectar, but also (Passiflora spp.). In Costa Rica and Belize, H. sapho use their proboscises to collect and absorb the seems to have a complex coevolved relationship protein from pollen. This amino acid-rich diet with only one host plant, Passiflora pitteri. allows them to function and live longer than Reproduction and Development: Also a most other butterflies. pupal-mater (see Zebra Longwing). Mortality/Longevity: Relatively long lived. Postman Heliconius melpomene (Nymphalidae) Remarks: Several distinct geographical races Brush-footed Butterflies are known; remarkably, H. cydno exhibits parallel geographic variations. The two species Distribution: Widespread in the Neotropics of are Mullerian mimics. Like most Heliconians, Central and South America to southern Brazil. both sequester toxins distasteful to predators; Habitat: Open areas, also locally common their similar patterns give would-be predators along river edges and streams. more chances to learn the error of their ways Appearance: The Postman is famous for the and leave both species alone. geographic diversity of its color pattern, and Researchers suggest that Heliconians, perhaps has around 30 named subspecies. These factors, due to their long lives, are able to learn to in combination with its co-mimicry with recognize specific host plants where the female Heliconius erato, make an individual sometimes lays her eggs. This specificity allows a variety difficult to identify. of Heliconian species to live in close proximity, Diet: A plant specialist on passion vine flowers efficiently partitioning habitat resources. (Passiflora spp.). In Central America, focuses on only two species; in other areas, is more of a Sara Longwing generalist, feeding on several Passifloraspecies. Heliconius sara (Nymphalidae) Mortality/Longevity: Heliconius spp. are Brush-footed Butterflies among the Methuselahs of the butterfly Distribution: Widespread throughout Central world. Most butterflies live only days; some America and the tropics of South America, Heliconians in the adult (butterfly) stage, including the Amazon Basin. including the Postman, live for as long as 8 Habitat: Occurs from sea level to 1,300 m along months. the edges of rainforests. Remarks: The Postman is reportedly named Appearance: Upper wing surface is black with after its habit of flying a route that allows large patch of metallic blue framed by two visitation of all the nectar plants in a given area white bands. Underside is brown-black with like a postman delivering the mail. faded white bars above and small red spots In Greek mythology, Mt. Helicon was sacred near the body. home to the Muses; Melpomene is the Muse Diet: Larvae (caterpillars) feed on select host of Tragedy. passion flower leaves; adults feed on pollen and nectar. Sapho Longwing Reproduction and Development: Pupal Heliconius sapho (Nymphalidae) maters: males sit on female pupae a day before Brush-footed Butterflies emergence, and mating occurs the next day Distribution: Central and northwestern South before the female has completely hardened America to the west of the Andes. (see Zebra Longwing for more information). Habitat: Occurs from sea level to 2,000 m in Females lay eggs in clusters on new growth of 82 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

host passion flower species. Orange Barred Sulfur Mortality/Longevity: Adult life span: 2–3 Phoebis philea (Pieridae) months. Whites and Sulfurs Distribution: Remarks: Passion flowers contain toxic Resident from Brazil, north compounds to which caterpillars are immune; through Central America to peninsular Florida. like monarchs, the caterpillars concentrate the Habitat: Open lowland sites along forest edges. toxin in their tissues and pass it along to the Also frequents gardens, parks, and road edges. adult during metamorphosis. Appearance: Upperside of male bright yellow- Research suggests that adult Heliconian orange; forewing has red-orange bar, hindwing butterflies may be able to synthesize their with red-orange outer margin. Female much own toxins with the amino acids they absorb larger than male. through the protein-rich pollen they feed on. Diet: Caterpillar: Cassia species in the pea family; adult: nectar from various flowers. Blue Morpho Reproduction and Development: Females Morpho peleides (Nymphalidae) lay single eggs on leaves and flowers of host Brush-footed Butterflies plants during the wet season. Caterpillars feed Distribution: Tropics of Latin America from preferentially on the flowers. Mexico to Colombia. Remarks: These swift, high flyers have been Habitat: Feed and sleep on or near the forest reported as rare migrants as far north as Canada. floor, but when mating, they fly throughout forest layers. Malachite Appearance: A large butterfly: 12–20 cm. Wing Siproeta stelenes (Nymphalidae) tops are an iridescent blue, caused not by a true Brush-footed Butterflies color, such as the dye of blue jeans, but by the Distribution: Common resident throughout tiny, overlapping scales that cover their wings. Central and northern South America. In U.S., Because of the precise angle of the ridges they found in southern Texas and south Florida. form, the scales reflect blue light back to our Habitat: Subtropical evergreen and eyes. The contrasting underside of the wing is semideciduous forests. Frequent fruit orchards brown with a confusion of eyespots that blend in Florida. with surroundings and hide the morpho from Appearance: Upperside dark black-brown predators. Females less brilliantly colored. with translucent yellow- to lime–green patches. Diet: Adult drinks juices of rotting plants and Underside duller. animals, tree sap, and wet mud, sipping all Diet: Caterpillars: host plants of the family with its straw-like proboscis. Acanthaceae. Adults: rotting fruit; occasionally Reproduction and Development: Like most bird droppings and nectar. butterflies, males release pheromones to attract Reproduction and Development: Eggs females. Fertilized eggs hatch in about 9 days. laid singly on host plant leaves. In warmest Mortality/Longevity: Total lifespan: egg to climates, up to four broods per year. adult, about 4.5 months; adults (butterflies): Remarks: Named for the mineral malachite, about 1 month. Predators include birds and reminiscent of the bright green of the wings. large insects. Adults roost together under the leaves of low Conservations Status: Not listed, but under shrubs. Green and black coloration provides some pressure as trophies for collectors. excellent camouflage. Remarks: Blue morphos brilliant reflection is so intense that pilots report seeing their flash of color as the butterflies warm themselves ORDER HYMENOPTERA above the treetops. (ANTS) Different angles of view (and so different Leafcutter Ant angles of reflecting ridges) produce variations Atta cephalotes (Formicidae) in the shades of blue perceived. Distribution: Fungus growing ants, or California Academy of Sciences 83 gardening ants, number about 200 species, 1000 eggs each day. The first group of workers all in the tribe Attini, and are found only in to develop takes over for the queen in caring the New World, in every mainland country for eggs, larvae, and pupae. The queen has except Canada and Chile. Most leafcutter ant only one job then—to lay the eggs that will species are native to tropical Central and South build the colony. America, though a few species occur in the Mortality/Longevity: Queen lives up to 10 southwestern United States. years on average, but some have lived up to Atta cephalotes ranges from southern Mexico to 14 years. Costa Rica and south to northern Argentina. Remarks: Fungus and ants are mutually Habitat: Colonies are found throughout dependent for survival. Obviously, the fungus the tropical rain forest, tropical deciduous provides the ants with food, but equally forest, and tropical scrub forest. Nests are important, the fungus receives a warm, moist underground to a depth of 6 m. Some have home and is supplied with fresh, fertilized up to 3000 chambers, hundreds of “gardens,” nutrients. The ant colony also remorselessly and can cover an area up to an acre. Crescent- rids the colony of any competing fungal strains. shaped mounds at the entrance of the nests Many ants make noises while they work, 3 contain as much as 350 m­ of soil. generating the sound by rasping a file-like Appearance: Rust colored with lighter colored widget on one segment of the gaster (the legs, members of the genus Atta are among the enlarged part of the abdomen) against a largest, most socially complex leafcutters. The specialized rough spot on a neighboring huge queen is up to 1.5 cm in length, an egg- segment. The ants pick up the vibrations, called laying machine capable of building a colony stridulations, with sensors on their knees. of several million individuals. Atta cephalotes Leafcutter ants are able to set up vibrations is noted for its especially large head (hence the in their mandibles that helps the ants cut name). Workers take many forms and sizes, smoothly through leaves. These workers also from large soldiers and major workers with seem to communicate via stridulations with a their impressive mandibles to the smallest smaller worker caste that accompanies them workers, sized to move easily through the on harvesting missions. The vibrations signal narrow galleries of fungal gardens. A soldier the small ants to climb onto the leaf for the may be 10 times longer and weigh several ride home. These hitchhiking minor workers hundred times more than the smallest worker. protect the leaf carriers from phorid flies that The abdomen has a stinger, but it is not used. try to inject an egg in the braincase or gaster. Diet: Leafcutter ants are true gardeners. If the fly is successful, its larvae parasitize the They grow their own food by cutting leaves, ant, ultimately killing its victim by digesting mostly during the evening and nighttime, and its body tissues, finishing with the brain and carrying them back to the nest, where smaller leaving a headless corpse! workers then process them further and take Leafcutter ants are responsible for destroying them to underground “garden” chambers. All more vegetation than any other group of along the way, the leaves are fertilized by their animals: they inflict more than a billion dollars handlers with anal secretions. Fungi then grow in crop damage yearly. A large colony harvests on the decaying vegetation, and the ants feed the same amount of plant material that a cow exclusively on the fungus, not the leaves. Each consumes in a single day. Some leafcutter ant species grows a specific fungus. species, though not Atta cephalotes, compete Reproduction & Development: Atta cephalotes with cattle for grass and harvested foodstuffs swarm in mating flights at the onset of the rainy stored by humans, such as cereal grains, flour, season. The queen mates with multiple males. dried beans, and cattle meal. Large colonies of The founding female has a pocket in her mouth leafcutter ants also undermine the foundations cavity for storage of fungus spores to start her of buildings, causing structural damage. new nest. After she digs the first chamber for Leafcutters have their benevolent side as well. the garden, she deposits the spores, gathers Atta species, like most insects, are a good source appropriate leaves, and begins laying about of protein; they are eaten by people in parts of 84 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Mexico and in many places in South America. spiders, there are no deadly centipedes and no They also circulate nutrients and aerate huge confirmed human fatalities. quantities of soil in forests and grasslands as During World War II, Scolopendra subspinipes they construct their subterranean cities. roamed freely around military installations in the Pacific theater. Centipedes crawled into foxholes, latrines, and shelters, where they hid SUBPHYLUM MYRIAPODA in the bedding. Many soldiers suffered from centipede bites. The bites caused instant, fiery pain. At least one resourceful medic injected CLASS CHILOPODA a localized dental anesthetic around the bite, (CENTIPEDES) which numbed the pain.

Scolopendra Centipede Scolopendra subspinipes (Scolopendridae) Distribution: Widely distributed in Southeast PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA Asia. Habitat: Live in humid environments. Usually found in soil, leaf litter, or rotten wood. CLASS ASTEROIDEA (SEA STARS) Appearance: The name centipede literally means “hundred legs,” though some centipede Sand-eating Sea Star species have more and some have as few as Archaster typicus (Archasteridae) 30. Scolopendra subspinipes has 21 segments, Distribution: Indo-Pacific. with 2 legs on each segment, except for the last. These legs attach laterally and are used Habitat: Shallow sandy or silty areas near for locomotion. The last pair of legs extends seagrasses. backwards from the ultimate segment and is Appearance: Arms tapered to a sharp tip and used as a sensory organ. The Scolopendra grows edged with short flat, blunt spines. Diameter to 20 cm. Quite variable in color with many with arms: c. 12–15 cm. Underside pale with identified subspecies, but most specimens large, suckered tube feet. Color of upper side are brown to reddish brown with yellow to may vary from grayish blue, to brown or beige. yellow-orange legs. Diet: Detritus, decaying plants, burrowing Diet: Like all centipedes, exclusively carnivores. through the substrate in search of food items. Large species feed on bats, mice and other Like many seas tars, extrudes its ‘”stomach” small mammals, snakes, frogs and toads, and from its mouth on the ventral side, engulfing birds, as well as other arthropods. its meal with digestive enzymes. Reproduction and Development: A male Reproduction: The genus Archaster, which centipede has no copulatory organ: he spins a consists of only three species, engages small silk pad and then deposits his sperm on in a peculiar mating behavior known it. Guided by the male, the female picks up the as pseudocopulation. The male, usually sperm, fertilizes and lays her eggs. considerably smaller than the female, positions Mortality/Longevity: Adult lifespan: 10 years. himself on top of the female, his arms alternating with hers, and releases his sperm as Remarks: All centipedes possess “poison she releases her eggs. This practice presumably claws.” The venom delivery apparatus increases the chance of fertilization. This consists of a modified pair of front legs, behavior has been observed at the Steinhart. near the mandibles. The venom is formed in glands at the base of these legs and injected Remarks: The size differential, with the female through ducts. Large scolopendromorphs being significantly larger than the male, is very can inflict painful bites that may necessitate unusual in echinoderms. a visit to a doctor. The bite causes intense The sand-eater in the Steinhart is provides a pain, swelling, discoloration, numbness, and cleaning service to the upside-down jellies necrosis. However, unlike scorpions and with which it lives, eating algae and detritus. California Academy of Sciences 85

Vermillion Sea Star Red Linckia Sea Star Mediaster aequalis (Goniasteridae) Linckia multiflora (Ophidiasteridae) Distribution: Alaska south to southern Distribution: Red Sea, Indo-Pacific. California. Habitat: Shallow reefs to 40 m. Habitat: Common in subtidal waters; rarely Appearance: Mottled red, blue or yellow col- exposed to the air. Found especially in rocky ors. Typically has five rays. areas; occasionally on sand and gravel. Diet: May be a suspension feeder. It may feed Appearance: Orange to vermillion red. Aboral on microscopic algae and microbes. surface covered with oval or hexagonal plates Reproduction and Development: Sexual (ossicles). Oral side lighter. reproduction. Also asexual: casts off an arm Diet: Opportunistic: sponges, bryozoans, at base of the disc; the “comet” regenerates a tunicates, algae, and detritus. Also known to new disc and rays. Thus the new individual is feed on sea pens. a clone of the parent. Remarks: Moves more rapidly than most sea Mortality/Longevity: Remarks: Regeneration stars. of an adult from a single arm is very unusual for sea stars. Elegant Sea Star Remarks: Parasitic snail, Thyca chrystallina, Fromia monilis (Ophidiasteridae) often found on the oral side of this sea star. Distribution: Andaman Sea to western Pacific Ocean. Panamic Cushion Sea Star Habitat: Various coral reefs substrates at 1–30 Pentaceraster cumingi (Oreasteridae) m depth. Distribution: Mid- to eastern Pacific: Hawaii, Appearance: Diameter to 12 cm. Body with Sea of Cortez to Peru and Galapagos. tapering arms. Central disc and ray tips red, Habitat: On rubble and sand from shallows remainder of body and rays dark creamy yellow. to 45 m. Diet: Detritus and small invertebrates. Appearance: Body colors vary from red, Remarks: Distinctive pattern and bright color orange to greenish blue, with large red spines. may indicate foul taste. Max. size across: 45 cm. Diet: Micro-fauna in the substrate, benthic Blue Linckia Sea Star algae, and other echinoderms. Linckia laevigata (Ophidiasteridae) Conservation Status: Anecdotally, this species Distribution: Indo-Pacific. seems to be found less frequently at shallow Habitat: Coral rubble or among seagrasses in depths because, given its large size, handsome shallow lagoons and to 60 m depth. coloration, and slow movement, it is regularly Appearance: Overall arm radius to 40 cm. Color taken by humans. bright blue overall, but olive-brown, pink and yellow variants exist. Long, cylindrical, smooth Chocolate Chip Sea Star arms. Protoreaster nodosus (Oreasteridae) Diet: Scavenger. Also consumes algae and Distribution: Red Sea, Indian and western microbes. Pacific oceans. Reproduction and Development: Unlike most Habitat: Shallow sand and seagrass beds, sea stars that can regenerate missing parts if at typically in sheltered locations 1-30 m. least part of the central disk remains, linckias are Appearance: Diameter to 30 cm. Ground body able to regenerate into a complete sea star from a color is highly variable; may be beige, brown, single cast off ray. Initially four minute arms bud orange, red or other hues, such as green or blue. from the end of the lone ray; this form is called a Horn-shaped nodules colored blue, dark green, comet, as it resembles a shooting star. dark chocolate or black, sometimes surrounded Mortality/Longevity: Pufferfishes are known by milk chocolate-colored margins, are to feed on blue linckias, and harlequin shrimp distinctive and are responsible for this sea stars nibble on the ends of their rays. common name. Diet: Sponges, clams and snails, other 86 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

invertebrates; also opportunistic carrion increased since the 1970s, and it is now at least feeders. partly responsible for much loss of coral reefs, Reproduction and Development: As in other sea particularly on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. stars, fertilization is external. Eggs and sperm are Bat Star stored in the rays and released simultaneously. Patiria miniata (Asterinidae) Larvae look nothing like the adults. The form that first hatches from the eggs is bilaterally Distribution: Sitka, Alaska to Baja California. symmetrical and planktonic. Larvae eventually Habitat: Low intertidal on rocks overgrown with settle and transform into tiny sea stars. surfgrass, large algae and sponges. Subtidal to Conservation Status: Reportedly common, but 290 m depth on rocky or sandy substrates. threatened in some areas of their distribution, Appearance: This bat-webbed five-rayed star such as Singapore. Over-harvested for the may be colored red, orange, purple or mottled. “shell trade” in some localities as a consequence Arm radius to 10 cm. of their spectacular appearance (however, Diet: Typically an omnivore or scavenger: coloration fades upon death). surfgrass, algae, colonial tunicates, organic films on hard surfaces, as well as other sea Crown of Thorns Sea Star stars. Like most sea stars, feeds by everting its Acanthaster planci (Acanthasteridae) stomach over prey. Distribution: The Red Sea and throughout Reproduction and Development: Usually the Indian and Pacific Oceans, east to Panama. spawns May to June. Embryos and larvae are Habitat: Tropical reefs. transparent. Appearance: Up to 50 cm in diameter, 12–19 Conservation Status: Collecting by tide pool arms. Red, with thorn-like spines, which are visitors has diminished some populations, for toxic. example around the Monterey Peninsula. Diet: Feeds on living coral polyps. Feeds by Remarks: Behavioral biologists (ethologists) extruding its stomach over a coral colony, have documented “arm wrestling” between releasing digestive enzymes, and absorbing the competing bat stars. liquefied tissue. Each individual feeds alone (at night), and maintains a constant distance from Blood Sea Star other crown-of-thorns starfish. One sea star can Henricia leviuscula (Echinasteridae) consume up to 62 m of reef per year. Can live Distribution: Aleutian Islands to Baja without food for over 6 months. California. Reproduction & Development: Sexes separate. Habitat: On rocky substrates, especially in Eggs and sperm released simultaneously. Up areas encrusted with bryozoans and sponges. to 65 million eggs per spawn. Fertilized eggs From the intertidal to 400 m. may drift long distances and result in sudden Appearance: Brilliant red above and bright population booms. This is especially likely in yellow below, though may be tan, yellow, or regions of algae blooms, which may satiate purplish. Long slender rays. Diameter to 9 cm. predators and reduce feeding on sea star eggs. Disc small, arms long and tapering, typically 5 New sea stars can grow from dismembered in number, but may be 4–6. arms, if part of the central body remains. Diet: Uses cilia to feed on suspended particles Mortality/Longevity: Predators include the of bacteria and microscopic bacteria; may also Giant Triton (Charonia tritonis), a large sea snail. feed on bryozoans and sponges. Larval or small adults are prey to a species of Reproduction and Development: Smaller shrimp, a species of worm, and various reef females brood young and release tiny juvenile fish, especially the humphead wrasse Cheilinus( sea stars. Larger females broadcast eggs into undulatus). the water. Remarks: Notorious for its destructive effect Mortality/Longevity: Predators include birds on coral reefs. Although it may once have and humans. been a natural force in ecological succession, Remarks: Like all sea stars, has spots at the tip populations of the crown-of-thorns starfish have of each arm, sense organs that are able to “see” California Academy of Sciences 87

only differences in light and dark. the clam is lifted from the substrate or the Blood stars lack pedicellariae (tiny pincers for stomach may be everted to 8 cm to digest the removing ectoparasites and debris, common prey in place. to most sea stars). Some sand-bottom invertebrates including the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus and Leather Sea Star the snail Olivella biplicata chemosense the Dermasterias imbricata (Poraniidae) presence of a pink star and attempt to avoid Distribution: Eastern North Pacific: Alaska to contact by burrowing. Northern California. Habitat: On rocks and rocky reefs in subtidal Giant Sea Star areas. Pisaster giganteus (Asteriidae) Appearance: Medium size sea star up to 12 Distribution: Eastern Pacific coast from cm in diameter with disproportionately short British Columbia to Baja California. arms. Mottled coloring—bluish-grey with Habitat: Rocky but also sandy substrates from brown to orange blotches all over. middle to lower intertidal zone down to 90 m. Diet: Mainly sea anemones, but also takes Appearance: Five arms. Can be colored red, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and other inver- orange, brown, or green. Evenly spaced blunt tebrates. spines. Maximum arm span about 60 cm. Reproduction and Development: Releases Diet: Typical prey are hard-shelled organisms eggs and sperm; fertilized eggs float in plank- such as mussels, snails, and barnacles. May ton and develop into juveniles, which eventu- occasionally eat anything slow-moving ally settle out. enough to be caught, such as dying fish or Remarks: Is smooth and slimy to the touch; shellfish, anenomes, or other sea stars. smells like garlic. Leather stars, unlike many Reproduction & Development: Individual other sea stars, such as the ochre, bat, and sea stars are male or female. Both sexes pink sea stars, swallow their prey whole and release gametes into the water for external digest internally. fertilization. Larvae are planktonic and have bilateral symmetry. Pink Sea Star aka Pink Pisaster Mortality/Longevity: Sea gulls and sea otters Pisaster brevispinus (Asteriidae) are sea star predators. Giant sea stars live about Distribution: Sitka, Alaska to San Diego 20 years. County, California. Habitat: Occasional in low intertidal zone, Ochre Sea Star aka Pacific Sea Star more common 0.5–100 m on sand and mud Pisaster ochraceus (Asteriidae) substrates, sometimes on rocks and pier pilings Distribution: Prince William Sound, Alaska to in calm waters. Santa Barbara County, California. Appearance: Maximum diameter nearly 1 m, Habitat: Low-middle intertidal zones on rocky individuals usually smaller. Pink color diag- shores, especially on mussel beds. Subtidal to 88 nostic. Robust appearance. Aboral spines much m depth. Juveniles in crevices and under rocks. shorter than those of other Pisaster species. Appearance: Arm radius to 28 cm (usually half Diet: Preys on live clams, snails, sand dollars, that figure). Rays 5–7, typically 5. Colored orange, barnacles, mussels, tube-dwelling annelid violet, green and mottled; very rarely ochre. worms, and scavenges dead fish and squid. Diet: California mussels (Mytilus californianus) Reproduction and Development: Spawns in are the favored and locally abundant prey. the spring. Also consume acorn barnacles, emarginate Mortality/Longevity: Likely preyed upon by dogwinkles, gooseneck barnacles, owl limpets, the sunflower sea starPycnopodia helianthoides. etc. Can insert stomach into slits as narrow as 0.1 mm between the valves of bivalves and Remarks: Can chemosense clams through begin digestion. sand. May dig down to the clam for 2 –3 days or extend tube feet to the clam a distance equal Reproduction and Development: Sexual re- to the arm radius (to 20 cm!) Once contacted, production occurs during the spring. Mature 88 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

gonads may be 40% by weight in mature Pi- Habitat: Coral reef in small crevices, in turtle saster. Fertilization external. Free-swimming grass beds, or under rocks and rubble in back plankton-feeding larvae. reef lagoon areas, usually found at less than Mortality/Longevity: Adults are eaten by sea 50 m. otters and seagulls. Appearance: Brown body with thick spines in “Lucky” individuals of this hardy sea star spe- all directions. cies probably live to over 20 years. Diet: Omnivore: algae and small invertebrates Conservation Status: Locally over-collected as such as sea squirts and sponges. Feeds a souvenir of a tide pool visit. nocturnally. Remarks: Proposed as a “keystone” species Reproduction and Development: (i.e., structures its ecological community) by Sexual reproduction; eggs and sperm are Roger Paine in 1966. Many researchers have synchronously shed into the water column since suggested that Pisaster is “just another where fertilized eggs develop into free-living brick in the wall.” larvae that, after several stages, settle out of One study showed that less than 2% of the the plankton. individuals in three local Northern California Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 5 years. populations were “ochre” in color. When dead Remarks: Pencil sea urchins belong to a and dry become ochre in color. primitive sea urchin order, the Cidaroids, the only kind of sea urchin to survive the Permian Sunflower Sea Star extinction some 245 million years ago. All Pycnopodia helianthoides (Asteriidae) modern sea urchins descend from this group. Distribution: Aleutian Islands, Alaska to San The spines of pencil urchins, unlike other urchin Diego, California. groups, are not covered with epidermis. They Habitat: Common in subtidal regions rich in are, however, often covered with algae and seaweeds, but rare in the upper intertidal zones epizoans that provide excellent camouflage. of rock, sand and mud. Spines are also covered with barbs that can Appearance: Imposing! Up to 24 arms. 40-65 inflict serious pain to a predator. cm diameter. Typically purple, some are yellow- Seek shelter in rocky crevices by day, using the orange. The limbs are soft and flimsy; rough thick spines to maintain a protected position. handling by humans causes arms to be shed. Diet: Carnivorous. Preferences include purple Fire Urchin sea urchins, mussels, chitons, clams, snails, crabs, Astropyga radiata (Diadematidae) sea cucumbers, polychaetes as well as other sea Distribution: Tropical Indo-Pacific from east stars. Tube feet chemosensorilly “taste” objects coast of Africa to Hawaiian Islands. they encounter for edibility. Habitat: Rubble and sand in bays and lagoons. Reproduction and Development: Fertilized Appearance: Radially symmetrical with long, eggs result in pelagic, plankton feeding larvae. mobile spines usually banded in orange and Mortality/Longevity: The sea star Solaster daw- white. Five areas free of spines carry striking soni and the Alaskan king crab eat this sea star. red V-shapes with blue spots. Remarks: Fastest moving of the stars in our Diet: Herbivore, mostly algae. Active diurnally. area, clocking over 50 cm/min. Reproduction and Development: Indirect Largest and heaviest sea star on the eastern reproduction through the release and fusion Pacific coast. of eggs and sperm in the water. Remarks: This urchin delivers a potent sting with its spines. Bright colors warn predators CLASS ECHINOIDEA to give it wide berth. (URCHINS AND SAND DOLLARS) It has a symbiotic relationship with the large Pencil Sea Urchin decorator crab Dorippe frascone, which is Eucidaris tribuloides (Cidaridae) known to carry this urchin species on its back. Distribution: Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida. Commensal shrimp and juvenile cardinalfishes California Academy of Sciences 89

may seek protection in the urchin’s spines. Reproduction and Development: Like all echinoids, this species has a planktonic larval Long-spined Sea Urchin form which swims and feeds. In later larval Diadema setosum (Diadematidae) life the exterior skeleton begins to form and Distribution: Red Sea, east Africa to western the maturing larvae sink to the substrate but Pacific (Philippines). do not attach as in sea stars. Metamorphosis Habitat: Low tide to 20 m. On rubble and is remarkably speedy; larvae to adult in ~an seagrasses. Often abundant in shallow water hour! Young urchins are no larger than 1 mm. areas that have been recently disturbed. Also Remarks: Usually hidden diurnally. in lagoons and on coral and rocky reefs. Camouflages itself with various items such as Appearance: Adult test to 9 cm diameter. Very rubble and detritus long, black spines to 30 cm. Orange-red ring Urchins have structures called “pedicellariae.” around anal cone at the center of its dorsal Pedicellariae are constructed of several small surface is distinctive. spines which have become modified to Diet: Herbivore. Hides during the day, and articulate with one another and function as emerges at night to feed on algae, plankton, snapping jaws. Each pedicalliria is typically and waste material. Its feeding habits help found on an elongate and extensible stalk, and keep the reef free from coral-smothering they reach out to pinch any small animals or algae; however, too many of these algal-eating body parts, such as the adhesive tube feet of a machines can actually threaten a reef, scraping predatory sea star, that threaten the sea urchin. away living coral as they devour algae and leaving little food for other herbivores. Green-spined Salmacis Salmacis sphaeooides (Temnopleuridae) Reproduction and Development: During spawning, many males and females release Distribution: Western Pacific Ocean. eggs and sperm synchronously. Habitat: Rock and rubble areas covered in Remarks: Spines contain toxins. Tiny barbs, algae and in seagrass beds. requiring surgical removal, secure spines Appearance: Test diameter: 5–8 cm. Bears painfully in the skin of the careless or short, sharp spines, either maroon or green, or unsuspecting diver. with bands of one of these colors. Commensal with a number of species, including Diet: A mostly nocturnal feeder on seagrass various shrimps and fishes. The dark, elongated fronds, seaweed and other algae, detritus. body of the urchin shrimp Stegopontonia Reproduction and Development: Sexes commensalis camouflages it among the spines separate; sperm and eggs released of its host. Cardinalfishes, shrimpfishes such as synchronously. Aeoliscus strigatus, and others are also found in Remarks: A tank cleaner, this engaging urchin association with this urchin. helps control algal growth. Pincushion Tuxedo Urchin This urchin uses the spade-shaped tube feet Mespilia globulus (Temnopleuridae) on its underside to move over the substrate seeking food. The much longer tube feet on its Distribution: Coastal waters of Asia from India aboral side are often used to pick up scraps of to Southern Japan. wood, shells, and other debris and hold them Habitat: Coral reefs. During daylight hides firmly on its surface, probably a camouflage among rocks, in crevices, or under plants in a strategy. sandy substrate. Appearance: Diameter to 8 cm. Red to brown Red Sea Urchin short, sharp spines are separated by ten blue- Strongylocentrotus franciscanus velvet regions where spines are absent. (Strongylocentrotidae) Diet: Primarily a nocturnal feeder on coralline Distribution: N. Japan and Alaska to Isla Ce- algae, also green filamentous algae. Grazes by dros, Baja California. scraping with its Aristotle’s lantern apparatus, Habitat: Very low intertidal on open, coastal as do all sea urchins. rocky substrates; more abundant subtidally to 90 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

90 m deep. Juveniles often shelter among the Eccentric Sand Dollar aka Western Sand rigid outer spines of adults. Dollar Appearance: Large red, red-brown or purple Dendraster excentricus (Dendrasteridae) test to 10 cm or more diameter; primary spines Distribution: Southeastern Alaska to Baja 5 cm or more in length. California. Diet: Herbivorous upon red and brown algae; Habitat: Subtidal to low intertidal zone on preference is for the giant brown kelp Macro- sandy or sandy/muddy substrates, subtidal cystis. to 40 m (rarely to 90 m). Reproduction and Development: Breed in Appearance: Both scientific and common the spring. Free-swimming larval period lasts names come from the fact that the star design 62–131 days. is off center and somewhat lopsided, a pattern most notable on an exposed test. The body Mortality/Longevity: A favored treat of sea ot- of the living sand dollar is covered with tiny, ters. Red sea urchins can live at least 20 years. closely packed purple spines. May grow to 7.5 Conservation status: Gonad trade may be af- cm in diameter. fecting some populations. Diet: Feeds on detritus, diatoms, and plankton Remarks: uni Raw gonads ( ) are considered such as crab larvae and amphipods, captured gastronomic delicacies by some people. by mucous-covered spines and pincers Removal of sea urchins promotes growth of (pedicellariae). Particles and mucus are then kelp and thus improves habitat for many other moved along groves to the mouth in the center species, including rockfish juveniles. of the lower surface by cilia that cover the spines. Specialized tube feet also aid in feeding Purple Sea Urchin and gas exchange. Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Strongylocentrotidae) Reproduction and Development: Sexes separate; females may produce over 350,000 Distribution: Vancouver Island, Canada south eggs per year; spawning spring to summer. to Isla Cedros, Baja California. Planktonic larvae that travel considerable Habitat: Rounded burrows in rock that have distances with currents settle within or near been scoured out by the present or previous an existing sand dollar bed, usually not near urchin using its teeth (Aristotle’s lantern) and the parent group. spines, a strategy that protects from predators Mortality/Longevity: The pink sea star and surge. (Pisaster brevispinus), starry flounders, and Appearance: Test commonly 5 cm in diam- California sheephead feed on this species. Sand eter, rarely to 10 cm. Test and spines green dollars often bury themselves in the sand to to purple. escape predators. Can live 6–10 years. Diet: Brown and red algae. These urchins pre- Remarks: This species and other sand dollars Macrocystis fer the giant brown kelp . may live in concentrated fields with up to 625 Reproduction and Development: Sexually animals per m2.. mature during their second year. Sexes are In calm water, eccentric sand dollars burrow separate, although hermaphrodites occur. into the sand at an angle to catch nutrients. In Most spawning occurs from January to March. rougher water, they lie flat at the surface of the Pluteus larvae hatch, drift and settle. Growth sand or partly buried. after metamorphosis is slow. Tests of individuals living in colder waters and Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by sea stars more turbulent environments tend to have such as the sunflower star and cancer crab thicker shells and internal buttressing. species as well as fish such as the California Unlike sea stars that use tube feet for sheephead and shorebirds. Can live to more locomotion, sand dollars use their spines. than 30 years. Young sand dollars ingest large sand grains Remarks: Purple pigments from this urchin that act like a diver’s weight belt to help them lodge in the bones and teeth of sea otters, maintain position. turning the otter’s skeleton and teeth purple. California Academy of Sciences 91

CLASS HOLOTHUROIDEA Diet: Filter feeds on plankton by extending (SEA CUCUMBERS) its oral tentacles into the current; as food is trapped, it draws the tentacle into its mouth. Yellow Sea Cucumber Reproduction and Development: Sexes Colochirus robustus (Cucumariidae) separate, fertilization external. Distribution: Indo-Pacific area, including Mortality/Longevity: To 35 years. Indonesia and Philippines. Remarks: Venomous and considered to be Habitat: It lives with its ventral surface in among the most toxic sea cucumbers in the contact with or buried in the sandy or rocky world: about 1 g of tissue from any of these substrate. particularly toxic species could poison the fish Appearance: A soft-bodied, bright yellow, 7 cm in a 95-liter tank. Toxins are released when the elongated echinoderm with tube feet that cling animal is stressed or dies. to the substrate. Like all echinoderms, it has pentameral (five-rayed) symmetry. Five rows Creeping Pedal Sea Cucumber of tube feet run from the mouth along the body. Psolus chitinoides (Psolidae) Diet: A suspension feeder; on phytoplankton Distribution: North American Pacific coast and zooplankton; specialized mucous- from the Aleutian Islands south to central Baja covered tube feet surround the mouth and California. capture phytoplankton and zooplankton. Habitat: Abundant in deeper water up to 245 m The animal then brings each foot to its mouth on hard surfaces swept by currents. Somewhat systematically, essentially “licking its fingers.” common in shallow subtidal areas preferring While other sea cucumbers are considered a clean, vertical rocks that are free of sediment. “sea floor janitors” because they “sweep” the Appearance: Beautifully colored bright orange, sand of food, the yellow is, by contrast, a filter oval in shape with 8–10 vividly colored red feeder. branched tentacles extending out of the domed Reproduction and Development: It spawns dorsal surface. Upper body is covered with annually in spring or summer. Its development large overlapping calcareous plates. Ventrally is either direct (lacks a larval stage) or the sole is flat and flexible with tube feet indirect (with a larval stage that undergoes a extending around the perimeter and under the metamorphic transition into a juvenile). length of the body, which are used to attach Mortality/Longevity: 5 to 10 years. firmly to the substrate. The mouth and anus are Remarks: An ability to release toxins keeps located at opposite ends of the dorsal surface. away some predators. Typical size: 12 cm long/ 7.5 cm wide. The yellow sea cucumber is used in Chinese Diet: A suspension feeder, trapping particles of and other Asian cuisines, most often as an food from currents with its tentacles. Feeding ingredient in soups or stews. occurs by extending the tentacles, bending Several countries have imposed fishing them inward to form a cage-like structure; restrictions and have developed management the mouth and lips extend toward the food as programs in the harvesting of these sea the nearest tentacle pushes the food into the creatures. mouth. Reproduction and Development: Sexes Philippine Sea Apple separate with spawning occurring annually Pseudocolochirus violaceus (Cucumariidae) from mid-March to late May. Males disperse Distribution: Indian and west Pacific oceans; sperm into the water column and fertilize the India, Philippines and northern Australia. eggs by waving a tentacle across the gonopore Habitat: Relatively shallow reef flats. of the females. Females release long strands Appearance: To 18 cm. Body and tentacles of red eggs. The fertilized eggs develop into can be various colors (violet, blue, red, yellow, larvae nourished by stored lipids until the white) yet it always has yellow-red tube feet. juvenile stage when they settle on the substrate. The most common body color is dark inky blue; Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by several the tentacles are usually white. species of sea stars, especially the leather sea 92 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

star (Demasterias imbricata), some fish, and red PHYLUM CHORDATA. rock crabs. Remarks: Looking more like a cross between SUBPHYLUM VERTEBRATA a chiton and a nudibranch, the creeping pedal (VERTEBRATES) sea cucumber looks nothing like the typical cigar-shaped sea cucumber. Uses toxic chemicals to discourage predators CLASS ELASMOBRANCHII from preying on its tentacles. (CARTILAGINOUS FISHES: SKATES, RAYS AND SHARKS) California Sea Cucumber Parastichopus californicus (Stichopodidae) Distribution: British Columbia, Canada to Isla ORDER HETERODONTIFORMES Cedro, Baja California. (BULLHEAD SHARKS) Habitat: Low intertidal in areas protected from strong wave action; also on pilings in open California Horn Shark bays, and subtidally to 90 m deep. Heterodontus francisci (Heterodontidae) Bullhead and Horn Sharks Appearance: California’s largest sea cucumber is 25–40 cm long; dark red, brown or yellow. Distribution: Monterey Bay, California to the Gulf of California. Diet: Deposit feeder; organic detritus and small organisms ingested in bottom sediments. Habitat: Solitary bottom dweller from intertidal to 150 m deep. Inhabits rocky bottoms, kelp Reproduction and Development: Breeding forests, sandy draws between rocks, sand occurs during the summer. Development is flats, deep crevices and small caves as well as indirect; fertilized eggs develop into several large underwater caverns. Active nocturnally. different larval forms before settling. Sluggish during the day, often rests among rocks Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by sea stars with its head in a crevice. Adults tend to return including the sunflower star. Sea otters and to the same resting place every day. humans are also predators. Appearance: Horn sharks have a short blunt Warty Sea Cucumber head with high ridges above the eyes and two Parastichopus parvimensis (Stichopodidae) dorsal fins, each with a strong spine at the Distribution: Monterey Bay to Baja California. origin. Color is light to dark brown above, with small, scattered dark spots on the body and Habitat: Sandy or muddy-sandy soft bottoms fins. Spots may be faded or absent on adults. between rocks or in eelgrass beds, subtidal to Length to 1.2 m. 27 m depth. Diet: Nocturnal predator of benthic invertebrates, Appearance: Length to 25 cm. Colored brown especially sea urchins, crabs and probably above, lighter below. Conical black-tipped abalone, also fishes. Horned sharks have 2 papillae on the dorsal side provide the common different types of teeth (heterodontus = “different name. teeth”); front teeth have sharp cusps for seizing Diet: Digests organic detritus and small prey, rear teeth are molariform for crushing organisms in soft sediments. crab shells. Juveniles may eat worms, and have Remarks: Sea cucumbers breathe through been observed eating club-tipped anemones special “respiratory trees” that branch (Corynactis californica). One author noted that internally from the anus. Rhythmic muscle the horn shark’s predilection for red sea urchins contraction and relaxation forces water out, may result in the shark’s teeth being stained a then brings oxygenated water in reddish brown. Certain species of pea crabs and scale worms Reproduction and Development: Like all live as commensals within the respiratory sharks, fertilization is internal. The male horn tree of our local cukes, taking advantage of a shark holds the female by grasping one of her protected space and small particles of food also pectoral fins with his mouth and then maneu- delivered by water exchange. vers his tail around her so he can insert one of his pair of claspers. Horned sharks mate California Academy of Sciences 93

during December and January; egg cases are normal aquarium hours. laid from February to April. The large (length Common and specific (ventriosum = “large belly”) 12 cm) brown egg case is screw-shaped with names come from its ability to take in water that a broad flange spirally twisted around it. makes it appear up to twice as large as its normal Egg cases are scattered among rocks and in size, a difficult meal for predators to bite or to crevices. The pup emerges 7–9 months later remove from a crevice. If caught and brought to as a miniature (16 cm) shark. the surface, it can swell its body with air. Mortality/Longevity: Long-lived, up to 25 years. Leopard Shark Triakis semifasciata (Triakidae) Conservation Status: Not on IUCN Red List. Houndsharks Commercial catch is used to produce fish meal; fin spines used in production of jewelry. Distribution: Oregon state to Baja California and northern Gulf of California. Remarks: Can clamber on substrate with flexible pectoral and pelvic fins. Habitat: Prefers sandy and rock-strewn sub- strate near rocky reefs. Most commonly in Horn sharks typically spend daylight hours in enclosed muddy bays, including estuaries and one spot, usually a cave or crevice. True to their lagoons, typically at less than 3.7 m depth, but nocturnal habit, our specimens are often out of ranges to 91 m. view during Aquarium hours. Appearance: Grayish with bronze tinge above, white below. Broad black bars, saddles and ORDER CARCHARINIFORMES spots on dorsal surface; saddles solid in young, (GROUND SHARKS) with light centers in adults. Adults have more spots. Males to 2 m; females slightly larger. Swell Shark Diet: Fishes (especially northern midshipman, Cephaloscyllium ventriosum (Scyliorhinidae) sanddab, shiner perch, bat rays and smooth- Catsharks hounds), siphons of clams, crustaceans such as Distribution: Central California to southern crabs and shrimp. Feeds heavily on fish eggs Mexico; also reported near central Chile. (herring, jacksmelt and topsmelt) attached to Habitat: Rocky reefs and kelp forests, from rocks and plants. surface to 460 m, in temperate and subtropical Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- waters. rous. Litters 4–29. Young average 21 cm at birth. Appearance: Stout body with flat, broad head; Mortality/Longevity: Can live to at least 30 snout short; mouth huge, proportionally years. Part of the commercial shark fishery and larger that the great white shark (Carcharodon very popular as a sport “fish.” Preyed upon by carcharias). other sharks. Diet: Active at night; feeds on crustaceans and Conservation Status: This mid-sized coastal fishes, often blacksmith. Lie-in-wait predator shark is fairly common in bays and estuaries that sits on the bottom with wide-open mouth, of the eastern North Pacific from California to ready to ambush unsuspecting prey. the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. Reproduction and Development: Female Remarks: Often in schools with other hound- lays amber-colored egg cases that hatch in sharks Nomadic; schools may visit an area 8–10 months. Young have enlarged toothlike briefly, then depart. denticles on the back that help them break Most research on this species has been con- through egg cases. ducted in the SF Bay; thus there is a tie-in with Mortality/Longevity: Embryos may be eaten the Academy’s Bay2K project. by snails that bore through egg cases. In SF Bay, leopard sharks tend to remain in the Conservation Status: Numbers declining Bay throughout the year, with some emigration along the California coast, perhaps due to during fall and winter. changes in sea temperature. Fossils of leopard sharks have been discovered Remarks: Hides in caves and crevices during in deposits dated to more than 1,000,000 years the day, and so is often not to be seen during old in southern California. 94 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Blacktip Reef Shark ORDER RAJIFORMES Carcharhinus melanopterus (Carcharhinidae) (SKATES AND RAYS) Requiem Sharks Distribution: Subtropical from Red Sea and East Bowmouth Guitarfish Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and the Tuamoto Rhina ancylostoma (Rhinobatidae) Archipelago. Also enters the Mediterranean from Guitarfishes the Red Sea (via the Suez Canal). Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Papua, New Guinea, north to Habitat: Prefers inshore coral reefs and Japan, south to New South Wales, Australia. the intertidal zone. Has been observed in mangrove areas and fresh water, traveling in Habitat: Sand and mud bottoms in coastal and out with the tide. areas, coral reefs close inshore. Sometimes found in the water column. Found at depths Appearance: Up to 2 m long and weight up from 3–90 m. to 13.6 kg. All fins tipped with black, the large dorsal fin with a white band beneath the black Appearance: Length to 2.7 m, weight to 135 kg. tip, conspicuous white bands along flanks, Broad, rounded snout, clearly demarcated from sometimes edged with black. Otherwise, the pectoral fin. Long tail. Gray or brownish yellowish-tan above, white below. above, white below, white spots dorsally on fins, body and tail, black spots on head and shoulders. Diet: Mostly bony fish and cephalopods, also No venomous sting. Heavily ridged crushing other mollusks, shrimp. teeth. A large row of spines along the head, nape Reproduction and Development: Viviparous, and shoulders is a distinctive characteristic. incubate young for up to 16 months, 3– 4 pups Reproduction and development: Ovovivipa- per litter. In a fashion not uncommon in sharks, rous. the male takes the female’s pectoral fin in his teeth and the two mate belly to belly. Diet: Primarily bottom-dwelling crustaceans and mollusks. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by other sharks as well as large groupers. Average Conservation Status: Vulnerable; not common, lifespan c. 12 years. population declining due to overfishing and heavy pressure on habitat. A low reproductive Conservation Status: Listed as Near Threatened rate exacerbates its vulnerability. by the IUCN, due to small litter size and long gestation period. Remarks: Although classified as a ray, guitarfish do not have their pectoral fins fused Remarks: Often hunt in packs, driving prey to their head as do other rays. In appearance into a tight ball and then attacking the ball they look like a cross between a ray and a shark in a feeding frenzy, even leaping out of the and are often known as shovelnose sharks. In water. Its distinctive appearance and active most rays the caudal fins are separate from the swimming habit make it a favorite specimen tail, but in guitarfish, again like sharks, the tail for aquariums. It has been known to bite people is the caudal fin, though lacks a lower lobe. wading in shallow water and is aggressive towards spear fishers. They are caught for the Asian food market and their pectoral fins are highly valued. When When foraging, may enter water so shallow that caught in a net they are very difficult to handle both back and fins are exposed, a potentially and can cause severe damage to other fish shocking sight to a wader. caught at the same time. Fortunately, there are very few reports of black The use for the spines is unknown; they may tips biting humans. Rare occurrences are most be used for butting. likely a case of mistaken identity on the part of a normally shy but easily frightened shark species. Big Skate Nearly all shark species are under heavy Raja binoculata (Rajidae) pressure from an ever-more efficient fishing Skates industry. Blacktip populations are declining: Distribution: Bering Sea and southeastern the flesh is eaten, the liver is prized for yielding Alaska to central Baja California. a valuable oil, and the fins are used for shark- Habitat: Bottom dwellers on soft substrates, fin soup, especially in the Far East. usually from shallow water to 300 m. Found California Academy of Sciences 95

along the coast in estuaries, bays, and over the Reproduction and Development: continental shelf. Ovoviviparous; eggs retained in the female’s Appearance: Flat, diamond-shaped body with body; embryos receive nourishment from a long, pointed snout; lacks the prominent notch yolk sac. on the rear edge of their pectoral fins common Mortality/Longevity: Killer whales are known to all other Pacific Coast skates. Color: ranges predators; probably also taken by other marine from brown, gray, olive, and muddy black. mammals and sharks. Large eyespots, one on each upper pectoral fin, Remarks: Venomous tail can deliver a painful as well as bright dots and mottlings. Average wound. Like many other rays that wound length: 1.3 m; largest known: 2.4 m. humans, it most often stings only when Diet: Benthic shrimps, worms, clams, some inadvertently stepped on: it is difficult to see fishes. in turbid waters, especially when covered by Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. sand with only the eyes visible. Lays distinctively large (up to 30 cm) egg Caught commercially, but its meat is of limited capsules in pairs on substrate; sometimes on value due to its small size. display in the sand dollar exhibit. Capsules contain up to 8 embryos. Eggs hatch in about Javanese Cownose Ray 9 months and produce a small, but perfectly Rhinoptera javanica (Myliobatidae) formed skate. Eagle, Cownose and Manta Rays Mortality/Longevity: Life span: c. 15 years. Distribution: Tropical, Indo-West Pacific from South Africa north to India and possibly Thailand, Conservation Status: Because they attain Indonesia and southern China. Also in Okinawa, sexual maturity late and produce fewer Ryukyu Islands and possibly Australia. offspring that most fishes, sharks, skates, and rays are especially vulnerable to overfishing. Habitat: Tropical bays, estuaries, among mangroves, and near coral reefs over sand Remarks: Usually seen hiding motionless, and mud bottoms. Can tolerate brackish water. buried in sediments, with only the eyes protruding. Description: Bat-like, swept back pectoral fins. Double-lobed snout and indented forehead. Like all skates, swimming occurs by the Long, slender tail. Brown above, white below. undulations of the pectoral fins. Width up to 1.5 m, weight up to 45 kg. A small fishery for this species exists in California; Diet: Feeds on clams, oysters and crustaceans. its smaller “cousin” species are even more The ray sucks in sand and expels it out of its popular as the source of the skate “wings” (the gills, blowing off sand covering its prey. pectoral fins) served in fine restaurants. Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- Bluespotted Stingray rous, 1–2 pups per litter. Females have been Dasyatis kuhlii (Dasyatidae) known to leap out of the water and slam into the Whiptail Stingrays surface; this action seems to be an aid in birthing. Distribution: Throughout the tropical Indo- Conservation Status: IUCN listed: Vulnerable. West Pacific from the Red Sea east to the A declining population is inferred from the Philippines, Japan, and south to Australia. unregulated nature of inshore fisheries as well Habitat: Sandy bottoms near coral and rocky as small litter size. reefs, from intertidal zone to 50 m. Moves onto Remarks: The stinger is located at base of the tail reef flats and into shallow lagoon waters at rather than half way or more down the tail as in high tide. the whiptail rays. Does well in captivity and has Appearance: Angular disc. Dorsal color been known to survive for 2 years. Like its pelagic reddish-brown to olive drab with blue spots relatives the manta and devil rays, it swims by and smaller black spots, ventral side white. Tail flapping its pectoral fins like wings, enabling with black and white bands is about as long as it to swim at greater speeds than most bottom- the body and usually has one stinging spine. dwelling stingrays. Sometimes these “wings” Maximum disc width: 50 cm. protrude above the water, bearing a frightening Diet: Crabs and shrimp, also small fishes. resemblance to a shark. 96 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ocellated Freshwater Stingray flattened and circular, composed principally Potamotrygon motoro (Potamotrygonidae) of expanded pectoral fins. Tail is slender and River stingrays longer than body, has venomous spine. Color Distribution: South America: Uruguay, Paraná- black, white polka dots. Paraguay, Orinoco, and Amazon Basins. Diet: See Ocellated Freshwater Ray above. Habitat: Freshwater, able to tolerate only a Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- narrow range of salinities. rous. Like all in the family, fetuses developing in Appearance: Length to 1 m, weight to 15 kg. the mother’s uterus first feed on their yolk sacs, Body greatly flattened and circular, composed after which filaments develop from the uterine principally of expanded pectoral fins. Tail is wall and carry nutrients and remove wastes from slender and longer than body with venomous the fetuses until they are fully developed. spine. Ventral color muddy brown inset with Conservation Status: A rare, poorly known darker brown circular markings. river ray, possibly endemic to river drainages in Diet: Mostly benthic hard-shelled inverte- Brazil where freshwater habitat degradation is brates, such as clams, mussels, and crustaceans. occurring. Although this attractive freshwater Also worms, insect larvae, and small fishes. ray enters the ornamental fish trade, life history Like most rays, flat teeth are used to grip and population data are lacking. Further study and crush prey that is sucked into the ventral and a new assessment in the near future is mouth. Like all river stingrays, it has exception- highly recommended for this species. ally good eyesight and its jelly-filled sensory pores (Ampullae of Lorenzini) detect prey bur- Smooth Back River Stingray ied in the substrate or hidden in murky water. Potamotrygon orbignyi (Potamotrygonidae) Reproduction and Development: Sexes sepa- River Stingrays rate. Fertilization internal. Livebearers. Distribution: Amazon and Orinoco basins; rivers of Guyana. Conservation Status: IUCN Data deficient. This brackish water ray is poorly known and life his- Habitat: Riverine sandy substrate into which tory and population data are lacking. Further they burrow. studies and a new assessment in the near future Appearance: Mottled, grayish-brown, smooth have been highly recommended, due to the skinned; rough, flat teeth; At maturity, this limited geographic range and the major impacts species can reach one meter in overall length. affecting river habitat of this species. Diet: Crustaceans, isopods, insects and their Remarks: River Stingrays (Family Potamo- larvae. trygonidae) spend much of the time buried in Reproduction and Development: Ovovi- sand or mud with only their relatively large viparous; as in all elasmobranchs, sperm trans- eyes protruding. ferred by clasper to female for egg fertilization. This family is the only group of rays adapted Copulate in rainy season; young are born in exclusively to freshwater and is found only in next rainy season. Neotropical river basins. Remarks: Shed and regenerate stings regularly. Potent venomous spine, used defensively, makes this a dangerous species. Like all stingrays, sheds spine periodically as the individual grows. CLASS ACTINOPTERYGII (RAY-FINNED OR BONY FISHES) White-blotched River Stingray River Stingrays Potamotrygon leopoldi (Potamotrygonidae) ORDER ACIPENSERIFORMES Distribution: South America: Tocantins River (STURGEONS) basin. Habitat: Freshwater, able to tolerate only a Pallid Sturgeon narrow range of salinities. Scaphirhynchus albus (Acipenseridae) Sturgeons Appearance: Width to 45 cm. Body greatly Distribution: Missouri and Mississippi California Academy of Sciences 97

Rivers and their large tributaries, especially Missouri,” the pallid sturgeon is known from the Kansas River, from Montana to the Gulf 70 million years ago and at one time was the of Mexico. top freshwater carnivore. Habitat: Bottom dwellers in turbid, deep, fast Like all sturgeon, has a cartilaginous skeleton. flowing rivers over sand and gravel bars. Shovelnose Sturgeon Appearance: Shark-like with heterocercal tale Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (Acipenseridae) and scutes instead of scales; gray above, white Sturgeons below. Flat, upturned head. Four long barbels. One of the rarest and largest freshwater fishes Distribution: Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri riv- in North America; length to over 2 m, weight ers; Mobile Bay drainage, Alabama; Rio Grande over 75 lbs. in Texas and New Mexico. Diet: Mollusks, insects, and small fishes. The Habitat: Bottom of channels of large, turbid pallid sturgeon is a bottom feeder. In addition rivers with moderate current over firm sand or to taste buds on the tips of the barbels it has gravel mixed with mud. Also in embayments. sensory organs on the ventral surface of the Appearance: Length to 1 m, weight to 4.8 kg. snout that pick up electrical fields emanating Snout shovel-shaped. Elongate, bony plates from prey. The sturgeon stirs up the muck sharply keeled. Olive to yellowish-brown above, with its snout, then the mouth, which is folded sides lighter, white below. Tail heterocercal; skel- in like a telescope, shoots out to suck up prey. eton cartilaginous. Reproduction and Development: In the wild, Diet: A bottom feeder. Primarily eats aquatic fertilization is external; eggs scattered and not insect larvae; also feeds on crustaceans, worms, guarded. However, natural reproduction is and small fish. almost non-existent. Since 1990 over 150,000 Reproduction and Development: Sturgeon pallid sturgeon have been raised in hatcheries typically migrate from feeding grounds to par- and released. ticular breeding grounds in large rivers during Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 50 years spawning season. Fertilization external. Spawn or more. over gravel in fairly swift water. Non-guarders. Conservation Status: ESA, federally listed 1990: Eggs hatch and larvae drift down stream to Endangered. Not enough is known about the suitable areas. biology of this fish to determine exactly why Mortality/Longevity: Likely very long-lived; it has almost disappeared, but destruction of data lacking. habitat, alterations in its forage base, pollution Conservation Status: IUCN listing: Vulnerable. and overfishing for both meat and eggs (caviar) Species of concern (USFWS). are contributing factors. Additionally, the high Today this sturgeon’s roe has become water of spring seems to trigger mating but now commercially important as imported sources river flows are so controlled by dams, especially far less available Also, poaching is a problem along the Missouri, that this stimulus has mostly as the species is not sexually mature until about disappeared. Federal and state hatcheries are 8–10 years old, and females reproduce only working to improve spawning techniques and once every 3 years or so. habitat. Remarks: As with many riverine fish species, Our juvenile pallids came from Gavin’s the shovelnose sturgeon does not have a Point National Fish Hatchery in Montana. restricted home range and may travel long The Steinhart is permitted to display these distances. endangered species as long as an educational Was once an important game and commercial message is presented about their distribution, fish. Sturgeon flesh, especially smoked, is endangered status, and threats facing them. considered a delicacy by many. Remarks: Pallid and shovelnose sturgeon are known to hybridize, another potential threat to Mississippi Paddlefish the pallid’s survival in the southern portion of Polyodon spathula (Polyodontidae) its range where shovelnose sturgeon dominate. Paddlefishes Often referred to as the “Dinosaur of the Distribution: Rivers of central United States, 98 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

especially Mississippi River and its tributaries. found in brackish water. Habitat: Prefers deep pools in large rivers where Appearance: Alligator-like. Large size and the current is slow; is highly mobile and has been broad, short, wide, blunt snout. Light dorsal known to travel more than 2,000 miles. stripe. Dark olivaceous brown above and white Appearance: Grey above, white below. Extended to yellowish beneath. Dark brown blotches upper jaw (rostrum) flattened into paddle- on all fins. Body is covered with armor-like shape, accounts for 1/3 of total body length. Fins ganoid scales, diamond-shaped, interlocking, stiffer than those of teleost fishes. Heterocercal and extremely hard. Head protected by bony tail. Skeleton cartilaginous, skin tough, scales plates. Conspicuous teeth. Length to more than lacking. Max length 221 cm; max weight 90.7 3 m, weight to 137 kg. kg, average weight considerably less. Diet: Depending on which source you con- Reproduction and Development: Female sult, alligator gars are either passive, superb swims upriver to spawn, lays 2 eggs at a time. lie-in-wait predators or aggressive voracious Egg cases rounded. Eggs hatch in 7 days; young carnivores of fish, notorious for destroying are swept downstream to permanent home. fishnets and gulping their contents. They are Diet: Zooplankton, the majority being water all of the above! Adult gars feed primarily on fleas; also tiny crustaceans and larvae. fish, but have been found also to consume blue crabs, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small Predators: Only man. mammals. Also known to scavenge. Conservation Status: IUCN: Vulnerable. Reproduction: Eggs laid on aquatic vegeta- Threatened by overfishing throughout much of tion, to which they adhere. Young cling to the its range, particularly for its eggs since the ban stems with an adhesive disc on their head until on imported caviar. Dams prevent fish from yolk sac is absorbed, and then swim actively. reaching spawning grounds, sedimentation Juveniles feed on plankton, invertebrates, am- and river modifications destroy habitat. phibians, and fish before transitioning to fish Remarks: To feed, the fish swims with its huge almost exclusively. mouth wide open. As the water passes over its Mortality/Longevity: Females generally larger gills food is filtered out by special filaments and longer lived than males. Some may live to called gill rakers. 50 years or more in the wild, 80 years in captiv- What is the paddle used for? Its broad, ity. Our oldest gars are 60. flat shape acts as a rudder keeping the fish Conservation Status: Not on IUCN Red List. stabilized and provides lift as the animal Pollution and degradation of habitat threaten moves slowly through the water filtering out this species. its planktonic diet. Remarks: One of the largest freshwater fish in Also, the paddle is covered with pores that North America. extend over the head and along the gill covers. These pores are electroreceptors capable of Alligator gars have two rows of teeth, a longer detecting as little as 1/100 of 1-millionth one on the palate, and an outer row in the jaw, volt per cm, enough to sense the presence of enabling them to pierce and hold prey. Take a plankton, a valuable tool especially as vision, look when one of these big fish “yawn.” hearing and smell are poor. Gars also have a highly vascularized swim bladder that enables them to breathe in air, an adaptation to life in water with low oxygen ORDER LEPISOSTEIFORMES levels. (GARS) Fished intensively by professional and sports fisherman and marketed as a food fish. Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula (Lepisosteidae) Fish eggs are poisonous to humans. Gars Native Americans used armor-like ganoid Distribution: Rivers draining to the Gulf of scales as arrowheads and jewelry. Early Mexico. American farmers used the scales on the blades Habitat: Freshwater streams and rivers. Also of their plows. California Academy of Sciences 99

Spotted Gar Parasitized by the sea lamprey Petromyzon Lepisosteus oculatus ( Lepisosteidae) marinus. Gars Remarks: Considered a nuisance by fishermen Distribution: Lake Erie and south Lake Michi- because it damages gill nets and feeds on gan drainages; Mississippi River drainage from game fishes. The longnose gar is caught but Illinois south to East Oklahoma, East Tennes- rarely eaten. see; Gulf Coast streams from West Florida to Central Texas. Habitat: Clear pools with aquatic plants in ORDER OSTEOGLOSSIFORMES streams, swamps and lakes; may enter brackish (BONY TONGUES AND ARAPAIMAS) water on the Gulf Coast. Pirarucu aka Arapaima Appearance: Length to 1.1 m, weight to 4.4 kg. Arapaima gigas (Osteoglossidae) Body cylindrical, colored dark olive to brown Bonytongues above. All fins with dark spots; belly whitish; Distribution: Amazon River and its tributaries. snout short. Habitat: Freshwater, enters flooded areas dense Diet: Voracious predator on fishes and benthic with aquatic vegetation and shore plants, avoids crustaceans. the acidic waters of the “black water” zones. Reproduction and Development: Spawn dur- Appearance: Length to 2.3 m, weight to 133 ing the spring in shallow water over vegeta- kg. In the 1800s specimens 4.5 m long and 200 tion. Like all gars, the larvae have an adhesive kg were reported. Heavy, elongate body has pad on their heads, by which they affix them- very large scales. selves to plants. Diet: Specialized for surface feeding with their Mortality/Longevity: Live to at least 18 years. upturned mouths. Adults prey on fish at the Remarks: Minor commercial fishery. Also surface; suck smaller fish into the mouth, then taken as a gamefish. crush prey against the roof of its mouth with its tooth-covered bony tongue. Juveniles con- Longnose Gar sume smaller organisms, especially shrimp. Lepisosteus osseus (Lepisosteidae) Gars Like its close relative the arawana, it can leap Distribution: Saint Lawrence River drainage; from the water to snatch a bird or even a mon- freshwater systems along Atlantic coast from key from an overhanging branch. south of New Jersey to Orlando, Florida; South- Reproduction: Spawning occurs in April ern Great Lakes and Mississippi River system, and May in shallow lakes of flooded regions. south to Rio Grande in Texas. Builds a nest of about 15 cm depth and 50 cm Habitat: Backwaters, large creeks, lakes; may width in sandy bottoms. Male guards the eggs enter brackish water; live near aquatic vegeta- and the young. Once hatched, young fish fol- tion when young. low their father. Mortality/Longevity: Appearance: Length to 2 m. Weight to 22 kg. Preyed upon by humans. Snout more than twice as long as head. Body Conservation status: CITES Appendix II. Heav- cylindrical; dark olive-green to brown above, ily exploited as a commercial fish throughout lighter on sides with dark spots, usually on the Amazon. Populations have been greatly posterior; belly whitish. reduced during the past 200 years. Diet: Voracious predators. Piscivorous; also Remarks: Obligate air breather, well adapted feeds on crabs and other crustaceans. Catches to oxygen-deficient waters. Gulps air into its prey by swinging jaws back and forth, impal- gas bladder every 10–15 minutes when oxygen ing fish on its sharp teeth. levels are low. Reproduction and Development: Non-guard- Indigenous people utilize the scales and bones. ing egg scatterers. Eggs demersal and adhesive. The tongue was once used as a seed grater Eggs are protected from potential predators by to make drink powders. Scales were used as being poisonous. scrappers. Mortality/Longevity: Live to at least 36 years. Often referred to as the largest freshwater fish; 100 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

some freshwater catfishes and sturgeon may fish generates. Receptors, which cover much challenge this “record.” of the body as well, are used to navigate, One of the arapaimas is the largest fish in the avoid predators, and find food and mates in Steinhart by length. the turbid waters of its habitat. The caudal fin is forked. Length to c. 30 cm. Silver Arawana Diet: This fish is a scavenger and uses its long Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Osteoglossidae) snout to dig and find worms and insects. The Bonytongues elephantnose has poor eyesight, and depends Distribution: Northern South America: Ama- on the nose’s sensory receptors to find food. zon River system. Reproduction and Development: No external Habitat: Benthopelagic, freshwater tropical, differences between males and females. 24–30 °C. Especially prevalent in flooded areas Electroreceptors are also used to find a mate. or swamps. These fish are territorial and aggressive. Appearance: Length to 1.2 m. Weight to 4.6 kg. Remarks: Elephantnose fish have the largest Body covered with very big scales; dorsal and brain of any fish their size with a brain size anal fins almost fused with the caudal fin. 2 to body weight ratio higher than a human’s. barbels at the extremity of the lower jaw; adult They have been used by water departments silvery. Juvenile with blue glints and a yellow- in the U.S. and Germany to test the quality orange bar. of drinking water. When the quality of the Diet: Feeds mainly on crustaceans, insects, water declines, the amount of electrical pulses smaller fishes, and other animals that float on released increases. the water, its upturned mouth an adaptation These fish are depicted in ancient Egyptian for surface feeding. Arawana are also excellent tombs dating from 2500 BC. jumpers, and have been known to leap some 2 m out of the water to pluck a surprised and often doomed insect or bird from overhanging ORDER ELOPIFORMES branches. Bats and snakes have also been oc- (TARPONS) casionally found as stomach contents. Reproduction and Development: External Atlantic Tarpon fertilization. Male carries eggs, larvae, and Megalops atlanticus (Megalopidae) young juveniles in mouth for about 2 months. Tarpons Distribution: Nova Scotia south to Brazil, Gulf Elephant Nose of Mexico, Caribbean. West coast of Africa. Gnathonemus petersi (Mormyridae) Habitat: Inhabits coastal waters, bays, estuar- Elephantfishes ies, mangrove-lined lagoons, and rivers. Often Distribution: African Niger and Congo River found in river mouths and bays. basins, mainly in the countries of Cameroon, Appearance: Length to 2.5 m. Weight to 160 Nigeria and Congo. kg. Large, elongate, moderately deep and Habitat: Turbid, muddy, bottom areas of fresh compressed body. Sides and belly silvery, back tropical waters; prefers areas with submerged blue-gray. Caudal fin deeply forked. wood for hiding places. Diet: Sardines, anchovies, and other fishes; Appearance: Blackish/brown in color with a pair shrimp, crabs, and other crustaceans. of yellow-white vertical bands that extend from Reproduction and Development: Spawn off- the back of the dorsal fin to the anal fin. Elongated, shore. High fecundity, a 2.3 m female estimated laterally compressed body with a round mouth to produce over 12 million eggs. Spawn in waters located at eye level and an extensible lower jaw, which can be temporarily isolated from the open hence the nickname, “Elephant Nose.” sea. Larvae develop inshore and are leptocephalic This snout is its most unique feature. It is not in shape (flattened, tansparent, and eel-like). actually a nose, but an extension of the mouth Mortality/Longevity: Individuals caught and that is covered in electroreceptors that capture released by gamefishers are subject to injury. information from the weak electric field the Natural predators are sharks. Juveniles taken California Academy of Sciences 101

by other fishes. Live to at least 55 years. ORDER ANGUILLIFORMES Remarks: Have a habit of “rolling” at the sur- (EELS) face. This behavior helps them take air into Snowflake Moray their lunglike swimbladder. This swim blad- Echidna nebulosa (Muraenidae) der, attached to the esophagus, can be filled Moray Eels directly with air and permits the fish to live in Distribution: Red Sea and E. Africa to oxygen-poor waters. southwest Japan and Australia, east to Hawaii Tarpon are among the most “primitive” extant and Panama. bony fish. Habitat: Shallow lagoons, reef flats and rocky A popular gamefish of sportfishers, due to its shorelines in 1–18 m depth, often in open water. dynamic reaction once hooked. Since the flesh Appearance: Body whitish with pattern of is of poor quality, they are usually released. large black blotches containing yellow spots Another source states “The flesh is highly ap- and numerous small blackish spots and preciated despite its being bony.” Marketed scribbly markings between. Length to 75 cm. fresh or salted. Diet: Primarily crustaceans. Their large (5–8 cm diameter), silvery scales are fashioned into jewelry. Reproduction and Development: Distinctive leptocephalus larvae. Pacific Tarpon Mortality/Longevity: There is a minor Megalops cyprinoids (Megalopidae) commercial fishery. Tarpons Conservation Status: IUCN: Not Evaluated. Distribution: Red Sea to Society Islands, north A 2005 article in the journal Biological to Korea, south to SE Australia. Conservation indicated this fish is presently Habitat: Young inhabit river mouths, lakes, highly vulnerable to extinction. lagoons and swampy blackwaters. Remarks: Solitary. Adults are found in inner coastal bays, mouths of rivers, and mangroves in marine and fresh Zebra Moray waters, but generally at sea. Gymnomuraena zebra (Muraenidae) Appearance: Very large, silver-sided with blue- Moray Eels green dorsal fin and deeply forked tail. Large Distribution: Indo-Pacific. mouth with prominent lower jaw. Large scales. Habitat: Sandy and rocky substrates. In reef Length to 150 cm. Weight to at least 18 kg. crevices and beneath ledges of exposed seaward Diet: Primarily a diurnal predator of fishes reef flats and seaward slopes from 2–40 m. and crustaceans. Appearance: Length to 1.5 m. Easily recognized Reproduction and Development: Breed by its zebra striping; usually dark brown offshore, perhaps all year long. Like true eels, to black with numerous narrow white bars undergo a leptocephalus larval stage. Unlike encircling head, body and fins. Snout very eels, the larvae have forked tails. blunt. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: at least 44 yrs. Diet: Primarily crabs. Also preys on other crustaceans, mollusks, and sea urchins. This Conservation: Though the species is not species’ close-set, pebble-like teeth are used to rated, 2005 article in the journal Biological crush its hard-shelled prey. Conservation indicated that tarpon are at present highly vulnerable. Reproduction and Development: External fertilization. Eggs not guarded. Like most Remarks: A popular sport fish, edible but not eels, morays undergo a lengthy pelagic prized (too bony); a minor commercial fishery leptocephalus larval stage. Are protogynous target. hermaphrodites. Tolerate oxygen-poor water by inhaling air into Mortality/Longevity: There is a minor a lung-like air bladder. commercial fishery, but large individuals may Systematically, this oddball species is be ciguatoxic. considered a “primitive” teleost. Remarks: One source remarks that this moray, 102 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

like other species in its family, has a great sense The extended larval phase has resulted in this of smell coupled with poor vision. Bottom line: species’ broad distribution. watch your fingers and do not hand feed! Hunts diurnally during low tide, and likely also seeks prey nocturnally. Honeycomb Moray Gymnothorax favagineus (Muraenidae) The comet (Calloplesiops altivelis) has a color Moray Eels pattern that mimics the whitemouth moray. This small fish is known to take cover in coral Distribution: S. Red Sea, East. Africa to Papua crevices when alarmed, displaying only its tail, New Guinea, and Great Barrier Reef. which looks very much like the head of the Habitat: Reef flats and outer reef slopes of moray, even including an eyespot! continental reefs, 1–45 m. Appearance: Length reported to 3 m, thus California Moray Eel one of the two largest of Indo-Pacific moray Gymnothorax mordax (Muraenidae) eels. Covered with dark spots the size of their Morays eye that form a honeycomb pattern. Some Distribution: Point Conception to south Baja individuals colored almost totally black. California. Diet: Predator upon cephalopods, crustaceans Habitat: Rocky subtidal. Diurnally rests in and small fishes. crevices or holes, head usually protruding. Reproduction and Development: Distinctive Depth 6–40 m, typically 0.6–20 m. leptocephalus larvae. Appearance: Length to 1.5 m. No pectoral fins Remarks: Spots variable between individuals (all eels lack pelvic fins). Dark brown to green, and size, often in relation to habitat: those in mottled. clear coral reefs usually have proportionally Diet: Feeds nocturnally upon crustaceans, less black than those found in turbid waters. octopuses and fishes. Prey detected by smell. Often rest in crevasses with cleaner wrasses or Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. cleaner shrimps. Waters off southern California probably too cold for reproduction of this species, thus recruitment Whitemouth Moray (there) is by larvae that drift north from Baja. 30 Gymnothorax meleagris (Muraenidae) cm individuals about 2 years old. Morays Mortality/Longevity: Live to more than 30 years. Distribution: Red Sea and East Africa to Remarks: Constantly open and close mouth. the Marquesas and Mangaréva, north to the Moray eels do this to aid respiration. The be- Ryukyu and Hawaiian islands, south to Lord havior is not a threat display. Howe Island, west to Galapagos. Octopuses have a chemical in their ink that Habitat: Coral-rich lagoon and outer reefs temporarily disables the moray’s sense of among rocky, boulder strewn areas and smell. walls. Depth to 1–51 m. Juveniles often in the intertidal zone. Ribbon Eel Appearance: Dark brown to reddish brown Rhinomuraena quaesita (Muraenidae) with numerous close-set white spots. Length Morays to 1.2 m. The inside of the mouth is white, thus Distribution: Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the common name. the Tuamota Archipelago (French Polynesia). Diet: Primarily fish, also crustaceans. Habitat: Lagoons and associated reefs at Reproduction and Development: Like many depths up to 57 m. true eels, has a lengthy leptocephalus larval Appearance: Long thin body and high dorsal stage. fins. Juveniles are black with a yellow dorsal Remarks: Constantly open and close mouth, fin, males are mostly blue, and females are an action required for respiration; not a mostly yellow. Length up to 130 cm. threatening behavior. Diet: Mostly small fishes, some invertebrates. When not feeding, rests in a hole or crack with Reproduction and Development: Protandrous head and forebody exposed. California Academy of Sciences 103

hermaphrodite. As the ribbon eel grows and of the tail have been reduced and fortified matures, it changes sex from male to female and to create a firm, pointed burrowing tool. its color changes from blue to yellow. This is Movement of the dorsal fin ejects sand and the only moray known to undergo such abrupt secretions from the skin harden and stabilize changes in sex and color. burrow sides. Mortality/Longevity: May have lifespan up to Part of the eel’s body remains in the burrow 20 years in the wild. as it faces the current to feed., using its large Remarks: The ribbon eel buries itself in sand eyes to find tiny animals floating by. When or hides in rocks or reefs, sometimes with approached, the animal withdraws quickly head protruding, lying in wait or emerging into its burrow for protection. Anyone popping to hunt for small fish. Like all morays, it rests up in our “pop-up” should experience this with mouth open, displaying sharp teeth that reaction. appear ready for use. Actually, ribbon eels Garden eels, because they do not take bait from are among the least aggressive of morays, the hooks and were not netted because they rarely gaping mouth simply aiding breathing by leave their burrows, were discovered only with allowing oxygenated water to enter and pass the advent of SCUBA. over the gills.

Spotted Garden Eel ORDER CLUPEIFORMES Heteroconger hassi (Congridae) Conger and Garden Eels Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii (Clupeidae) Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Herrings, Shads, Sardines, Menhadens Africa to the Society Islands; tropical, between 30 degrees N to 23 degrees S. Distribution: Found along the Pacific coast of North America and northeast Asia. Most Habitat: Usually found on sandy bottoms near common along the California coast from Baja a reef at depths of 7–45 m with some current. California north to Alaska and the Bering Sea. Appearance: Up to 40 cm in length with a body Habitat: Typically a coastal, schooling species, diameter of about 14 mm. Color is variable with found at depths from the surface to 250 m at tiny spots covering the body including three various times of the year. large black spots, two of which are usually visible. The third spot is on the anus, which Appearance: Dark blue to olive above, silvery is usually in the burrow. Like all members of below. Pacific herring look similar to Pacific the family, they lack scales. Lack pelvic fins sardines, but lack the dark spots usually seen and pectoral fins reduced. Males larger than on the sides of sardines. females. Diet: Juveniles: mainly crustaceans, but also Diet: Microscopic animals in the water column. decapod and mollusk larvae; adults: larger crustaceans and small fishes. Reproduction and Development: During mating season, males and females move their Reproduction and Development: Move burrows closer together. With tails remaining nearshore into bays and estuaries to spawn in in their burrows, they meet and entwine large aggregations. San Francisco, Richardson, bodies. Males defend the females they have and Tomales Bays are among important local chosen. After mating the fertilized eggs are spawning areas, most often between January released into the current and float near the and February. Sticky eggs are attached to surface in the open ocean. The eggs hatch and marine plants, rocks, or pilings, usually in rows the larvae float until the eels are large enough 1–2 eggs deep. However, spawning can be so to swim down and make a burrow. intense that egg masses may be as thick as 5 cm. Young stay in shallow waters until the next Remarks: Garden eels are usually found in fall, when they head to sea. colonies containing up to several hundred, even thousands of individuals. Mortality/Longevity: Important prey for many other fish species, seabirds, and marine The garden eel drives its pointy tail into the mammals, especially during spring spawning sand to create a burrow. The skeletal features aggregations. Eggs are consumed by benthic 104 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

animals and seabirds. Larvae and juveniles above, silver below; round in cross-section. also an important key to the marine food web. Max. length: 23 cm. Maximum reported age: 19 years, Alaska. Diet: Filter feeder on plankton, fish larvae California populations typically to 11 years. and eggs. Conservation Status: Though the herring Reproduction and Development: Spawns fishery has collapsed in various areas during in winter; eggs hatch in 2–4 days, and larvae the past 75 years, the species is not listed by enter plankton. the ESA or IUCN. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 4 years. Remarks: An extremely important commercial Remarks: Provides food for other fish, birds fish. Pacific herring is smoked, dried, and and sea mammals. Also used as bait and canned, as well as used to produce oil and processed for oil and fish meal. meal. The most profitable market is for Schools move up and down the coast over herring roe (eggs), a popular food item in Asia, fairly long distances. especially in Japan, where the eggs, slightly salted and still attached to edible algae, are considered a delicacy. ORDER CYPRINIFORMES Pacific Sardine Sardinops sagax (Clupeidae) Tricolor Sharkminnow Herrings, Shads, Sardines, Menhadens Balantiocheilos melanopterus (Cyprinidae) Distribution: Southeast Alaska to California; Minnows or Carps Peru to Chile. Distribution: Southeast Asia. Habitat: Pelagic: 0 to 200 m. Habitat: Midwater depth in large and medium- Appearance: Length to 38 cm. Blue green on sized rivers and lakes. back, white on flanks. Appearance: Elongated silver body up to 35 Diet: Zooplankton. cm in length; black margins on dorsal, caudal, anal and pelvic fins; large, prominent eyes. Reproduction and Development: Traveling Diet: in large schools insures plenty of mates. Eggs Phytoplankton, small crustaceans, roti- and larvae are pelagic. fers, insects and their larvae. Reproduction and Development: Mortality/Longevity: To 25 years. Eaten by External many fishes, birds, and marine mammals as fertilization. well as humans. Conservation Status: IUCN listed: Endan- Conservation Status: The most important gered: becoming rare or extinct in many river California fishery from the 1920s thru the basins. 1940s and made famous in the writings of John Java Barb Steinbeck. Overfishing and a natural cycle of Barbonymus gonionotus (Cyprinidae) oceanic conditions led to a population collapse Minnows or Carp in the 1950s and for a time doomed Monterey’s Distribution: Southeast Asia: Mekong and Cannery Row. The fishery showed signs of Chao Phraya basins, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra recovery in the 1980s and fully recovered by and Java. the late 1990s. Habitat: Found midwater to bottom of rivers, Northern Anchovy streams, and floodplains, especially in quiet water. Engraulis mordax (Engrauladidae) Moves into flooded forest during high water. Anchovies Appearance: Compressed body with small Distribution: Northern British Columbia to head and pointed snout. Cabo San Lucas, Baja California. Diet: Plant matter, invertebrates. Habitat: Mainly California coastal waters, Reproduction and Development: Females usually near shore but may be found to 200 m. scatter eggs on the substrate. No parental care. Pelagic; travels in large schools. Remarks: A market fish; aquacultured in some Appearance: Body is metallic blue to greenish areas. California Academy of Sciences 105

Tinfoil Barb Hopefully, captive breeding by aquaria and Barbonymus schwanenfeldii (Cyprinidae) hobbyists, which has been successful, will take Minnows or Carps pressure off of wild population. Distribution: Mekong and Chao Phraya ba- Remarks: This handsome small species was sins, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. first discovered in 2006, and has since become Habitat: Rivers, streams, canals and ditches. quite popular in the aquarium trade. Also enters flooded fields. Appearance: Large individuals silvery or gold- Siamese Algae-eater en yellow, dorsal fin red with a black blotch at Crossocheilus siamensis (Cyprinidae) the tip; red pectoral, pelvic and anal fins; red Minnows or Carps or orange caudal fin with white margin and Distribution: Mekong, Chao Phraya and Xe a black submarginal stripe along each lobe. Bangfai basins; Malay Peninsula. Length to 35 cm. Habitat: Found at bottom depths in streams Diet: Largely herbivorous, consumes aquatic and rivers. Moves into flooded forests during plants and submerged land plants as well periods of high water. as filamentous algae. Occasionally feeds on Appearance: Dorsal side brown, ventral white; insects, worms, crustaceans and small fishes. black, wide longitudinal stripe on the side. Reproduction and Development: Spawns Length to 16 cm. seasonally in winter. Fertilization external. Do Diet: Algae, phytoplankton and periphyton not guard eggs. (layer of small plants and animals attached to Remarks: Caught by subsistence and surfaces projecting above the substrate). commercial fishers; raised in aquaculture. Reproduction and Development: Likely Usually marketed fresh. Also marketed live spawns in flooded forests. for the aquarium trade. Koi aka Common Carp Celestial Pearl Danio Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae) Celestichthys margaritatus (Cyprinidae) Minnows or Carps Minnows or Carps Distribution: Probably native to the Danube Distribution: Asia: Myanmar. Also reported River; has been introduced world wide. from Thailand. Habitat: Favor large freshwater bodies with Habitat: Inhabits small, shallow seepage and slow-flowing or standing water and soft spring-fed ponds with luxuriant vegetation. bottom sediments. Koi thrive in large turbid Appearance: Body is covered with small, rivers. pearly dots. Gill covers are transparent and Appearance: Length to 1.2 m. Weight to 37.3 reveal the blood-red gills. Fins are patterned kg. Coloration ranges from grey to bronze; with black and red lines. Males more brightly the back is dark, the sides lighter, ventral side colored than females. Max. length: 2.1 cm even lighter. Paired fins are slightly red during Diet: Omnivorous. the spawning period. That said, individuals are highly variable in form, proportions, Reproduction and Development: After a development of fins, and color. Coloration courtship ritual, spawning takes place with is reportedly brighter in koi from rivers and eggs laid in vegetation. darker in those that inhabit muddy pools. Mortality/Longevity : Life span: 3 years. Wild carp usually have a less stocky build than Conservation Status: Because travel in aquafarmed individuals. Myanmar is restricted by the government, Diet: Omnivorous. Feed primarily on aquatic IUCN has not evaluated this fish’s status. In insects, crustaceans, annelids, mollusks, seeds 2007, Myanmar’s Department of Fisheries of weeds and trees, wild rice, aquatic plants identified a number of new locations where and algae. Gather food mostly by grubbing in populations have been found, and some sediments. involved with the export trade reported that Reproduction and Development: Spawn people in rural areas were making significant during spring and summer in temperate income from the sale of C. margaritatus. 106 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

regions, throughout the year in the tropics. Redtail Black Shark Polygamous: a spawning female is typically Epalzeorhynchos bicolor (Cyprinidae) followed by several males. Fertilization is Minnows or Carps external. Female deposits sticky eggs in Distribution: Originally from the Mae Klong shallow vegetation. An average-sized female River in Thailand. can produce about 300,000 eggs in a season. Habitat: Middle and bottom levels of freshwater A larger female can deposit more than one streams and rivers, especially areas with rocks million eggs per season. Eggs are not guarded, and/or plants for resting and hiding. and hatch after four days. Appearance: A striking fish with deep velvet- Mortality/Longevity: Live to 20 years. black body and bright red caudal fin. Max. Remarks: A highly popular fish in the length: 15 cm. commercial trade, also a gamefish. Diet: Omnivorous, primarily a bottom-feeding Romans introduced carp into various locations scavenger. (Note the downward facing mouth in northern and western Europe as a food with barbels for locating food items and fish. Monks in medieval times continued this feeding on soft substrate.) “Johnny Appleseed” manner. Thus the native Reproduction and Development: Spawner, and introduced habitats of the koi are presently egg layer. impossible to tease out. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 6–8 years. Koi are a plastic species with a marked Conservation Status: Currently extinct in the tendency to produce differing varieties wild, probably due to construction of dams and and races in response to selective breeding draining of swamps rather than overcollecting, and environmental factors. They have been as some suggest. All red-tails available in fish selectively bred in many areas, especially Japan, stores today are commercially raised by the for over 200 years. aquarium trade industry. Zebra Danio Remarks: This fish is aggressive and territo- Danio rerio (Cyprinidae) rial. In spite of its common name, most likely Minnows or Carps a reference to its streamlined, torpedo shape, Distribution: Indo-Pacific. it is not a shark. Habitat: Streams, canals, ditches, and ponds Cherry Barb as well as rice fields. Puntius titteya (Cyprinidae) Appearance: Named for its five horizontal blue Minnows or Carps stripes extending along on the sides of the body Distribution: Native to Sri Lanka with as well as the anal and caudal fins. Grows to 6 introduced populations established in Mexico cm. Males have gold stripes between the blue and Colombia. and females have silver. Habitat: Heavily shaded streams and rivulets, Diet: Omnivorous. Small aquatic insects, crus- preferring shallow, slow-moving water with taceans, worms, and plankton. silt substrate and leaf cover. Reproduction and Development: Egg-scatter- Appearance: An elongated fish with a ers; produce about 100 eggs in a single spawn- compressed body, fawn-colored on top with ing. Breed readily in captivity. a slight greenish sheen. Sides and belly have Remarks: Typically a schooling fish. This spe- silver highlights with a horizontal stripe cies is useful for studies of vertebrate devel- extending from the tip of the snout through opment and gene function as they reproduce the eye to the base of the caudal fin, with an easily and quickly, developing from egg to iridescent, metallic line above it. Males are larva in less than 3 days. Zebra danios have redder than females and attain a deeper red the distinction of being one of the few fishes color at breeding time; females lighter with to have flown in space. In June, 1976, Salut yellowish fins. Max. length: 5 cm. 5 carried tortoises and a zebra danio (not to Diet: Omnivorous. mention cosmonauts)! Reproduction and Development: Open water, California Academy of Sciences 107

substrate egg-scattering fish. Males swim just intensely colored. behind females and chase away rival males. Diet: Zooplankton, detritus. Adults spawn 200–300 eggs and scatter them Reproduction and Development: Spawning on plants and on the substrate and eat as many takes place when male curls the rear of his eggs as possible when finished. The successful body around the female. Eggs are attached ones hatch in 1 or 2 days and become free to plants, and not guarded by parents. Easily swimming within 48 hours. bred in captivity. Conservation Status: Commercially important Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 3– years. in the aquarium trade, and the more colorful Remarks: The species was supposedly first varieties are in danger of being over-fished. known from the White Cloud Mountains IUCN listed: lower rjsk/conservation near Canton, China. Albonubes means “white dependent. cloud”. Remarks: Cherry refers to the fish’s red color. Today the white cloud minnow is nearly extinct Redstripe Rasbora in its native habitat, but because they are easily Rasbora pauciperforata (Cyprinidae) are captive bred, they are readily available in Minnows or Carps the aquarium trade Distribution: Southeast Asia: Thailand, Harlequin Rasbora Cambodia, Malaysia, Sumatra. Trigonostigma heteromorpha (Cyprinidae) Habitat: Sluggish forest streams, marshes, and Minnows or Carps swamps with overhanging and overgrown Distribution: Thailand to Sumatra, Indonesia. vegetation. Habitat: Forest streams. Appearance: Max. size: 7 cm. Back olive brown, body brownish gray, belly white. A bright Appearance: Length to 5 cm. Color pattern stripe runs from the tip of the snout to the reddish, pinkish or orange body with a caudal fin. Stripe may be red, deep orange, or conspicuous black stripe from below dorsal-fin golden depending on diet, condition, or mood. origin to middle of caudal fin base and usually broadened anteriorly so as to have a triangular Diet: Micropredator on small worms, or hatchet shape. No barbels. crustaceans, insects and zooplankton. Diet: Feeds on worms, crustaceans and insects. Reproduction: Eggs are scattered among plants, and hatch in about one day. Fry are Reproduction and Development: Eggs free-swimming in 3–5 days. No parental care. spawned at the underside of broad leaves or similar structures. Parents do not guard eggs. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 3–5 years. Conservation Status: Not evaluated, but its Hampala Barb habitat is under threat from rubber/palm oil Hampala macrolepidota (Cyprinidae) plantations, building developments, and other Minnows or Carps human activities. Distribution: Asia: Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. White Cloud Minnow Tanichthys albonubes (Cyprinidae) Habitat: Occurs mainly in clear rivers or Minnows or Carps streams with running water and sandy to Carps and Minnows muddy bottoms. Found in most water bod- ies, except small creeks, torrents, and shallow Distribution: Asia: Southern China and swamps. A migratory species which enters Vietnam. flooded forests. Abundant in the Mekong. Habitat: Clear freshwater streams with Appearance: Length to more than 70 cm. Black vegetation. bar between the dorsal and pelvic fins in adults; Appearance:. Length: c. 2 cm. Elongated orange to red caudal fin with a black longitu- body with upturned mouth; slender, gold dinal, marginal stripe along each lobe. Scales stripe extending from eye to the caudal fin, silvery-pink with dark trailing scale margins with blue/black parallel stripe below. Spot in adults. Juveniles usually with an additional on caudal peduncle. Males slimmer and more 108 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

vertical bar on the caudal peduncle. Juveniles Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia. with black teardrop-shaped marking on cheek; Habitat: Clear forest streams and rivers. barbel always longer than eye width. Eyes Appearance: Size to 18 cm. Noted for the black located on upper-side of head. bars on the body, usually two vertical and Diet: Predatory. Adults mainly piscivorous, one horizontal. Their pattern gives the fish its but in Saguling Reservoir, West Java, 74% of common name, “T-barb.” the diet consists of aquatic insects. Diet: Feeds on insects, worms, and plant matter. Reproduction and Development: Breeds Reproduction and Development: Open water/ throughout the winter rainy season. substratum egg scatterers; non-guarders. Remarks: Good food fish, although bony. Marketed fresh. Black Ruby Barb Puntius nigrofasciatus (Cyprinidae) Golden Shiner Minnows or Carps Notemigonus crysoleucas (Cyprinidae) Distribution: Southeast Asia. Minnows or Carps Habitat: Clear, cool, shady streams in forested Distribution: East Coast of U.S. from Nova Scotia areas to 300 m elevation, over gravel or sand south to Florida, inland to Mississippi River substrate. Sometimes found in pools of quiet drainage, and throughout most of the Midwest. water in the margins of clear streams and Introduced to parts of Arizona and California. rivers. Habitat: Clear, weedy, shallows of lakes, Appearance: Length to 6.7 cm. Head red, flanks ponds, and rivers. Most often found in clear, marked with 3–4 black bars. Breeding colors vegetated areas, especially in quiet waters. more dramatic. Appearance: Adults c. 15 cm long; females Diet: Primarily filamentous algae and detritus. larger than males. Dark green above, olive Reproduction and Development: Spawns in sides, golden belly; large, loosely attached shallow water among marginal weeds. Parents gold scales. do not guard eggs. Eggs (>100) hatch in one to Diet: Young feed primarily on plankton; adults two days; fry are free-swimming after 24 hours. are also filter feeders on plankton, but also take Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 5 years. aquatic insects, mollusks, and plant material, which makes up about half of the diet. Clown Loach Reproduction and Development: Spawns Botia macracanthus (Cobitidae) May to July; female deposits adhesive eggs Loaches over filamentous algae and other submerged Distribution: Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo). plants. Non-guarders. Habitat: Demersal, tropical freshwater streams Mortality/Longevity: Mature at 2–3 years; and rivers. lifespan up to 9 years. Fed upon by larger Appearance: Length to 30 cm. Body orange fishes, including game fishes such as pike, with 3 very broad black bars. trout and bass. Diet: Feeds on annelid worms, benthic crusta- Remarks: A popular baitfish because of its ceans and plant matter. bright, flashing coloration. Because baitfish are Reproduction and Development: External often dumped after a day of fishing, they may fertilization. Mate at the beginning of the rainy be introduced to new habitats, sometimes out- season in fast flowing rivers. Batch spawners. competing native species. Today, some areas have Nonguarders. Brood hiders. banned the use of live baitfish. Remarks: Minor commercial fishery; also taken Common name comes from the adult’s char- for the aquarium trade. acteristic golden sheen. Dwarf Loach T-Barb Botia sidthimunki (Cobitidae) Puntius lateristriga ( Cyprinidae) Loaches Minnows or Carps Distribution: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand. Distribution: Southeast Asia: Malaysia, California Academy of Sciences 109

Habitat: Various tropical stream habitats, These Academy café residents are known as including flowing and standing water. Prefer jumpers – hopefully they will stay in the tank areas of with bogwood, caves, and aquatic plants. and off plates! Appearance: Max. size: 6 cm. The smallest loach species. Males and females similar. Smallmouth Buffalofish The back is light brownish to light yellow Ictiobus bubalus (Catostomidae) with longitudinal bands that are connected Suckers by smaller bands across the back. Underside Distribution: Lake Michigan drainage and is white with a silvery sheen. Adapted to Mississippi River basin from Pennsylvania and a bottom-dwelling lifestyle typical of most Michigan to Montana, and south to the Gulf of loaches, this species has a downward facing Mexico. Also in Mexico. mouth and fleshy barbels for searching bottom Habitat: Inhabits pools, backwaters and main gravels and mud for food. channels of small to large rivers. Also in lakes Diet: Small aquatic invertebrates and insect and reservoirs. larvae; algae. Appearance: Deep, moderately compressed Reproduction: Breeding habits in the wild body. Back arched. Back colored gray to dark unknown. olive, sides bronze to gray. Pelvic fins charcoal, Mortality/Longevity: Life span: ~10 years. other fins dusky. Length to 112 cm; weight to 37.3 kg. Conservation Status: IUCN: Critically Endangered. Once thought to be extinct in the Diet: Feeds on benthic crustaceans, mollusks; wild in Thailand, but recently rediscovered. also algae. Grinds prey with the bony plates Success in captive breeding in fish farms and in its throat. aquaria has taken some pressure off wild stocks. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Remarks: The dwarf loach is a schooling fish, external. Scatter eggs and do not guard. One often found in large shoals. seasonal spawning peak per year. Mortality/Longevity: Lives to at least 15 years. Redtail Loach Remarks: Common name refers to its large size Yasuhikotakia modesta (Cobitidae) and humped back. Loaches Not a popular sportfish. There is a commercial Distribution: Southeast Asia: Mekong and fishery in the Mississippi River and some Chao Phraya basins. large lakes. Habitat: Most often found in large rives over muddy substrate. Also flooded fields. Appearance: Body bluish to grayish, ORDER CHARACIFORMES occasionally with hint of green. Fins are a Flagtail Prochilodus bright orange to red color. Mature males Semaprochilodus insignis (Prochilodontidae) smaller and more slender than mature females. Flannel-mouthed Characins Max length: 30 cm. Distribution: Central and western portions Diet: Avid burrower for its preferred diet of of the Amazon and Orinoco River Basins, worms, crustaceans, and insects. Nocturnal Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Guyana and Brazil. feeder. Habitat: Tropical rivers, especially areas with Reproduction and Development: Migratory; aquatic plants. moves to tributaries and small streams to spawn during the flood season. Appearance: Sexes similar. Oval shaped and compressed laterally. Silver body, with orange Remarks: This species has a unique intestine and black striped tail and anal fin; orange/red that can act as a respiratory organ, allowing dorsal fin and area above the head. Length: the fish to absorb oxygen at the surface directly 27–40 cm. from the atmosphere. Diet: Sifts through mud preferentially Tend to be territorial, with an established in floodplains for organic material and hierarchy with a group. occasionally feeds on algae. 110 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Reproduction and Development: Like other Like many species of pencilfishes, has a duller members of their family, they undertake nocturnal pattern and coloration that helps dramatic mass migrations associated with both camouflage it from would-be predators while feeding and reproduction. it sleeps. Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by some predatory Blind Cave Fish fishes, such as the peacock bass (Cichla Astyanax mexicanus (Characidae) temensis), often found in the Flooded Amazon Characins exhibit. Life span: c. 4 years. Distribution: Texas, New Mexico, and eastern Banded Leporinus and central Mexico. Leporinus fasciatus (Anostomidae) Habitat: Freshwater pools within dark caves. Headstanders Appearance: Head is notable for the absence Distribution: South America: Amazon and of eyes. Young born with functioning eyes Tocantins River basins. Also Guyana. which become completely enclosed in tissue Habitat: Rivers with sandy bottoms. as fish grows. Lack of sight is compensated Appearance: Light tan with two distinct black by a highly developed lateral line that detects spots (one before the tail and another on the vibrations and changes in the water. The fish is flank). Length about 12 cm. without pigmentation and is plain pink with a Diet: Small invertebrates, other fish, and silver sheen. They live in schools and grow to plants. Will eat scales of larger fish. about 12 cm in length. Reproduction and Development: Spawns in Diet: A keen sense of smell and electrolocation open water above substrate. Doesn’t guard eggs. aid in finding food. Blind cave fish are omnivores and feed on animal and plant Remarks: Leporinus (L =”rabbit”) relates to this remains that wash into the caves and on bat fish’s large protruding teeth The species is also droppings from cave ceilings. Much of their known to leap out of the water, so perhaps its time is spent searching for food; they are able name has more than one reference point! to store four times more energy as fat than their Like all members of its family, it very often surface-dwelling relatives, allowing them to position itself head down in rocky crevices. deal with irregular food supplies. Golden Pencilfish Reproduction and Development: Egg layers. Nannostomus beckfordi (Lebiasinidae) Life span is approximately ten years. Pencilfishes Remarks: Both sighted, non-cave dwelling and Distribution: Amazon River basin in Guyana, blind cave forms of A. mexicanus exist. These Suriname, French Guiana and northern Brazil. fish are popular subjects for scientists studying Habitat: Sluggish small rivers and swampy evolution—did the cave fish lose their eyes areas. because the lack of light and predators in dark caves selected against vision? Appearance: Max. size: 6.5 cm. Elongate cylindrical body gives them their common When lenses from sighted fish were name. Dark horizontal band extends through transplanted to blind cave fish, eyes began to the midline from head to tail. The male is more develop. This research may eventually prove colorful than female. The anal fin of the male useful in treating blindness in humans. has a curved posterior edge; the female’s fin Blind cave fish have chemoreceptors all over edge is straight the head. Diet: Small worms, crustaceans, insects. Sweepline Brycon Reproduction: Fertilized eggs hatch in 2–3 Brycon melanopterus (Characidae) days; fry are free swimming 3–4 days later. Characins Readily reproduce in captivity. Distribution: Amazon basin. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 5 or more Habitat: Freshwater streams and Florida ivers. years. Appearance: Length to over 30 cm, weight to Remarks: A schooling fish. 4.3 kg. California Academy of Sciences 111

Diet: Consume terrestrial and aquatic plants Bucktooth Tetra and terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. Exodon paradoxus (Characidae) Reproduction and Development: Migrate Characins during the rainy season to formerly dry Distribution: South America: Amazon and grassland to spawn. The eggs are broadcast Tocantins River basins. Also Guyana. among the submerged grasses. Habitat: Rivers with sandy bottoms. Remarks: Highly esteemed as a a food fish; Appearance: Light tan with two distinct black called the South American “trout.” spots (one before the tail and another on the flank.) Common name comes from the large Tambaqui aka Black Pacu protruding teeth. Length about 12 cm. Colossoma macropomum (Characidae) Diet: Small invertebrates, other fish, and Characins plants. Will eat scales of larger fish. Distribution: South America: Amazon and Reproduction & Development: Spawns in Orinoco basins as wild form; aquacultured open water above substrate. Doesn’t guard form is widely distributed in South America. eggs Habitat: Adults: open water of large rivers and Remarks: Eating scales of other fishes is a seasonally flooded forests. Young stay in black behavior common to a variety of species. waters of flood plains until maturity. Scales are nutritional, offering a source of Appearance: Body laterally compressed calcium carbonate and other minerals, as well with large eyes and an arched back. Color is as a layer of protein-rich mucus. A reliable basically gray to olive above, dark below often resource, scales are plentiful, available year with spots and blemishes in the middle. All fins round, and readily regrown. black, pectoral fins small. Size: to 100 cm long and up to 30 kg. Rummy-nose Tetra Diet: Adults: consume fruits and grain during Hemigrammus bleheri (Characidae) seasonal flooding. Also feeds on zooplankton, Characins insects, snails and decaying plants. Distribution: South America, forest streams of Reproduction and Development: Usually the Rio Negro floodplain. spawn once per year. Open water, substratum Habitat: Areas with dense plants and roots. egg scatterers. Non-guarders. Appearance: Common name derives from the Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 20 yrs. or distinctive red area around its “nose” and over more. the eyes. The body is a silver/gold color with Remarks: Used in aquaculture because it can bold black and white stripes on the caudal fin. live in mineral poor waters and is very resistant Males and females similar, though males tend to diseases. Marketed fresh and frozen. to be slimmer. Fossils of the living species have been found Diet: Omnivorous. in the Miocene. Reproduction and Development: Egg scatterers in open water or on substrate.. Silver Tetra Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 3–5 years. Ctenobrycon spilurus (Characidae) Remarks: A popular fish in the aquarium Characins trade as it is peaceful and moves in colorful Distribution: South America: Orinoco River shoals. One source reported that this species basin. is an important part of an ornamental fishery Habitat: Areas of calm water. that provides some 60% of the income of the Appearance: Deep bodied, laterally riverine people from middle Rio Negro. The compressed, silvery color with black spot on rummynose is difficult, though not impossible caudal peduncle. to breed and raise in aquaria. Diet: Zooplankton, plants, worms, insects, AM12 crustaceans. 112 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Rummy-nose Tetra nuts it prefers. Hemigrammus rhodostomus (Characidae) Reproduction and Development: Female Characins broadcasts eggs in water column that are then Distribution: Lower Amazon River basin and fertilized by the male. No parental care. Orinoco River basin. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by larger Habitat: Tropical freshwater. fish, caimans, river otters, river dolphins, birds Appearance: Reddish-orange body, black and humans. margins on tail. Length to 5 cm. Remarks: Can inflict serious bites. Diet: Primarily insects and insect larvae, also consume plant matter. Cardinal Tetra aka Neon Tetra Remarks: A popular aquarium fish. Shares its Paracheirodon axelrodi (Characidae) common name with H. bleheri. Characins Distribution: South America: Upper Rio Ori- Silver Dollar noco and Rio Negro. Metynnis hypsauchen (Characidae) Habitat: Mainly in schools of 12–30 over shoals Characins in the middle water column; nonmigratory. Distribution: Tropical South America primarily Appearance: Length to 3 cm. Dark above, red Amazon and Orinoco basins. below with silvery blue horizontal stripe on Habitat: Calm river reaches overhung by sides. foliage. Diet: Small crustaceans and worms. Appearance: Almost circular in profile; Reproduction and Development: Move to juveniles may be spotted or striped; adults floodplain during spring floods to spawn. Ex- solidly silver with anal and caudal fins edged ternal fertilization. Open water egg scatterers, in red or orange; grows to length of 30 cm in broadcast 300–500 large eggs. Eggs hatch in wild. 24–30 hours and fry are free-swimming after Diet: Generally herbivorous, eating leaves 3–4 days. of river plants; occasionally eats worms and Mortality/Longevity: Adults often perish due small insects. to starvation after spring floods when foraging Reproduction and Development: Females habitats retract during the low water season. release up to 2000 eggs; juveniles hatch in a Preyed upon by other fishes including piranha. few days. Remarks: Popular fish in the aquarium trade. Remarks: A schooling species related to Breeding in captivity is possible but difficult, piranhas. thus most specimens in the aquarium trade are caught in the tributaries of the Rio Negro Redhook Silver Dollar and Orinoco. Myleus rubripinnis (Characidae) Characins Pirapitinga aka Red-bellied Pacu Distribution: South America: Amazon and Piaractus brachypomus (Characidae) Orinoco River basins; north and eastern Guiana Characins Shield rivers. Distribution: South America: Amazon and Habitat: Prefers calm zones of main rivers Orinoco River basins. where vegetation hangs over the river banks. Habitat: Open water of large rivers and Gregarious and non-aggressive. seasonally flooded forests. Appearance: Laterally compressed, “silver Appearance: When young, pirapitinga look dollar” disc shape with brightly reflective small like red-bellied piranha, distinguished from its scales. The common name “red hook” refers to more aggressive look-a-like by the lack of the the mostly red large anal fin, bilobed in males piranha’s bulldog-like underbite on the lower and single in females. Mature adults often sport jaw. As it grows older, its size protects it from orange spots on the body. Max. length: 39 cm. predation, and mimicry is replaced by a black Diet: Feeds on the leaves of river plants. Has coloration, similar to the tambaqui, but less powerful jaws well adapted for the seeds and dark below. California Academy of Sciences 113

Diet: Insects and decaying fruits and vegetation clean of flesh may be true, but the “meal” in that fall into the water. (Do these fish celebrate question was not alive when the attack took the inevitable last flight of a bola butterfly?) place. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Even so, piranha’s can inflict a serious wound. external, one seasonal spawning peak per Jaw muscles are incredibly strong, and the year. Open water/substratum egg scatterers. razor-sharp teeth on top and bottom fit in Nonguarders. an interlocking pattern. These two features Mortality/Longevity: Known to live to 28 make the red-bellied piranha an efficient and years. formidable feeder. Remarks: Because pacu are closely related to Of the 20 or so species of piranha, 12 do not piranha, sharing their coloration and shape, attack in schools. Rather they take a quick bites Hollywood producers have been known to of the fins or scales of passing fish, causing little use the pacu as a stand-in for piranha. Actors damage as these parts grow back. are appreciative of the pacu’s preference for Amazonian Indians use the sharp teeth as vegetable matter. knives. They also coat the teeth with curare and Like the tambaqui, an important aquacultured attach them to the end of blow darts. food fish in South America.

Red-bellied Piranha ORDER SILURIFORMES Pygocentrus nattereri (Characidae) (CATFISHES) Characins Channel Catfish Distribution: Amazon, Paraguay-Paraná and Ictalurus punctatus (Ictaluridae) Essequibo basins. North American Freshwater Catfishes Habitat: Freshwater creeks and interconnected Distribution: North America: Central pools. drainages of the United States to southern Appearance: Length to 33 cm. Weight to 3.8 kg. Canada and northern Mexico. Laterally compressed. Primarily dark scales with Habitat: Rivers and streams, ponds and silvery glitter highlights. Chin and belly reddish. reservoirs, especially on sand or gravel bottom Diet: Prey primarily on wounded and diseased near rocks or logs where they hide during the fish. Feed communally in groups of 20–30 indi- day. viduals who wait in vegetation for the oppor- Appearance: Color varies from blue, black, tunity to ambush prey. Once prey is attacked olive; speckled above, lighter below, with a feeding frenzy ensues. Adults forage at dusk males generally darker than females. Like all and dawn, medium-sized fish most active at catfish, are scaleless. Two barbels in upper jaw, dawn, late afternoon and at night; small fish and four below. Max. length: 130 cm; common feed by day. Also scavenge on waste dumped length: 60 cm. into rivers from slaughterhouses. Former CAS Diet Steinhart Aquarium director Earl Herald used : Opportunistic omnivores. Active at to feed piranhas the hearts of horses! night, in search of fishes such as yellow perch and sunfish. Also snails, algae, snakes, frogs, Reproduction: Spawn after an elaborate insects, aquatic plants, and an occasional bird courtship ritual where the mating pair swims or small mammal. in circles. Female deposits layers of eggs on Reproduction and Development aquatic plants; male fertilizes. Male defends : The channel and turns eggs. Masses hatch in 9–10 days. catfish is monogamous at least for a single mating season and displays a complex Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by other courtship behavior. Mating takes place in the fishes including large catfishes, crocodilians, summer. The male and female wrap their tails birds and larger mammals including jaguar. around each other’s head; when the male Remarks: The piranha’s reputation as a vora- shivers, the female is stimulated and eggs ciously attacking humans is highly exagger- and milt are released. Eggs are laid in a nest ated. The red-bellied piranha is primarily a prepared by the male or both parents, often scavenger. Stories of cows and humans striped under overhangs or in deep holes. The male 114 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

guards and aerates the eggs. Both parents are with a silvery throat and belly and three known to provide food for the juveniles, the distinct stripes on each side that become more male by thrashing in the mud to stir up food prominent with age. Female with paler stripes particles and the female by releasing eggs over and more robust body. the nest for juveniles to eat. Diet: Carnivore. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: usually about Reproduction and Development: Female 15 years, some as long as 25 years. Not many deposits adhesive eggs on aquatic plants. Do predators take on a mature channel catfish. not guard eggs. Dorsal and pectoral spines make them a nasty Remarks: In captivity single and paired mouthful. Juveniles are prey to birds and individuals are sluggish, hide, refuse food and carnivorous fishes. quickly die. Apparently they have a biological Remarks: Farming of catfish for food is a need to be in a small group. multi-million dollar business. Introduced for Gluttonous, will feed to bursting if overfed in aquaculture and recreational fishing in many captivity. areas worldwide. Walking Catfish Glass Catfish Clarias batrachus (Clariidae) Kryptopterus minor (Siluridae) Airbreathing Catfishes Sheat Catfishes Distribution: Southeast Asia: Mekong and Distribution: South East Asia: Indonesia, Chao Phraya basins, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Malaysia. Java, Borneo. Reported from Sri Lanka. Habitat: Among the vegetation of slow moving Habitat: Inhabits swamps, ponds, ditches, rice rivers with murky, often acidic water. paddies, and pools left in low spots after rivers Appearance: Has two thin lateral stripes have been in flood. Usually confined to stagnant, from head to tail and a body that is virtually muddy water, 1 m or less. Found in medium- to transparent, which gives it the common name large-sized rivers, flooded fields and stagnant of “glass catfish.” The swim bladder and other bodies of water including sluggish flowing internal organs are visible. It can disappear canals. Undertakes lateral migrations from the from predators when the number of black- Mekong mainstream, or other permanent water colored cells are reduced and platelets of bodies, to flooded areas during the rainy season guanine act as a mirror that reflect the habitat and returns to the permanent water bodies at the and camouflage the fish. Average length: 8 cm. onset of the dry season. Diet: Omnivore: feeds on other fishes and Appearance: Length to 47 cm. Weight to 1.2 small invertebrates. Using barbels, senses kg. Body compressed posteriorly. Upper jaw a presence of food in river currents. Active in little projecting. Extensive dorsal and anal fins. the daytime; feeds from middle to bottom of Spine of pectoral fins rough on its outer edge water column. and serrated on its inner edge. Reproduction and Development: An egg layer Diet: Feeds on insect larvae, earthworms, shells, or scatterer; sexes are indistinguishable. shrimps, small fish, aquatic plants and debris. Remarks: Because of its transparency, is also Reproduction and Development: Spawn known as “ghost “ or “phantom” catfish. externally in southeast Asia during the rainy Fish turns white at death. season, when rivers rise and fish are able to excavate nests in submerged mud banks and African Glass Catfish dikes of flooded rice fields. The mating pair Eutropiellus debauwi aka Pareutropius debauwi manifests the ‘spawning embrace’ which is (Schilbeidae) widely observed in other catfish species. The Schilbeid Catfishes pair gently nudge each other in the genital Distribution: Africa: Ogowe River in Gabon, region and flick their dorsal fins; male wraps Congo system and Chiloango River. his body around the female, then the female Habitat: Freshwater schooling fish. releases a stream of adhesive eggs into the nest. Appearance: Length to 11 cm. Translucent Guards nest. California Academy of Sciences 115

Remarks: Can live out of water for quite some Form schools. time and move short distances over land, Appearance: Length to 1 m. Weight to 14 sometimes migrating to other water bodies kg. Like all catfish, they lack scales. Like all while using its auxiliary breathing organs. members of their family, have bony plates A potential pest in areas other than its natural that protect the head and hooklike scutes that distribution. In the United States it is a nonin- run along the lateral line. Possess three pairs digenous invasive species, now established in of barbels. A stocky brown cat. Sexes similar. Florida and reported in California, Connecticut, Diet: Feeds on detritus, insect larvae, crusta- Georgia, Massachusetts, and Nevada. ceans, and occasional plant material. In Florida, catfish have invaded aquaculture Reproduction and Development: Sexes sepa- farms, and eaten stock fish. Aquafarmers have rate. Fertilization external, seasonal spawning erected fences to protect their ponds. peak January to February. Adults non-guarders. An important food fish that is marketed live, Remarks: Members of the family Doradidae fresh and frozen. are known as “talking catfishes” as they make a strange, creaking noise when removed from the Upsidedown Catfish water., a sound produced by movement of the Synodontis nigriventris (Mochokidae) pectoral spine within its socket and amplified Squeakers or Upsidedown Catfishes by the swim bladder. Distribution: Central Congo basin of Africa. Most catfishes are not in this family. There are Habitat: Freshwater streams in schools of more than 30 families of “catfishes” comprising hundreds to thousands. Prefer rock caves or more than 2500 species; about 80 are doradids). hollow logs for hiding during the day. Appearance: Length to 10 cm. Ground color Perruno Catfish aka Leopard Catfish khaki, small reddish to black dots cover entire Perrunichthys perruno (Pimelodidae) body. Body scaleless, head flattened, sides of Long-whiskered Catfishes body slightly compressed. Distribution: South America: Lake Maracaibo Diet: Omnivorous scavenger: Feeds mainly at basin, Colombia and Venezuela. night on insects, crustaceans and filamentous Habitat: Surrounding freshwater streams of algae, plant debris, bowels of dead fishes. Grazes Lake Maracaibo. Prefers areas with submerged algae from undersides of cave ceilings or leaves tree roots and other refuges where it hides with its little rasp-like teeth while in the inverted during the day. position, a posture also used while gleaning food Appearance: Max. size: 62 cm Sexes similar. from the water’s surface. Also locates food on the The species is noted for the very long pair of substrate among debris such as rotting plants. barbels that extend from the upper jaw and two Reproduction and Development: Oviparous; smaller pairs on the lower jaw. All can move parents tend their clutch. independently. Dark brown, round splotches Remarks: Swimming “upside-down” (ventral with thin, light brown markings cover the toward surface) is normal for adults of this species, body. Dorsal fins stands tall when erect. which often breathe and feed at the surface. Diet: Mainly other fishes. A nocturnal predator. One common name for the family refer to the Mortality/Longevity: Life span: about 20 years. group’s propensity to make squeaking noises, Remarks: Because it grows to large size especially when netted and taken from the water. quickly, this cat is best kept in the large tanks of public aquariums. Armored Catfish aka Ripsaw Catfish Oxydoras niger (Doradidae) The leopard cat is the single species of its Thorny Catfishes genus. Distribution: South America: most river ba- Redtail Catfish sins, especially Amazon and Orinoco River Phractocephalus hemioliopterus (Pimelodidae) basins. Long-whiskered Catfishes Habitat: Occurs over mud in streams and lakes. Distribution: South America: Amazon and Orinoco basins. 116 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Habitat: Large freshwater rivers, streams and Diet: Algae and small crustaceans. lakes. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Appearance: Length to 1.4 m. Weight to 44 kg. is external. Female deposits eggs on smooth Body black with huge horizontal white band rocks. Clutches of eggs are guarded by one or on sides. Caudal fin red. both parents. May deposit eggs in depressions. Diet: Fish, crabs and fruit. Remarks: Cultured in ponds in Singapore and Reproduction and Development: External Hong Kong for the aquarium trade, where it fertilization. Non-guarders. is very popular. An excellent “housekeeper” of Mortality/Longevity: Life span: c. 20 years. algae-prone tanks. Remarks:Because of its size, this cat is a Midget Sucker popular game fish. Macrotocinclus affinis, formerly Otocinclus Has been introduced, but is not established in affinis (Loricariidae) Florida, perhaps a good thing as the redtail is Armored Catfishes a voracious predator on smaller fishes. Distribution: South America: Brazil and other areas of the Amazon watershed. Tiger Shovelnose Catfish Habitat: Heavily vegetated riverine areas. Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum (Pimelodidae) Long-whiskered Catfishes Appearance: Max size: 5 cm. Elongated fish Distribution: South America: Amazon and with a flat belly. Body is grey-green above, white Orinoco basins. below; brown, horizontal stripe runs midline. Down-facing mouth typical of bottom feeders. Habitat: Riverbeds, shady streams, flooded Lacks barbels and adipose fin. Tail fin is striped; forest areas. other fins clear. Females are more robust. Appearance: Elongated, streamlined body Diet: Algae; mainly nocturnal feeders. with long snout; large mouth with three pairs of long barbels. Black spots and stripes on Reproduction: Eggs laid on plants, and hatch body and fins in irregular pattern; the pattern in about 2 days. No parental care. is banded, thus the common name. Usually Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 4–6 years silver to brown above; white to silver below. Can grow to 90 cm or more in captivity. Sailfin Plecostomus Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps (Loricariidae) Diet: Nocturnal hunter; feeds on fish and crabs. Armored Catfishes Reproduction and Development: Separate Distribution: South America: Middle and sexes, external fertilization. Does not guard upper Amazon and Orinoco basins. eggs. Habitat: Demersal in freshwater streams, either Remarks: Prized as food and game fish, and fast-flowing or sluggish. Like most catfishes, often found in South American food markets. they are active at twilight or nocturnally. Flesh is succulent. Prefer concealed locations when resting near Suckermouth Catfish riverbanks or behind rocks. Hypostomus plecostomus (Loricariidae) Appearance: Length to 50 cm. Body attenuated. Armored Catfishes Dimorphic coloration: either dark brown or Distribution: South America: Guianas. Has pale beige. Dorsal fin is higher than the body been introduced to several Asian countries for and forms an impressive sail when erect. the aquarium trade. Mouth has powerful lips which form a sucking apparatus (see Remarks below). Habitat: Freshwater coastal drainages. Diet: Feeds primarily on benthic algae and Appearance: Body robust; caudal peduncle detritus; may also consume worms, insect not depressed. Upper parts of head and body larvae, fish eggs. encased in longitudinal rows of scutes; lower surface of head and abdomen naked. Sucker Reproduction and Development: Males mouth distinctive. Color is polymorphic; dark construct horizonal burrows some 120–150 cm charcoal or light beige. Length to over 50 cm. long that are used as nesting tunnels where eggs are laid and guarded by the male until California Academy of Sciences 117

free-swimming larvae hatch and leave. ing daylight, retreats to recessed hiding places Remarks: Mouth and gill openings are ventral; shared with conspecifics. despite this apparent “handicap” (always in Appearance: Large, long (to 2.5 m), round contact with mud or gravel) Loricariid cats can body. Very long anal fin. Weight to 20 kg. feed and respire simultaneously. Diet: Juveniles eat invertebrates such as shrimp; Sucking mouth is used for propulsion, adults prey on fish and small mammals. adhering to the substrate in fast flowing areas Reproduction: Males construct foam nests and such as waterfalls, and moving forward cm by guard the growing larvae until mid-January cm with short jerky movements. when the first seasonal rains flood the breeding Dorsal fin (when erected) is the reason for the area, causing the about 10 cm long young eels to common name “sailfin.” disperse. Males outnumber females (3:1) and are considerably larger than females. Sailfin Catfish aka Sailfin Plecostomus Mortality/Longevity: Life span: in captivity males Pterygoplichthys sp.(Loricariidae) to 15 years, females to 20+. Armored Catfishes Remarks: Active nocturnally. Distribution: Native to South America: the Orinoco, Amazon, Parana and other river Unlike “true” eels in the Order Anguilliformes, systems. Also established in Florida, Hawaii, they are obligate air breathers, taking up to 80% Nevada, and Texas. of their oxygen directly from the air, an adapta- tion for survival in poorly oxygenated water. Habitat: Sluggish streams, floodplain lakes, swamps and marshes. The long undulating anal fin allows the electric eel to move backwards or forwards. Appearance: Members of the genus are distinct from other members of the family due to their About half the musculature has been converted large dorsal fins with 9 or more long fin rays, into electric organs which produce up to 650 V. the feature that gives them their common name These eels use their electricity to stun the fish “sailfin catfish.” Rows of armor plating cover they prey upon, as well as for defense. the body. Color usually dark brown with spots Though not an aggressive fish, can produce or wavy lines. enough voltage to severely injure humans. Diet: Primarily plant matter, may also scavenge. If an electric eel fires a series of charges, each Often helpful in aquariums as algae eaters. successive charge is less powerful. Aquarists Reproduction and Development: See entry stimulate several discharges before attempting above. to handle the animal safely. Remarks: One of the most successful exotic These eels also have two other, much smaller species in Florida. sets of electric organs, used for orientation, finding prey, and identification of foreign Because of their burrowing habitats, feeding objects. habits, and fecundity, potential effects of Pterygoplichthys invasion include bank alteration and erosion, competition with native ORDER BATRACHOIDIFORMES species, and disruption of aquatic food chains. Humming Toadfish aka Plainfin Midshipman ORDER GYMNOTIFORMES Porichthys notatus (Batrachoididae) (KNIFEFISHES) Toadfishes Distribution: Eastern Pacific Ocean along the Electric Eel West Coast of North America. Electrophorus electricus (Electrophoridae) Habitat: Ranges from intertidal areas where Electric Eels they may remain out of water under rocks or Distribution: Amazon Basin: Orinoco, and seaweed to deeper water over sand and mud related areas in northern South America. bottoms. Return to shallow intertidal waters Habitat: Lowland backwaters and muddy to reproduce. Seasonally common in San river bottoms, never fast-flowing waters. Dur- Francisco, Suisun, and San Pablo Bays. 118 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Appearance: Scaleless with eyes high on ORDER OPHIDIIFORMES a large head, large mouth and small gills. Pelvic fins are forward of the pectoral fins; Red Brotula two separate dorsal fins. Olive brown to Brosmophycis marginata (Bythitidae) bronze or dark iridescent purple color on Livebearing Brotulas top and paler underneath. Up to 30 cm long. Distribution: Eastern Pacific coast; Alaska to The dorsal fin holds a mild poison. Possesses Baja California. photophores, which are arranged on the Habitat: Substrate of rocky areas at depths of underside of the head in a U-shape and used 3¬–250 m, usually found at 50 m or more. to attract prey. Appearance: Elongate fish. Red to reddish Diet: Omnivore: eats worms, crustaceans, brown, often darker above, lighter below. mollusks and other fishes. Hides in rock Fins typically reddish with dorsal and anal fin crevices among bottom vegetation, or margins bright red. Four threadlike pelvic fins digs dens in bottom sediments to ambush extend from below the gill cavity. Lips pink. prey. Diet provides the ingredients for Max length: 46 cm. fluorescence. Diet: Polychaete worms, small crustaceans and Reproduction and Development: After clams, and other invertebrates. building and guarding a nest of rocks, the Reproduction and Development: male entices females by humming his “love Ovoviviparous; sexes separate. Males of the song,” a loud sound produced by vibrating family Bythitidae have a copulatory organ a set of sonic muscles on its air bladder six- (penis). thousand times a minute for more than an Remarks: This secretive little fish, usually hour at a time. The female chooses her mate hidden among rocks at considerable depth, is (we can only speculate about her preference seldom seen by humans. for humming volume, length, or tone!), Flesh is reported to be sweet and fine-textured deposits her eggs in the nest and the male though rarely available from this hard-to-find fertilizes and guards them. Males try to attract species. One source noted the red brotula has several females to the same nest. never been caught by hook and line. Mortality/Longevity: Not endangered but are taken by local fishermen as a food fish and by trawlers as a source of fish meal and oil. They ORDER LOPHIFORMES are prey for seals and sea lions. Frogfish Remarks: An Academy connection: For many Antennarius sp (Antennariidae) years Sausalito residents complained of an Frogfishes annoying noise that kept them awake at Distribution: Tropical oceans worldwide. night during the summer months. The cause was uncertain, but theories were rampant: Habitat: Rocky bottoms, coral reefs, and underwater surveillance equipment, secret lagoons between 5–70 m. weapons testing, extraterrestrial intrusions Appearance: Color can be yellow, red, orange, were all put forth. Then in the early 90s brown, grey or black and spotted or mottled; the Academy’s Senior Curator and then up to 35 cm. Can change color over a few days Director of Steinhart Aquarium John McCosker to match its surroundings. investigated and ultimately reassured irritated Diet: Small fishes, shrimps and crabs. residents that the sound had no destructive Reproduction and Development: Oviparous; intent, only a reproductive one. external fertilization. Eggs are bound in a Study of the fish’s remarkable muscle endurance ribbon-like sheath of gelatinous mucus called may lead to clues on fighting human muscle an “egg raft” or “veil.” No parental care. disease. Remarks: The frogfish, like anglerfishes in general, has a long filament attached to the head. The modified first spine of the anterior dorsal fin, this filament is decorated with an California Academy of Sciences 119

irregular patch of flesh that dangles above the Clingfish can adhere so tightly to a surface that eyes and acts as a lure to attract prey for this a rock might be moved some distance by strong lie-in-wait predator. currents with the fish still attached! Closure of the wide mouth is triggered by contact with the lure when a fish or other food item ventures too close. Back-facing teeth that ORDER ATHERINIFORMES can be depressed to facilitate passage of large objects and the fish’s ability to stretch both Madagascar Rainbowfish the already-huge jaws and the stomach to Bedotia madagascariensis (Bedotiidae) enormous size allow ingestion of prey up to Madagascar Rainbowfishes twice as large as this angler’s body! Distribution: Madagascar. Habitat: It lives in shoals of 50–100 individuals Clingfish Family among waterlogged wood in very strongly (Gobiesocidae) flowing water. Clingfishes Appearance: Maximum size: 9 cm. Metallic The family totals about 150 species worldwide; blue and gold base color with small scattered only 2 - the northern kelpfish (Gobiesox black spots on the flanks. maeandricus) and the kelp clingfish (Rimicola Diet: muscarum) are found in northern California. Stomach content analysis reveals diet of mostly terrestrial insects. Thus dependent on over- Distribution: Mostly inshore fishes found in head forest canopy for its insect food supply. tropical and temperate oceans. Reproduction and Development: In courtship, Habitat: Bottom-dwelling fishes, typicallt males, display their fins and colors; then male found on or under rocks or high up in the swims close to female above spawning site, kelp. They possess an adhesive disc, partially and the pair propels eggs and sperm onto the formed by the pelvic fins, to cling tightly to substrate, to which fertilized eggs attach by rocks or blades of kelp even in strong currents adhesive threads. Spawn on rocks and roots as or crashing waves. habitats are often devoid of aquatic vegetation. Appearance: Most species are small, less than Do not guard nest. Depending on temperature, 10 cm length. The tapering body has a single, eggs hatch in about 10 days. posteriorly located dorsal fin, fanlike caudal Conservation Status: IUCN: Near threatened. fin, no spines, and flattened head. Skin is Threat is mainly from habitat loss and smooth and scaleless, with a thick layer of degradation. protective mucus. Cryptic coloration. Diet: Worms, small crabs, other crustaceans. Banded Rainbowfish Reproduction and Development: In mating Melanotaenia trifasciata (Melanotaeniidae) the male nudges the female’s belly. If the female Rainbowfishes accepts him, the male moves parallel to her and Distribution: Northern Territories and quivers. Eggs are deposited on stones, algae, Queensland, Australia. or other bottom material, and usually guarded Habitat: Mainly in small streams and by the male. Larvae are planktonic. waterholes in clear to moderately turbid water. Mortality/Longevity: Usually, early maturity Occurs over rocky or gravel bottoms or in well- and short life span (about 2 years). vegetated areas, frequently around submerged Conservation Status: All rocky shore creatures logs and branches. are at risk from coastal development and Appearance: Compressed body; small head. pollution such as oil spills and agricultural Males tend to be larger, deeper bodied, and runoff, as well as careless visitors who can more intensely colored. A conspicuous blue- trample tide pool animals underfoot. black stripe runs from the snout, through the Remarks: Like a number of other bottom- eye, and to the caudal fin. Red dorsal and anal dwelling fishes, clingfish lack swim bladders, fins edged in black. Length to 11 cm. an internal sac used by other fishes to control Diet: Crustaceans, worms, insects and insect their position in the water. larvae. 120 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Reproduction and Development: When with blue border runs the length of the body. female produces eggs, male displays intense Diet: Small crustaceans. colors before fertilization takes place. Eggs are Reproduction and Development: Mature laid and develop among plants. at 2 years and/or 15 cm long. Reproductive Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 5–8 years. females spawn multiple times from October through March. Peak activity January through Topsmelt March. Spawning activity probably dependent Atherinops affinis (Atherinidae) on water temperature. Eggs the size of small Silversides BB’s. Adhesive filaments attach large egg mass Distribution: Southern British Columbia to to shallow-water seaweeds. Baja California. Mortality/Longevity: Nine to 10 years, Habitat: Usually, these fish are found at about maximum: 11 years. Eaten by other fishes, 9 m around piers, rocky reefs, and kelp beds. marine mammals, and seabirds. In an ocean environment they may be found Remarks: One of the most common fish caught at depths up to 26 m. Also found in brackish by pier anglers. bays and estuaries. Juveniles are better able to tolerate fresh water. Appearance: Blue-grey to green above, silvery ORDER CYPRINODONTIFORMES below with a blue-edged, silver line that runs the full length of the body. Lateral line lacking. Redtail Killifish Their pelvic fins are longer than those of other Nothobranchius guentheri (Aplocheilidae) smelt in the San Francisco Bay and Delta. Rivulines Average length: about 37 cm. Juveniles are Distribution: Africa: endemic to the island of translucent. Zanzibar. eastern Tanzania. Diet: In the ocean, adults eat zooplankton and Habitat: Tropical freshwater, especially small crustaceans. In estuaries, they feed on seasonal pools and streams. plant material. Juveniles feed on algae and Appearance: Males: gold face and underside, kelp fly larvae. They are diurnal feeders. pale blue scales on sides outlined in red. Reproduction and Development: Egg clusters Females: more subdued coloration. are attached to a macroalgae and eel grass. Diet: Carnivorous, especially insect larvae and Larvae are planktonic. small crustaceans. Mortality/Longevity: Maximum age: 6 to 9 Reproduction and Development: Lay eggs years. in moist mud or sand before seasonal water Remarks: They are called topsmelt for their evaporates. Adults die; however, eggs and habit of swimming near the surface where embryos are able to withstand extended periods they form schools, often of thousands of of drought and hatch whenever rains arrive. individuals. Remarks: The lateral line of the killifish is able Topsmelt are able to tolerate saline levels 2 to to sense ripples made insects struggling at the 3 times that of the ocean, and are often found water’s surface. in salt evaporating ponds in San Francisco Bay. These and other “mosquito” fish have been studied for introduction to areas needing Jacksmelt mosquito control. Possible adverse effects of Atherinopsis californiensis (Atherinidae) introducing an exotic species are also being Silversides considered. Distribution: Central Oregon to Gulf of Cali- fornia. Patriciae Killifish Habitat: Schooling fish that prefers shallow Pachypanchax patriciae (Aplocheilidae) inshore waters, bays, piers, kelp beds; surface Killifishes to 29 m. Distribution: Endemic to Madagascar: the Appearance: Length 33–38 cm. Greenish blue monsoon forests of the northwest and the on back, silver shading below. Metallic stripe deciduous forests of the extreme north. California Academy of Sciences 121

Habitat: Small tropical rivers and streams. covers. Tolerates conditions from water deficient in dissolved substances to water with high Butterfly Splitfinaka Butterfly Goodeid concentrations of dissolved minerals, pH Ameca splendens (Goodeidae) values from acidic to slightly alkaline. Bottom Goodeids dweller. Distribution: Formerly in Central America. Appearance: Max. size: 5.2 cm. Males display Habitat: Was in freshwater to 2 m. two color morphs: red and blue. Red males Appearance: Length: male to 8 cm, female to 12 become less common and disappear completely cm. Males: silvery body, yellow vertical band as one moves from north to south. P. patriciae on edge of caudal fin; females more drab, with has a distinctly pointed snout and dorsal and small black dots on the sides: anal fins that come to a sharp point in contrast Diet: Omnivorous, but require plant matter. to the dorsal and anal fins P. arnoulti, which are rounded. Reproduction and Development: Live- bearers. Fertilization internal. Part of the anal Diet: Terrestrial and aquatic insects. fin of males is separate and used in mating. Fry Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon mostly by born with a primitive umbilical cord attached birds, dragonfly nymphs and other predatory that provided nourishment from the mother insects as well as piscivorous fishes. during gestation. Cord drops off about 24 Conservation Status: Because of its wide hours after birth. distribution, this species presently faces Conservation Status: Probably extinct in no threats from competitors or introduced the wild (IUCN). The Steinhart maintains a predators. Habitat loss threatens northern breeding colony. population. Classified as Vulnerable by IUCN. Remarks: Named after Patricia Yazgi, Golden Topminnow recognizing her support of ongoing efforts to Fundulus chrysotus (Poeciliidae) document and conserve Malagasy freshwater Poeciliids fishes. Distribution: Found throughout Florida, along The genus Pachypanchax, which currently has 6 the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and the described species, is endemic to Madagascar. Gulf Coast to Texas. Habitat: Freshwater ponds, swamps, sluggish Golden Topminnow creeks and backwaters with extensive aquatic Fundulus chrysotus (Fundulidae) vegetation. Topminnows and Killifishes Appearance: The male caudal peduncle has Distribution: River systems in the Gulf brown-orange blotches and stipples which drainage of southeastern U.S. become more numerous at the caudal fin base. Habitat: Warm freshwater; also river mouths The back has a dark, narrow pre-dorsal stripe. and tidal rivers. Found in creeks, pools, Males have vertical bars and a scattering of red small to medium rivers, forested wetlands, dots on the sides and flecks of iridescent blue usually in areas of heavy submerged aquatic or gold along the sides of the head and body. vegetation. The fins have brown spots and the caudal fin Appearance: Small fish to 7.5 cm. Has flattened is a faint tangerine color. Female bodies are head and back, upturned mouth, large eyes, a greenish olive color with translucent fins. and no lateral line. Sides flecked with gold. Length: 2.5–5 cm. Diet: Insects or other aquatic invertebrates Diet: A surface feeder on water beetles, insects captured near or at the surface. and aquatic invertebrates. Reproduction and Development: Eggs laid Reproduction and Development: Spawning sporadically over a period of a week or more occurs in late spring through summer, with among the roots or stems of aquatic plants. pairs depositing their eggs on roots or stems Spawning late spring through summer. of floating plants. Eggs are extruded and Remarks: Chrysotus means “golden ear,” fertilized singly with 10 –20 eggs produced a reference to the golden color of the gill over a period of a week or more. 122 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 2 years. the lowest oxygen levels of any fish species that Remarks: The name describes this fish. has been studied. Fundulus means “bottom” and chrysotus Appearance: Length to 7 cm. Small, stout, means “golden ear,” referring to the color of deep-bodied; back silver to olive; sides silver its gill covers. with 6–9 dusky bars. Diet: Primarily algae, supplemented with Endler’s Livebearer small invertebrates. Scientific name yet to be designated; Poecilia endleri has been suggested (Poeciliidae) Reproduction and Development: Breeding Livebearers males iridescent blue. Fertilization external. Females scatter eggs over substrate. Non- Distribution: Northeastern Venezuela; may be guarders. Hatchlings grow quickly; can reach extinct in the wild 5 cm length in one year. Habitat: Formerly in a freshwater lagoon. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: about 2 yrs. Appearance: A tiny, guppy-sized fish. The anal Conservation Status: Listed as Endangered fin of the male, along with its internal supports due to desert development and the introduc- of bone, muscle and cartilage, is highly tion of exotic fish. modified into a copulatory organ. Female is less colorful.than the many-hued male. Remarks: Isolation, very small population size per breeding group, and short lifetime Diet: Eat whatever food is available. contribute to rapid speciation in pupfish.. Reproduction and Development: Viviparous. Attain maturity quickly, allowing them to reproduce rapidly given favorable conditions. ORDER BERYCIFORMES Mortality/Longevity: Life span: probably up Splitfin Flashlight Fish to 3 years. Anomalops katoptron (Anomalopidae) Conservation Status: Apparently extinct in their Flashlightfishes natural habitat. Now live only in captivity. Distribution: East coast of Africa to the Philip- Remarks: Dr. John Endler discovered this species pines and Indonesia, north to southern Japan, in 1975 but died before his paper describing the south to the Great Barrier Reef. species’ provisional name was published. Habitat: Steep drop offs near caves to 400 m. This species appears to be “weedy” (has high Appearance: Length to 35 cm. Black with lu- reproductive rate at early age). Since it is minous organ under the eyes. apparently extinct in the wild, it illustrates that a “weed” is vulnerable to extinction, too. Diet: Zooplankton. Reproduction and Development: Little Desert Pupfish known. Probably not an egg guarder. Cyprinodon macularius (Cyprinodontidae) Remarks: Light organ operates by rotation Killifishes and Pupfishes into a sac when not needed (vs. Photoblepheron Distribution: North America: originally de- palpebratus below); thus this fish can elect when scribed from the lower Colorado River drain- to turn off its “lights.” age, including Gila River system and south Function of the glowing green light (provided through Southern Arizona and California, USA by endosymbiotic bacteria) is reportedly used (including Salton Sea) into Northern Mexico. to communicate with conspecifics of the host. Now occurs only at two protected locations: Anomalops was discovered by the Academy’s Quitobaquito Springs at Organ Pipe Cactus Senior Scientist and former Steinhart Aquarium National Monument, Arizona, and a wildlife Director John McCosker. On a trip to the refuge at Anza-Borrego State Park, California, Comoros Islands in 1977, Dr. McCosker was on the western side of the Salton Sea. unable to collect his primary target, a living Habitat: Usually occurs over mud or sand in coelacanth; however, on a deep dive, he springs, marshes, lakes and pools of creeks; discovered, collected, and returned these also in hot springs with temperatures up to 45° flashlight fish to the Steinhart, the first C and salinities up to 20.0 %. Able to tolerate aquarium in the world to display them. California Academy of Sciences 123

Flashlight Fish aka Eyelight Fish ORDER INCERTAE SEDIS Photoblepharon palpebratus (Anomalopidae) Flashlightfishes Everglades Pygmy Sunfish Distribution: Philippines to Society Islands, Elassoma evergladei (Elassomatidae) north to Marshall Islands, south to Great Bar- Pygmy Sunfishes rier Reef. Distribution: Southeastern U.S. Habitat: Only observed on “moonless” nights Habitat: Mostly temperate to subtropical on seaward reefs near or along steep drop offs freshwater swamps, marshes, and other with caves. 7 to more than 30 m. Hide in cav- shallow, slow-moving and densely vegetated erns during the day. waters. Appearance: Length to 12 cm. Black with Appearance: Females, young, and non- blunt snout, large mouth and a forked tail. breeding males are a drab yellowish color with Luminous lime-green light organ under the dark mottling, easily mistaken for dead leaves eyes is diagnostic. or the vegetation they use for cover. Breeding Diet: Zooplankton; small fish, crabs, and males are more colorful, turning almost black shrimp. Usually feeds in large groups away with iridescent blue spots. from the reefs at night. Diet: Worms, crustaceans, and aquatic Reproduction and Development: The bacteria insects. shine only in the light organs of adults. Reproduction and Development: To attract Remarks: A lime-green light is produced mates, males make elaborate courtship biochemically by symbiotic bacteria that live displays that include walking on their fins and within the light organs below the fish’s eyes. dancing a fishy version of the twist. Females lay eggs on or in dense vegetation; the male The light attracts prey. The light may also al- guards the nest area until the fry hatch and low this fish to observe prey, confuse predators scatter. Mature into young adults at about and be a means of conspecific communication. three months and begin spawning in about six (The function of bioluminescence is very much months, usually in March and April. a hot topic). Mortality/Longevity: Life span: ~ 1 year. A flap of skin moves over the light organ to “turn it off or on.” Remarks: The pygmy sunfishes are not true sunfishes (Centrachidae). Soldierfish Myripristis sp. (Holocentridae) Squirrelfishes ORDER SYNGATHIFORMES and Soldierfishes Distribution: Indonesia and the Philippines Shrimpfishaka Razorfish to the Hawaiian Islands, north to the Ryukyu Aeoliscus strigatus (Centriscidae) Islands, south to New Caledonia. Snipefishes and Shrimpfishes Habitat: Reef flats and seaward slopes, 2–52 Distribution: Indian and western Pacific m. By day often school in large aggregations oceans; Aldabra Atoll and Seychelles Islands inside caves or under ledges and boulders. to New Caledonia, north to southern Japan ; Non-migratory. south to Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Appearance: Red with dark scale margins, red Habitat: In small groups, swim and rest with dorsal, anal and caudal fins; dark margin on head down near long-spined sea urchins, posterior of gill cover. Length to 32 cm. Large branching corals or other hiding places to 42 m. eyes. Appearance: Length to 15 cm. Very thin body, Diet: Feed mainly on polychaete worms; also ventral keel surrounded with contorted bony on crabs, hermit crabs, and shrimp larvae. plates, long tubular snout. Coloration is silvery Reproduction and Development: Fertilization with brown mid-lateral stripe. In adults the external. Parents do not guard eggs. trunk forms a long, powerful, flexible spine. Diet: Minute planktonic crustaceans. Remarks: The vertical resting posture of 124 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

this species is, anecdotally, an anti-predator seahorses and pipefishes. adaptive response. Like many “just-so” stories H. taeniophorus is the only member of its genus. pitched by biologists, this is likely the correct explanation. Seahorses Swim horizontally only when hunting. Hippocampus spp. (Syngnathidae) Otherwise, swim with head down and back Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons facing the direction of travel. Comments apply to all species of the genus. If a rival enters their territory, they aim the Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Atlantic Ocean and sharp edge of the belly toward the adversary. Mediterranean Sea. Habitat: Shallow tropical marine waters. Janss’ Pipefish Appearance: Long and thin body enclosed Doryrhamphus janssi (Syngnathidae) in bony rings. Tubelike snout with terminal Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons mouth. Lack pelvic fins. Length to over 16 Distribution: Indo-Australian tropical marine: cm. Colored brown, may have lighter spots. Gulf of Thailand to the Solomons, north to the Prehensile tail. Philippines, south to Australia and parts of Diet: Suck tiny planktonic prey, especially Micronesia. crustaceans, into their tubelike mouth. Locate Habitat: Tropical reefs: tide pools and rock prey with binocular vision. crevices, also sheltered inner reefs, depth to 35 m. Reproduction and Development: Female lays Appearance: Elongate body with tube-like her eggs in the male’s brood pouch, where they snout. Dark blue-brown shading on head are incubated and hatched. Young expelled and tail, orange-brown central body. Max. once capable of swimming. size: 14 cm. Conservation Status: Many populations of Diet: An active cleaner, most often serving seahorses are very endangered due to collec- cardinal and damselfishes. tion as an ingredient in the traditional Asian, Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- especially Chinese, pharmacopeia. Also col- rous. The male carries eggs in a brood pouch lected for the souvenir and aquarium trades. under the tail.. Remarks: Evolutionarily, seahorses have sacrificed Remarks: Uncommon in its range. streamlining and speed for heavy armor. Ribboned Pipefish Locomote with dorsal and pectoral fins; swim Haliichthys taeniophorus (Syngnathidae) slowly in an upright posture. Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons The caudal peduncle has evolved into a Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Indonesia south to prehensile “tail” for grasping plants. Australia. Like most other syngnathids, seahorses may Habitat: Protected coastal shallows over or undergo color changes to blend with their among algae, sea grasses, or floating weeds. surroundings, to indicate breeding readiness, or to indicate mood or stress. Appearance: Elongate body with bony knobs above the eyes and spines on body ridges. Over 95% of the seahorses caught per year are Max. size: 30 cm used for traditional Chinese medicines used to treat a variety of ailments from impotence and Diet: Minute invertebrates and fish larvae. infertility to asthma and skin diseases. Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- The present rate of harvest is unsustainable. rous, male carries eggs in brood pouch under Possible remedies that preserve both seahorses the tail. and useful medicines may be the synthetic Conservations Status: Not listed, but like production of these potions or an increase in other pipefishes and seahorses, their situation farmed seahorse populations. probably continues to decline. Remarks: In spite of its name, this fish is not Potbelly Seahorse a true seadragon, but rather a member of the Hippocampus abdominalis (Syngnathidae) pipefish group; seadragons lack the brood Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons pouch and prehensile tail characteristic of Distribution: Southwest Pacific around California Academy of Sciences 125

Australia and New Zealand. Diet: Zooplankton. Habitat: Harbors and sheltered coastal bays Reproduction and Development: As with all among algae, seagrasses and rocky reefs. seahorses, male broods and cares for the young. Appearance: One of the largest seahorses H. erectus females spray several hundred eggs (grows of up to 35 cm). As the common name into the male brood pocket. Eggs hatch within suggests, the species is marked by a large, about 20 days, and embryos continue to be swollen belly. Individuals may be brown, carried within the pouch until they are capable yellow, grey, white, orange or mottled with of free swimming. dark spots on head and trunk. Males differ Like most seahorses, H. erectus is monogamous; from females by having longer tails, shorter a seahorse will mate exclusively with the snouts, and darker markings as well as a same partner for life. Partners reaffirm their yellow mark near the top of the brood pouch, relationships with a ritual morning dance. which is extremely prominent (usually white). Conservation Status: Listed as “Vulnerable” Diet: Tiny crustaceans, such as amphipods and by IUCN. This species is taken as bycatch in shrimp, sucked into the tube-like snouts and shrimp trawls ad is also affected by habitat ingested whole. degradation caused by pollution and coastal Reproduction and Development: This species development, breeds in the austral spring and summer. Remarks: H. erectus is a weak swimmer. One Females seem to be attracted to males with the estimate: crossing a bath tub would take an largest pouches, so to win the mating game, individual about 5 minutes! males create “potbellies” by pumping them The lined seahorse is traded for use as full of water. The impressed female lays eggs aquarium fishes, curios and traditional Chinese in the selected pouch where they are fertilized medicine. by the male. As is the case with seahorse species in general, the eggs become embedded Spotted Seahorse in the wall of the pouch; a placenta-like fluid Hippocampus kuda (Syngnathidae) removes waste products and supplies eggs Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons with nutrients and oxygen. Distribution: Maldives to southwest Japan and Conservation Status: Threats include habitat northern Australia, east to Hawaii. loss, incidental by-catch in commercial Habitat: To 68 m. Inhabit seagrass and marine fisheries, and collection for the aquarium and algae areas of estuaries and seaward reefs; also oriental medicine trades. Australia strictly on steep mud slopes in mangroves. Found controls catch and export. Like all seahorse pelagically attached to drifting Sargassum up species, listed Appendix II by CITES. to 20 km from shore. Remarks: The potbelly seahorse is one of the Appearance: To 30 cm. Drab brown to black strongest swimming seahorse species. with sprinkling of small dark spots. Like all seahorses, its elongate body is enclosed with Lined Seahorse bony plates covered by scaleless skin, and a Hippocampus erectus (Syngnathidae) prehensile tail used to tether to plants, etc. Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons Diet: Minute invertebrates are sucked into the Distribution: North and South American tubular snout. coastline from Nova Scotia to as far south as Reproduction and Development: Female Argentina. deposits eggs into male’s brood pouch in Habitat: Commonly found in sea grasses along which the eggs are fertilized and incubated. coastal areas and in bays and salt marshes at The orange-amber, pear-shaped eggs are depths of 0.5 –30 m. embedded in the epithelial tissue lining of the Appearance: A deep-chested, hardy seahorse. pouch wall, and the surrounding capillaries Colors range from black-brown, gray, green, supply oxygen to the 20–1000 larvae in yellow, orange, and red. These colors are may incubating sacs; length of development is change with surroundings, diet, stress, mood, 20–28 days. or possibly other factors. 126 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Mortality/Longevity: This species is being around the body. Single dorsal fin; paired harvested at an alarming rate for use in pectoral fins along sides of neck. Body laterally traditional Chinese medicine, as it is highly flattened, covered with armor-like plates instead valued. of scales and with rows of long, sharp spines Conservation Status: Vulnerable, CITES II. along the sides. Long, tubular snout. Most Trade is regulated by CITES with a minimum distinguishing feature is the elaborate leaf-like size of 10 cm allowed for this species in appendages of skin that hang off the head, body commerce. and tail. Up to 45 cm, 120 g. Remarks: The seahorse has no caudal or Diet: Mysid shrimp, zooplankton and fish ventral fins. Rapid oscillation of small larvae. dorsal fin propels the animal forward in Reproduction and Development: Like the the characteristic upright position. Small seahorse, the male seadragon carries the eggs. pectorals are used for steering. Defense He develops about 120 shallow depressions in a is achieved by camouflage, stillness, and spongy section of the ventral surface of his tail. maneuverability, not by speed. The female deposits her eggs in the depressions where they are fertilized and incubated until Longsnout Seahorse they hatch, in about 4 weeks. The hatching is Hippocampus reidi (Syngnathidae) staggered to assist with dispersal and avoid Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons competition for food among the young. The Distribution: Western Atlantic Ocean, North hatchlings are vulnerable to predation by fish, Carolina to Brazil. crustaceans and anemones, but they are fast- Habitat: Usually or near coral reefs, in growing, reaching a length of 20 cm in one association with gorgonian corals, seagrass year. It is speculated that while one female will beds, mangroves, and Sargassum. approach only one male for mating, more than Appearance: Males often bright orange and one female may use the egg storage capacity females yellow; both may be covered in brown of a single male. or white spots. Max. size: Conservation Status: IUCN: Listed as near Diet: Zooplankton. threatened. Major threats of habitat loss, Reproduction and Development: Like other pollution, and over-collection are at least species in their family, pairs generally mate for slightly mitigated by the number of offspring life. Highly ritualistic courtship may include produced. Today, seadragons are protected dramatic color changes to pink or white and under Australian law, and their export, even intricate dances leading up to the female’s for educational exhibits in aquaria, is strictly depositing up to 1,000 eggs in the male’s brood regulated. pouch. Remarks: With its extraordinary leaflike Conservation Status: Collected as aquarium appendages the leafy seadragon is one of fishes, folk medicine, and curiosities. Also the best camouflaged animals on the planet. taken a bycatch in shrimp trawl fisheries. Almost indistinguishable from the surrounding Degradation of seagrass habitats, especially kelp, it is invisible to predator and prey alike. along the U.S. may be reducing their numbers Even its tubular snout looks like a kelp stem. locally. The entire genus Hippocampus is listed It can change color due to age, habitat, diet or in Appendix II of CITES in 2002. stress. Unlike its seahorse relative that swims Leafy Seadragon vertically, the seadragon swims horizontally. It Phycodurus eques (Syngnathidae) is a very slow swimmer, as might be expected Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons from its tiny fins, but is protected not only by Distribution: Endemic to southern Australia. its camouflage but by sharp spines that deter Habitat: Among brown algae (kelp) in shallow, predators. temperate water, associated with seagrass beds The leafy seadragon has the honor of being the and rocky reefs. official emblem of Australia. Description: Yellow-brown to green with stripes California Academy of Sciences 127

Weedy Seadragon weeds. Juveniles occasionally found near the Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Syngnathidae) surface. Seahorses, Pipefishes, and Seadragons Appearance: Slender body; variably colored Distribution: Endemic to waters off southern green to brown or grey, reportedly depending Australia. on habitat. Bony plates on skin form a series of Habitat: Kelp-covered rocky reefs. protective rings. Distinct tubular snout. Shape Description: Orange-yellow to brownish- and color provide excellent camouflage. yellow, small pale dots on body with stripes, Diet: Minute invertebrates and fish larvae. often brilliant blue, on neck. Leafy projections, Reproduction and Development: Ovovi- purple with black edges, in varying numbers, viparous. The male carries the eggs in a brood along the body. Long, tubular snout. Dorsal fin pouch and protectively located under his near the tail, two tiny pectoral fins on neck. prehensile tail. Diet: Mysid shrimp and other small Mortality/Longevity: Utilized in the traditional crustaceans, fish larvae. Like all syngnathids, and legal Chinese drug trade to extract seadragons lack teeth and a true stomach and Hailong, apparently an important ingredient to compensate must hunt and feed almost within the traditional Chinese pharmaceutical continually. cornucopia. Reproduction and Development: Prior to Conservation Status: IUCN: “Data Deficient.” mating the area of the male’s tail where he Remarks: The conservation status above, will keep the eggs becomes slightly swollen, courtesy the IUCN, is based on data collected soft and spongy. The female actually pushes more than 14 years ago. Like other pipefishes the eggs onto this area of the male’s tail where and seahorses, their situation probably they are fertilized. He carries the eggs for about continues to decline. 2 months. The young are born with a yolk sac still attached that sustains them for about two Bay Pipefish days, until their snout grows enough to feed. Syngnathus leptorhynchus (Syngnathidae) Conservation Status: Threatened by habitat Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons destruction, protected by federal and local Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. legislation. Habitat: Eel grass in bays and estuaries, Remarks: The appendages of weedy seadragons including San Francisco and Monterey Bays. are not as elaborate as those of leafy seadragons; Appearance: Slender elongated form however, their camouflage is also effective as resembling a tube that ends in a toothless they look like pieces of sea weed floating in mouth. Instead of scales, their bodies are the water. covered with bony plates that form ridges. The Weedy and leafy seadragons share the same female is larger than the male and may be 33 range and habitat and have the same conser- cm. long. The male’s brood pouch is located vation status. Both swim horizontally and beneath the tail. reproduce and develop in the same way. Diet: Small invertebrates, especially crustaceans. All syngnathids lack teeth; instead, they suck Reproduction and Development: Elaborate in their prey, similar to drinking through a mating rituals occur between May and August straw. culminating in the female depositing eggs in the male’s brood pouch. Up to 225 eggs have Alligator Pipefish been found in a pouch, in different stages of Syngnathoides biaculeatus (Syngnathidae) development indicating multiple deposits Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons possibly by different females. Incubation period Distribution: Red Sea; South Africa to Samoa, is 8–21 days depending on temperature. Young north to southern Japan, south to eastern resemble small adults when they emerge. They Australia. must hide to avoid being eaten by the adults. Habitat: Protected coastal shallows over Mortality/Longevity: Known to be taken by or among algae, seagrasses, or floating striped bass. 128 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Remarks: While feeding, they remain in allow populations to recover. Since many rock- constant motion to create the water currents fish species do not breed until 20 years or more that convey plankton to their small tubular and also have relatively few young, a recovery mouths. They move by using dorsal fins, and for many species may not happen during the steer by moving heads from side to side. lifetime of the reader of this text. Used in Chinese medicine. Remarks: The Scorpaenidae (scorpionfishes and rockfishes) is the largest family of fishes in our area, the Eastern Pacific coast, with more ORDER SCORPAENIFORMES than 60 species (Sebastes spp.) (SCORPIONFISHES) Dorsal, pelvic, and anal spines are slightly Rockfishes aka Rockcods venomous. Level of toxicity varies by species. Sebastes spp. (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) Eschmeyer (CAS curator emeritus) and others Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes recognize Sebastidae as a separate family that This is a very large complex of species. Com- includes only the rockfishes. Others place ments below apply to the entire genus, unless rockfish together with scorpionfish in the otherwise indicated. single family Scorpaenidae. Distribution: Central California to Baja Cali- Copper Rockfish fornia. Sebastes caurinus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) Habitat: In our area, common in clean bays, Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes along shore, in kelp forests, and offshore to Distribution: Gulf of Alaska to central Baja depths to 450 m, (some deeper). Rocky areas, California. others on offshore soft substrates. Habitat: Rocky or rock-sand bottoms, 10–180 Appearance: Basslike shape, compressed body, m. Solitary, bottom-dwelling reef fish which large mouth. Size varies by species. Most adults frequently live near pinnacles and wrecks. 15–30 cm, some species to at least 96 cm. Red Particularly abundant in shallow, protected and brown are the predominant colors. Most bays and inlets, among rocks and kelp beds; have spines on the head. also found around pilings and jetties or under Diet: Carnivorous predators. floats. Juveniles found in loose aggregations Reproduction and Development: Fertilization in shallow weedy bays, around wharfs, or internal. Although rockfish are sometimes among floating drift associated with summer reported as being ovoviviparous (bearing tidelines. Adults avoid warm water; thus live live young without maternal nutrition), many deeper in southern California than farther recent studies have confirmed that they are north. Juveniles tend to live in shallow (< 7 a primitive viviparous group and supply m) water. nutrients to developing embryos. Female Appearance: Length to 60 cm. Deep, stout typically gives birth to many live larval stage body. Color highly variable; dark brown or fry, each about the size of an eyelash. Most, olive to pink or orange-red above, with patches of course, are food for others with only a few of pink-copper and occasionally yellow; bright reaching reproductive maturity. white below. Fins primarily copper, often Mortality/Longevity: Rockfish are among the dusky. Juveniles are often more intensely col- longest-lived fishes, with most species living ored than adults. between 20–50 years. A number of species live Diet: Juveniles consume plankton. Adults to be well over 100 years old, and the oldest are mainly benthic feeders and prey upon rockfish known was aged at 205 years, a rough- fishes, crabs, mysid shrimp, prawns, am- eye caught off the coast of Alaska. phipods, octopuses, polychaete worms and Conservation Status: Until recently, an impor- fish eggs. tant food fish taken commercially and by sport- Reproduction and Development: Fertilization fishers. However, rockfish stocks, especially internal. Viviparous. Larvae planktonic. Sexu- among certain species, are in steep decline. ally mature at around five years. New regulations are now in place, in order to Mortality/Longevity: Live to at least 55 years. California Academy of Sciences 129

Starry Rockfish rockfish; also has more gray, a smaller mouth, Sebastes constellatus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) and a longer jaw than the blue. Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes Diet: Fishes. Distribution: San Francisco south to Baja. Reproduction and Development: Viviparous. Habitat: Coastal waters; usually on deep reefs Young are important prey species for various at 24–275 m. fishes, marine mammals, and birds. Prized by Appearance: Red-orange above, with 3–4 large humans as a food fish. whitish blotches on back; paler below. Small white dots cover most of the body. Max. length: Blue Rockfish 46 cm. Sebastes mystinus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) Reproduction and Development: Viviparous Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes with planktonic larvae and pelagic juveniles. Distribution: Vancouver Island to northern Baja California. Remarks: Occasionally caught by sport fishers; considered highly flavorful. Habitat: Inhabit kelp forests, shallow reefs and open water over deep reefs. They are found at Splitnose Rockfish depths of up to 550 m but are most abundant Sebastes diploproa (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) from 5–60 m. They are often seen schooling Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes with other species of rockfish. Distribution: Southeastern Alaska to central Appearance: Mottled blue-black to bright Baja California. blue with two to four dark bands which curve Habitat: Common on sandy bottoms offshore. around the front of the head. Sloping band Juveniles in shallow water, adults deeper. from the eye toward the pectoral fin with a Appearance: Toothed knobs in front of the smaller band below. Rear edge of the anal fin is upper jaw with a deep notch between (thus straight and slanted. Can reach 50 cm in length the common name). and live to 24 years. Diet: Krill, copepods, and squids. Diet: Blue rockfish eat jellyfish, krill, copepods, fishes, hydroids and kelp. Larger blues eat Reproduction and Development: Viviparous, relatively more fishes. Adults are preyed upon with planktonic larvae and pelagic juveniles by other rockfish, lingcod, sharks, dolphins that congregate around drifting kelp. Males and sea lions. mature at 7–10 years; females at 6–8. Reproduction and Development: Fish ma- Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 84 yrs. ture between 6–9 years. Blues mate in Octo- Remarks: Diploproa is formed from two Greek ber (internal fertilization) but the embryos do words that together mean “double prow,” a not begin to develop until December when reference to this fish’s distinctive facial feature. the eggs are fertilized by the stored sperm. From central California to Washington, deep- Embryos develop within the female and living adults are part of a major fishery, taken larvae are released into the water; usually mostly by trawls. in January. Larvae are planktonic for four to five months. Black Rockfish Sebastes melanops (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) A reason for the decline in general rockfish Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes numbers may be that the plankton on which the larvae feed have declined due to warm- Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. ing ocean temperatures, causing larvae to Habitat: Found in schools near rocky reefs in starve. shallow water and in open water above deep Remarks: Coppers are the most abundant banks.Nearshore to 360 m. May live above or rockfish in central California. on the bottom Appearance: Black to blue black mottled with China Rockfish gray. Some individuals have lighter patches Sebastes nebulosus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) on back and a gray lateral stripe from head Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes to tail. Lacks the dark head bands of the blue Distribution: Southeast Alaska to Redondo 130 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Beach and San Miguel Island, Southern Cali- Bocaccio fornia. Sebastes paucispinis (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) Habitat: Rocky shores along exposed coasts, Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes depth 3–138+ m. Lurk solitarily in caverns Distribution: Alaska to Baja California. and among crevices, rest benthically on their Habitat: Deep rocky 40 – 300 m (130 – 980 ft) fins. Often remain on their “homesite” for preferred, but are found in almost all habitats. many years. Oil platforms are now a somewhat important Appearance: Length to 45 cm, weight to 1.7 artificial habitat for the species. kg. Yellow speckles on head, yellow stripe Appearance: World record: 90 cm, 9.5 kg. extends from foredorsal fin to the length of Long jaw which extends to the eye socket lateral line. is distinctive. Adults’ backs range in color Diet: Prey upon fishes, crustaceans (including from olive- to burnt-orange with pink & red amphipods, crabs and shrimps), brittle stars stomachs. Juveniles are light bronze with small and mollusks (including gastropods, squid brown spots on their sides. Coloring darkens and octopuses). and spots disappear as they mature. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Diet: Other rockfish is preferred diet, but they internal.. will eat other fish and squid. Larvae feed on Mortality/Longevity: Lives to at least 79 years. diatoms, dinoflagellates. Reproduction and Development: Conservation status: See Rockfishes above. Fish from age 1 – 3 years are relatively pelagic, become Remarks: One of the tastiest rockfishes, but in- more demersal (bottom oriented) as they age. frequently in markets because rarely caught. Maturity at 4–5 years of age. Like all rockfishes, All rockfishes have venomous spines on dorsal, bocaccio have internal fertilization, embryo pectoral and anal fins. Not so toxic as scorpi- development is internal, and the female gives onfishes venom, but still capable of inflicting birth to live larval young. Larvae are found a painful sting. in surface waters and may be distributed over Sebastes is Greek for “magnificent.” Nebulosus a wide area extending several hundred miles is Latin for “clouded.” offshore. The female produces from 20,000 to over 2 million eggs. Tiger Rockfish Mortality/Longevity: Seabirds feed on Sebastes nigrocinctus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) juveniles. Marine mammals are common Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes predators of adults. Life span: 45 to 50 years. Distribution: Southeast Alaska to Southern Conservation Status: California. Thought to consist of three partially isolated populations: southern Habitat: Among rocky reefs to depths of 10 population off California (species of concern), to 275 m; solitary; defend a home crevice or northern off Washington & British Columbia, cave. and a Puget Sound/Strait of Georgia population Appearance: Length to 60 cm. Weight to 2.2 that has been proposed for listing under the kg. Colored red or pink, with five or six black Endangered Species Act. or dark red bars on body. Pelvic and anal fins Remarks: Current decline due to overfishing, are black-tipped on juveniles. which was curtailed in 1998. Because the Diet: Prey upon other fishes including rockfish species is slow-growing and late maturing, and herring. Also eat shrimp, crabs, amphi- recovery will take many years, but if fishery pods, polychaete worms and brittle stars. management plans continue to be followed, Reproduction and Development: Fertilization long-term risk of further decline in the internal. Viviparous. Juveniles pelagic. population is low. These fish are still being Mortality/Longevity: Reported to live to 116 caught as bycatch in other fisheries. years. Rosy Rockfish Remarks: Rapidly change color when dis- Sebastes rosaceus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) turbed or when lighting changes. Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes California Academy of Sciences 131

Distribution: Puget Sound to central Baja, but Adults typically solitary and shelter in and rare north of California. around rocks, large sea anemones, ledge over- Habitat: Bottom-dweller, usually between hangs and in kelp. 30–45 m, though occasionally deeper. Appearance: Length to 64 cm. Deep, fusiform, Appearance: 4–5 whitish blotches bordered by compressed. Adult colored white-pinkish with purple on the back; reddish to purple mottling 4 dark red-orange to reddish-brown bars across on back, sides red, whitish below. Unlike the back and base of tail. Bars darker on juveniles. Starry Rockfish, is not covered with white Diet: Benthic predators of crabs and hermit dots. A relatively small rockfish; max. length: crabs, shrimps, fishes, octopuses. 36 cm. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Reproduction and Development: Livebearer. internal. Livebearer. Mortality/Longevity: Live to at least 18 Yelloweye Rockfish years. Sebastes ruberrimus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) Rockfishes Remarks: A popular sportfish. Distribution: Eastern Pacific: Gulf of Alaska Sebastes is Greek for “magnificent.”Rubrivinctus to northern Baja California. is formed from 2 Latin words that translate as “red banded.” Habitat: Rocky reefs and boulder fields from 15–475 m. Treefish Appearance: Color: orange red to orange Sebastes serriceps (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) yellow, eye bright yellow; fins often with black Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes tips; adults with light to white stripe on lateral Distribution: San Francisco to central Baja line, juveniles (as in our exhibit) with 2 light California. stripes, one on the lateral line and a shorter one Habitat: Inhabits areas with numerous caves, below. Max. length: 1 m; weight: 18 kg. crevices and other protective recesses. Solitary Diet: Fishes and crustaceans. and territorial; usually found between 6–40 m Reproduction and Development: Viviparous, with a maximum depth of 45 m. like all rockfishes, Appearance: One of the most striking, unusu- Mortality/Longevity: Yelloweyes are among ally marked rockfishes, with black stripes over the longest lived of rockfishes, living up to 118 a yellow body and red lips and chin. Compact years old! body with large head spines. Spines are venom- Conservation Status: Survey data is not up ous. Maximum size is 40 cm. to date, but today few yelloweye rockfish are Diet: Most probably either crepuscular (feeding being caught, suggesting a low population at dawn and dusk) or nighttime ambush preda- level. tor, feeding on shrimp, crabs and small fishes. Yelloweye is now given the highest priority for Reproduction and Development: Viviparous. tracking catches, and is a federally-designated “overfished species” of special concern because Red Lionfish of its slow growth, late maturation and long Pterois volitans (Scorpaenidae) life. Federal studies suggest that yelloweye Scorpionfishes and Their Allies rockfish stocks will not recover to former levels Distribution: West-central Pacific; introduced for over 70 years. in the Atlantic. Habitat: Lagoon and seaward reefs from turbid Flag Rockfish inshore areas to depths greater than 50 m. Typi- Sebastes rubrivinctus (Sebastidae/Scorpaenidae) cally rests during the day under ledges. Rockfishes and Scorpionfishes Appearance: Length to 38 cm. Compressed Distribution: Eastern Pacific: San Francisco, body with a large head. Greatly enlarged pec- California, USA to Cape San Quentin, Baja toral fins and elongate dorsal fins. Vertically California. colored brownish bars interspersed with fine Habitat: Depth to 300 m. Juveniles shallower. white lines. 132 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Diet: A voracious nocturnal predator of small Conservation Status: A rare fish but fishes, shrimp and crabs. Corners and traps conservation status unknown. prey with its widespread pectoral fins. Remarks: This fish is named after the Reproduction and Development: Courtship Academy’s own William Eschmeyer, Senior in this species begins at twilight, initiated by Curator of Ichthyology, a world-renown expert the male. Usually solitary males congregate in stonefishes and other scorpionfishes, and and often compete, sometimes intimitating author of the Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes competitors by charging with spines erect in the Peterson guidebook series and The and forward facing. The female extrudes her Catalogue of Fishes, a database of the world’s 2,000–15,000 her eggs in tubes of mucus in 28,000+ known fish species and a work of a gelatinous mass. Shortly after her eggs are immense value to systematists and to those released, the tubes are engorged with seawa- evaluating fish diversity worldwide. ter and penetrated by sperm. Eggs float on It’s possible our specimen is a different the surface and hatch to larvae 36–48 hours Rhinopias sp, but why not tell the good story. after fertilization. Mortality/Longevity: Despite their venom- California Scorpionfish ous spines, lionfish are caught by humans for Scorpaena guttata (Scorpaenidae) food. Scorpionfishes and Their Allies Remarks: Venomous dorsal, anal and pelvic Distribution: Santa Cruz, California to the Gulf fin spines are capable of inflicting severe and of California. painful wounds. Doctors suggest soaking the Habitat: Tide pools to 183 m, usually at depth afflicted area in very hot water to denature less than 30 m. Typically in rocky areas of bays the venom’s proteins. and along shore, especially in crevices and Some years ago, a red lionfish consumed its caves. Most active at night. close relative, a zebra turkeyfish (Dendrochris Appearance: Stocky, large mouth; spiny head zebra), in captivity at the Steinhart Aquarium. and large fan-shaped pectoral fin. Red to brown, pale mottled brown spots on body and Eschmeyer’s Scorpionfish fins. Length to 43 cm. Rhinopias eschmeyeri (Scorpaenidae) Diet: Small crabs, also shrimp, octopuses and Scorpionfishes and Rockfishes small fishes. Distribution: Indonesia and Western Pacific Reproduction and Development: Migrate ex- Ocean. tensively during summer in order to form large Habitat: Sheltered areas with a moderate spawning aggregations. Mature at two years current either in a bay or along external or deep old. Fertilization is internal. Females produce reefs. Is a bottom dweller and lives in caves or eggs imbedded in gelatinous walls of hollow under overhangs in brackish water. pear-shaped structures, which are transparent Appearance: Deep, compressed body, concave or green. The “balloons” float near the surface snout, high eyes. Dorsal fin is sail-like with one and the eggs hatch in around five days. or two small black spots. Very brightly colored Mortality/Longevity: Live to at least 21 in yellow, pink, brown, or red with skin flaps years. over eyes that aid in camouflage. Dorsal, anal, Conservation Status: Not on IUCN Red List but and pelvic fin spines bear venom glands. Not very likely being overexploited as a food fish. aggressive, but when threatened will erect Remarks: Individuals in very deep waters are dorsal spines. darker red. Diet: Feeds on crustaceans and fishes. Remains Dorsal, anal and pelvic fin spines are venomous. stationary and snaps at prey, rapidly sucking both water and its intended meal into its large Prized as a food fish. mouth. Pink and Yellow Scorpionfish Reproduction and Development: Internal Sebastapistes cyanostigma (Scorpaenidae) fertilization; produces a floating gelatinous Scorpionfishes and Their Allies mass with imbedded eggs. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. California Academy of Sciences 133

Habitat: Coral reefs. as okoze, an expensive sashimi. Hopefully, no Appearance: Spotted, usually yellow and wayward venom sacs on the plate! white on a pinkish red background. Kelp Greenling Diet: Crustaceans and small fishes. Hexagrammos decagrammus (Hexagrammidae) Remarks: A master of camouflage, this small Greenlings fish hide among corals, changing colors to Distribution: East Northern Pacific: Alaska to match its background. A viewer of the Fire San Diego. Coral Tank where this little fish resides may Habitat: Offshore kelp and inshore eel grass look directly at the fish and still not see it. beds to 45 m. A true scorpionfish, it uses the sharp venomous Appearance: Length to 55 cm. Body color spines on its back for protection. variable from light gray to brown. Dimorphic; Deadly Stonefish males have irregular blue patches on head and Synanceia verrucosa (Synanceiidae) to mid-section; females have small dark sports all Stonefishes over and are larger than males. Males and females Distribution: Tropical marine waters of the originally thought to be separate species. Pacific and Indian oceans, ranging from the Diet: Diurnal predator on shrimp, crabs, Red Sea to the Great Barrier Reef. worms, octopuses, snails, brittle stars, and Habitat: Shallow water on sandy or rubble- small fishes. strewn areas near reefs. Reproduction and Development: Males Appearance: Mottled greenish to mostly brown. sexually mature by age 2; females by age 4. Looking like a rock or lump of coral, they exhibit Spawn in fall and winter subtidally; males excellent camouflage; length to 40 cm. guard pale blue egg masses, often 4 or more at a time. Larvae pelagic. Rapid growth from Diet: Lie-in-wait predator; mainly eats small juveniles to adults. fish, shrimp and other crustaceans, striking with such incredible speed that only high- Mortality/Longevity: Can live at least 12 yrs. speed film can capture the event. Remarks: Territorial, especially during Mortality/Longevity: Predators include sharks spawning. Primary predators: lingcod and and rays. harbor seals. Remarks: Widely distributed in tropical waters, In Greek, decagrammus means “10 lines,” a this stonefish is the world’s most venomous reference to the total number of lateral lines fish. It has 12–14 grooved dorsal spines, each (5 on each side). with a venom sack at its base. Rock Greenling Not aggressive, the stonefish uses its toxins Hexagrammos lagocephalus (Hexagrammidae) in self-defense, most often when an overly Greenlings curious, predatory, or non-observant victim Distribution: North Pacific from Bering Sea to ventures too close. Humans are usually Point Conception, infrequently observed south of envemomated because of inadvertently San Francisco; western Pacific south to Japan. stepping on the well-concealed fish. Habitat: Shallow rocky coastal waters. The venom is a potent cocktail of hemolytic, Appearance: To 60 cm. Reddish brown with neurotoxic, and cardioactive proteins that darker mottling, often with red blotches on can cause shock, paralysis, tissue death, and the sides. occasional human fatality, depending on the penetration depth of the spine. The pain is Reproduction and Development: Females are so severe, victims supposedly want to cut off oviparous (egg-laying). Sexually mature at 3–4 afflicted body parts! Fortunately, a serum now years and/or 29–35 cm. exists that is effective if applied within a few Mortality/Longevity: Life span: to 8 years for hours after envenomation. males, 11 years for females. In Japan, the delicate flesh of stonefish is served Remarks: Like kelp greenling, adults are territorial. 134 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Lingcod brates such as crabs, shrimps and amphipods. Ophiodon elongatus (Hexagrammidae) Reproduction and Development: Females Greenlings and Lingcod mature at 3 years, most males mature at 2. Distribution: Kodiak Island, Alaska to Mate in winter. Female lays egg masses con- northern Baja California. taining up to 2,200 eggs in nests on exposed Habitat: Adults near rocks, mostly inshore rock surfaces which are aggressively guarded between 10–100 m, but some much deeper. by male. Young on sand or mud inshore. Mortality/Longevity: Males live to at least 8 Appearance: Large, elongate. Characterized years. Females live longer. Caught by sport- by large mouth, long canine teeth, and long fishers. dorsal fin with notch. Cirrus above eye. Max Remarks: Sometimes rest on Telia spp. length: 150 cm though usually 120 cm or less. anemones, apparently immune to their Females larger. nematocysts. Diet: Voracious predator on various invertebrates such as small octopuses and crabs as well as a Grunt Sculpin variety of fishes, including herring, rockfishes, Rhamphocottus richardsoni (Rhamphocottidae) and bottom dwellers such as flounder. Grunt Sculpins Reproduction and Development: Males Distribution: Pacific Ocean, Japan north establish nesting sites in rock crevices or to Alaska, south to Santa Monica Bay, on ledges in nearshore spawning grounds. California. Females lay eggs and depart, leaving males Habitat: Rocky and sandy substrates, tide to defend the nest. Larvae pelagic, until pools. Intertidal to 165 m. settlement as juveniles in nearshore areas. Appearance: Short stocky body. Most of body Mortality/Longevity: Vulnerable to marine covered with prickles. Head and body colored mammals, such as sea lions and harbor seals. yellowish-beige, streaked with dark brown; Life span: males about 14 years; females up to ventral surface creamy yellow to pale red. 20 years. Base of caudal fin is bright red. Fin rays mostly Remarks: The lingcod is an adept color reddish. Length to 9 cm. changer, transforming from light to dark or Diet: Crustaceans. Young consume zooplankton, vice-versa in a flash. invertebrate and fish larvae. A popular sport and commercial species, valued Reproduction and Development: Observa- as a fine-tasting food fish. Flesh of lingcod, like tions in captivity show that during spawning greenlings, is often greenish; however, this color season the female chases the male until he disappears with cooking. is trapped in a rocky cavern. She keeps him captive until her eggs are laid; fertilization Painted Greenling aka Convictfish is external. Oxylebius pictus (Hexagrammidae) Remarks: Produces gruntlike sounds when Greenlings removed from water, thus the common name. Distribution: Kodiak Island, Alaska to central Eyes operate independently. Baja California. Like most sculpins, rarely swims freely in the Habitat: Shallow rocky areas, especially in tidal water column; instead usually “walks” with a channels, also deep rocky areas to 50 m. Hover hopping motion over the substrate by use of its in water column, or may move from perch to large, fanlike pectoral fins. Frequently observed perch. Adults territorial. taking shelter in empty shells, including those Appearance: Length to 25 cm, usually less. of the giant barnacle, Balanus nubilis, as well as Colored with 5–7 broad, vertical reddish bars in cans and bottles. alternating with pinkish-brown undercolor. Prominent black pectoral fins with white spots. Red Irish Lord Two bands radiate back from eye, another for- Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus (Cottidae) ward. Females grow larger than males. Sculpins Diet: Solitary benthic feeders upon inverte- Distribution: North Pacific: Kamchatka to the California Academy of Sciences 135

Aleutian Islands, and south along the North dorsal fin spines. Scales appear on the head, American coast to Monterey Bay. sometimes on the cheek but not on the snout, Habitat: Usually nearshore rocky areas, from a broad band of scales covers the back. Small intertidal to depth of 50 m. cirrus (a thin flap of skin) above the front of Appearance: Variable color: usually reds, the eye as well as head cirri more developed pinks, purples, browns, and whites. Can in males. change coloration to some degree to match Diet: Small invertebrates. surroundings. Among the largest of the Reproduction and Development: Internal sculpins; max. length: ~ 50 cm. fertilization; mature males have a slender Diet: Crabs, barnacles, mussels, occasional tapered retractable penis. Male gives the small fishes. Lie-in-wait predator that depends parental care, becoming very territorial and almost entirely on its camouflage. guarding the eggs that are laid on rocks in the Reproduction and Development: Gather in winter and spring. spawning areas each season; thought that the Conservation Status: A common species same pair frequent the same areas year after within its area, but rarely seen because of its year. Pinkish eggs are laid, fertilized, and cryptic coloration. guarded by both parents. Tidepool Sculpin Mortality/Longevity: Life span: ~ about 6 Oligocottus maculosus (Cottidae) yrs. Sculpins Remarks: The genus is noted and named Distribution: Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering for its two distinct bands of scales, one on Sea to Los Angeles County, California. the back and a second below the lateral line Habitat: Sheltered areas and tide pools located in (Hemilepidotus = “half scaled”). areas near rough surf; occurs in higher, more shel- Prized for its excellent tasting flesh. tered places. Can leave tide pools when aquatic Spotfin Sculpin conditions become inhospitable. Shows a strong Icelinus tenuis (Cottidae) tendency to return to its home pool if displaced. Sculpins Appearance: Length to 8.9 cm. Green to red Distribution: Queen Charlotte Island, British above, with irregular dark saddles on the Columbia to central Baja California. back; white or off-white tinged with green to blue below. Habitat: Sand bottoms, 33–375 m below the surface. Diet: Preys on pelagic fish larvae, benthic arthropods including amphipods, copepods, Appearance: 1st 2 spines of dorsal fin elongated, isopods, as well as polychaete worms. rounded caudal fin, small pelvic fins. Body light brown with orangish blotches above, Reproduction and Development: Fertilization white below. Dark saddles on back; dusky external. Male clasps female with his pectoral blotches on lower sides. Max. size: 14 cm. fins and fertilizes the eggs as they are being deposited onto substrate. Diet: Shrimps. Remarks: Able to breathe air when out of Scalyhead Sculpin water. Artedius harringtoni (Cottidae) Sculpins Fluffy Sculpin Oligocottus snyderi (Cottidae) Distribution: Eastern Pacific coast from Sculpins Kodiak Island, Alaska to southern California. Distribution: Endemic to the Pacific Coast Habitat: Intertidal and especially subtidal from Alaska to Baja California. rocky areas, often around pilings to depths of 21 m. Habitat: Temperate rocky intertidal pools, especially those with algae or eelgrass and a Appearance: Underside of the adult head sandy substrate. They don’t migrate but do is orange with red bars radiating from the move between pools. In Central California, eye and a red spot near the tip of the first 2 dominant in sub- to mid-intertidal pools. 136 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Usually found in depths less than 1 m. mollusks, small fish and fish eggs. Can swal- Appearance: Coloration varies greatly from low abalone whole and later regurgitate the green to reddish brown to pink, depending indigestible shell. on the color of the surrounding algae; sides Reproduction and Development: In cen- spotted and mottled. Like many sculpins, they tral California males mature by age 4 and have no scales. Cirri line the base of the dorsal females by age 6. Cabezon gather in groups fin and the lateral line. The common name for spawning, which occurs off the California refers to a “fluffy” fleshy area behind the dorsal coast from October through April. Females fin. Max. length: 9 cm; average weight: 8 g. lay 50,000 to 100,000 red, purple, amber or Diet: Worms, crustaceans, and other marine green eggs in large masses attached to rocks invertebrates. Larger males also prey on or logs in shallow water. Males aggressively shrimp and crabs, and eat a greater diversity guard the fertilized egg masses until they of food than do the females. hatch in 2–3 weeks. The eggs are highly toxic Reproduction and Development: Internal to humans, other mammals and birds. fertilization. Males have a prehensile first anal Mortality/Longevity: Life span: more than 13 ray used to clasp females during copulation. years. Eggs are deposited on rocks and guarded by Remarks: Cabezon are popular with sport the male. They develop through larval, post fishermen on the water and spear fisherman larval, juvenile and adult stages. Reproduction in the water. occurs during periods of upwelling, when food is plentiful. Sailfin Sculpin Nautichthys oculofasciatus (Hemitripteridae) Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 1 to 2+ years. Sea Ravens or Sailfin Sculpins Remarks: Fluffies display homing behavior Distribution: Alaska to San Miguel Island, in moving from one pool to another, and are southern California. often able to find their familiar pools from some distance. Appearance: Color varies, grayish on top with variously hued markings and occasionally red Can breathe air for hours at a time, often in markings on dorsal fin. A dark streak runs response to reduction in the tide pool’s oxygen across the head through the eyes. To 20 cm. at night when plants respire. Habitat: Found at about 90 m, most often on Cabezon rocky bottoms with algae; occasionally seen Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (Cottidae) hanging upside down in rock crevices. Sculpins Diet: Small shrimps and other crustaceans. Distribution: Southeast Alaska to Baja Typically moves and hunts by rippling the California. second dorsal fin and sculling with pectoral Habitat: Inhabits rocky bottoms, especially fins in a hopping motion toward prey. near kelp beds and often along exposed coasts Reproduction and Development: Female and in tidal passages. Found from the intertidal spawns in winter and spring, when eggs are to depths of 90+ m. laid on rocks and often among mussel beds. Appearance: Cabezon (Spanish for “stubborn”) The male guards the eggs. have a bulbous head and a stout body. Color Remarks: The anterior dorsal fin is extended is marbled earthtones; males generally display in front of the head when the fish swims and red shades while females are usually greenish. resembles a sail, hence the common name. Can change color, lighten or darken to blend Often the sailfin moves back and forth in the in with the background. They are the largest same rhythm as the movement of nearby members of the sculpin family. The largest seaweeds. Coupled with its cryptic coloration, recorded size is 100 cm in length and over 11 this remarkable behavior disguises the fish kg. from predators and prey. Diet: Lie and wait predator. With pectoral fins A popular aquarium fish. set low on the body and with a powerful tail, it quickly lunges after crabs, small lobsters, California Academy of Sciences 137

Northern Spearnose Poacher ORDER PERCIFORMES Agonopsis vulsa (Agonidae) Poachers SUBORDER PERCOIDEI Distribution: Eastern Pacific: southeastern (PERCHES) Alaska to southern California. Habitat: On bottom, 18–200 m. Glassfish Parambassis ranga (Ambassidae) Appearance: Snout pointed with 2 forward Asiatic Glassfishes pointing spines at tip. Brown above, white below with dark bars along side; pelvic fin Distribution: South Asia from Pakistan to brown with white tip. Max. size: 20 cm. Malaysia. Diet: Small crustaceans and worms. Habitat: Freshwater rivers and streams in sluggish and standing water, also in brackish Remarks: Like most poachers, shape is water. elongate, and scales are modified into large fused bony plates. Uses large pectoral fins to Appearance: Transparent body that reveals move in bursts; pelvic fins nearly vestigial. bones and internal organs; the male develops a dark edge to the dorsal fin. Max. length: 8.0 cm. Like many bottom dwellers, lacks a swim bladder. Diet: Crustaceans, annelid worms, and other invertebrates. Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Eumicrotremus orbis (Cyclopteridae) is external. The female lays up to 500 eggs, Lumpfishes and then the males fertilizes them. Fish breed Distribution: North Pacific: from Japan to prolifically during the rainy season. Thereafter, Alaska south to Puget Sound, Washington. they build a nest and guard their young. Habitat: Bottom-dwelling from inshore Mortality/Longevity: Prey for larger fishes, shallows to 145 m. Sometimes seen at low including snakeheads. Life span: 3–4 yrs. tide attached to rocks with its disc-like Remarks: The Indian glassy fish is very pelvic fins. common in the aquarium trade. Caught in Appearance: Small globose body to 18 cm. subsistence fishing, but they rare in markets. Weight to 100 gm. Caudal fin slightly rounded. Indian glassy fish sold to hobbyists and known Body light to dark green or brown dorsally; as “disco fish” have often been “painted,” light brown or plum ventrally; lips lavender. which involves injecting colored dye into the Tubercles in males dull orange or reddish fish’s transparent tissue to make them more brown; tubercles in females are larger and more attractive. Fish thus treated are traumatized numerous and pale green. and susceptible to disease. Diet: Small invertebrates including polychaete Giant Sea Bass worms, crustaceans, mollusks. Stereolepis gigas (Polyprionidae) Reproduction and Development: Females lay Wreckfishes spongy masses of eggs that adhere to rocks Distribution: Humboldt Bay, California to Baja and seaweeds. Males guard eggs following California. spawning. Habitat: Rocky areas and kelp beds 7–50 m. Remarks: The large adhesive sucking disc with thickened fringed margin is composed Appearance: Length to 2.5 m. Weight to 255 kg. of modified and ossified pelvic rays. Young colored red with black spots. Adults ro- bust, slightly compressed, dark gray typically The family name Cyclopteridae translates from with large gray, brown or black spots on sides. Greek as “circle wing,” a reference to their circle-shaped pectoral fins. Diet: Carnivorous opportunist: spiny lobsters, rock crabs, squid, stingrays, small sharks, and Their roe is used as a substitute for expensive various other fish species.. Most food items and/or unavailable caviar. are organisms on or buried just below the substrate, drawn into the sea bass’ mouth by 138 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

the suction created when the mouth is opened Diet: Diurnal predator on small fishes and rapidly. Capable of only brief bursts rather invertebrates. than sustained speeds, the sea bass ambushes Reproduction and Development: Simultaneous mid-water fishes from cover in rocks or kelp. hermaphrodite. Form pairs at dusk to spawn. Reproduction and Development: Adults not reproductively active until about 12 years old. Pacific Candy Basslet Single annual spawn. Eggs released into the Liopropoma swalesi (Serranidae) plankton. Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Mortality/Longevity: Very young are prey to Distribution: Western Pacific. a variety of marine mammals and other fishes. Habitat: Caves, crevices, and rubble of coral Mature individuals are preyed upon only by reefs to depths of 25 m. Rarely seen in open large sharks and humans. Life span: live to at water. least 100 years. Appearance: White, covered with brilliant Conservation Status: IUCN Red Listed: orange stripes. The second dorsal and anal fins Critically Endangered. Once a favorite of have white-edged black eyespots. commercial and sport fisheries as well as Diet: Crustaceans and small fishes. spear fishers, giant sea basses, which are Reproduction and Development: Little is found in all-too-accessible nearshore habitats, known about the life history of members of this were seriously overharvested. Protections genus because of their secretive nature. in California went into effect in 1982, but Remarks: The genus is among the smallest of the sea bass has remained scarce along the the serranid family,. California coast, and was classified as critically endangered by the IUCN in 1996. Banning the Kelp Bass use of inshore gill nets has probably reduced Paralabrax clathratus (Serranidae) incidental catch, but because of the species’ Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets slow growth and reproduction rate, the Distribution: Eastern Pacific coast from California population, while showing signs southern Washington to southern Baja of recovery, is still well below historic norms. California. Most abundant south of Pt. Remarks: “Bocalo,” the Academy’s giant sea Conception. bass, is the largest fish by weight in the Steinhart Habitat: Most often found near or in kelp Aquarium. In September 2008, it weighed 75 beds or structures of any kind; shallow water kg (165 lbs) and was 1.2 m (4 ft) in length. As usually from about 2.5 to 20 m. a truly giant sea bass, Bocalo has a way to go. Appearance: Brown to olive on back and sides The largest sea bass caught in California waters with pale spots along sides. weighed 563.4 pounds (255 kg), and others have Diet: Juveniles: plankton and small inverte- reached lengths of almost 7.5 feet (2.3 m). But brates, especially crustaceans. Adults: small then Bocalo is still young, probably about 28. fishes, octopuses, squid, crabs, shrimps, and Check the scales in 50 years! algae. Known to form groups to prey on school- Indigo Hamlet ing fishes. Hypoplectrus indigo (Serranidae) Reproduction and Development: Pelagic Sea Basses: Groupers, and Fairy Basslets spawners. Spawning peaks during summer. Distribution: Western Central Atlantic and Eggs hatch into larvae in 1–2 days; larvae Caribbean. metamorphose into juveniles in about a month. Habitat: Depth 3-45 m. Solitary over coral reefs Max. length: 70 cm. near bottom. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: to at least 33 Appearance: Length to 14 cm. About five deep years. blue bars of uneven width; second bar, below Remarks: The kelp bass is a fine food fish, and dorsal fin, much wider than others. Bright among the most important recreational game blue ventral fins, pectoral fins with alternating fishes in southern California. white bars. Kelp bass were eaten by Native Americans California Academy of Sciences 139

in southern California; their bones have been eggs remain part of the zooplankton until they found in Indian middens. hatch, metamorphose, and settle. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 5 years or Peach Fairy Basslet more. Pseudanthias dispar (Serranidae) Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Remarks: Pseudanthias spp. often congregate near or just above the reef wall for feeding, Distribution: East Indo-Pacific. where strong currents deliver food to both Habitat: Upper edge of steep reef slopes. corals and fish. Typically these little fish face Appearance: Sexes dichromatic. Male: orange into the current and swim at a stay-in-place to yellow body, lavender to pink head and speed. If the current changes, the shoal turns bright red dorsal fin. Female: orange to peach as well. upper head, body, and fins; 2 narrow lavender- yellowish bars extend from eye to pectoral fin. Lori’s Anthias Max. size: 9.5 cm. Pseudanthias lori (Serranidae) Diet: Zooplankton. Occur in large feeding Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets aggregations of mixed sexes, usually more Distribution: West-Central Pacific. females than males, 1–3 m above the substrate, Habitat: Near caves or ledges of steep outer picking plankton from currents that sweep reefs, 7-70 m. Typically in small groups. the reef. Appearance: Length to 12 cm. Laterally Reproduction and Development: Protogynous compressed body. Orange-pink body, usually hermaphrodites. If a dominant male dies, the with 4 reddish semi-bands below the posterior largest female of the group will change sex to segment of the dorsal fin. take its place. Diet: Zooplankton. Mortality/Longevity: These small fish are Reproduction and Development: Females snack food for many larger predators. change sex into males for their terminal phase. Remarks: Males erect dorsal fin as courtship display. Anthias gather in huge schools of hundreds. Squarespot Anthias aka Squarespot Fairy Schools are made up of smaller “harems” Basslet consisting of a single dominant male, a few Pseudanthias pleurotaenia (Serranidae) non-dominant males, and many females. Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Distribution: Indonesia to Samoa, north Red-cheeked Fairy Basslet to Ryukyus, Japan and south to New Pseudanthias huchtii (Serranidae) Caledonia. Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Habitat: Steep, current-swept seaward drop Distribution: Western Central Pacific: common offs, 10–180 m, but typically below 25 m in the Philippines and Indonesia. depth. Habitat: Coral outcrops of clear outer reef Appearance: Length to 20 cm. Sexually slopes, where the species may be found in large dichromatic. Male is orange-red to magenta, aggregations. one large violet square on each side of its Appearance: Males have prominent orange body (thus the common name), elongate third stripe from the eye to the middle of the pectoral dorsal spine. Coloration and size of “square” fin; wide maroon band on the outer margin highly variable among individuals; female of the pelvic fin. Females and juveniles are less colorful. greenish-yellow. Max. length: 12 cm. Diet: Small crustaceans and fish eggs. Diet: Zooplankton. Reproduction and Development: All begin Reproduction and Development: All life as females. Males are sexually reversed Pseudanthias spp. are thought to be protogynous females. Sex reversal is socially controlled. hermaphrodites. Broadcast spawners; fertilized Remarks: Usually in small (6–30 individuals) 140 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

aggregations of conspecifics; females far Fathead Anthias outnumber males in the groups. Serranocirrhitus latus (Serranidae) Juveniles are solitary and remain close to Sea Basses: Groupers, and Fairy Basslets shelter. Distribution: Western Pacific, from the On many individuals, the magenta square spot Moluccan Islands to Fiji, north to Japan and appears to glow like a neon light. south to the Great Barrier Reef. Habitat Active diurnally. Nocturnally shelter within : Near coral reefs usually at depths the reef. of 18 m or more, either solitarily or in small haremic groups; also found near caves, ledges, Jewel Fairy Basslet aka Lyretail Anthias and drop-offs, usually close to crevices where Pseudanthias squamipinnis (Serranidae) they retreat if threatened. Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Appearance: Unlike its cousins the Pseudanthias Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea, South species, the fathead anthias has a deep body Africa, south to Australia, north to Japan. and elongate pectoral fins. Predominantly pink, Habitat: Shallows to 55 m; coral outcrops of with heavy yellow-to-orange scale margins and clear lagoons, channels, and outer reef slopes. facial markings. Max.length: 10 cm. Often found in large groups. Diet: Zooplankton, small invertebrates, Appearance: Various color patterns, including floating filamentous algae. red, pink, orange, yellow, even purple. Males Reproduction and Development: Like all are typically more colorful, and have a larger Anthias spp., is hermaphroditic. If a dominant dorsal fin spike than females. male dies, the largest female will usually Diet: Zooplantkton. morph to take its place. Reproduction and Development: Males Remarks: This little fish is secretive and often territorial, haremic; like all Anthias species, are seen swimming upside-down along the roofs sequential, protogynous hermaphrodites. If of overhangs and caves. Their dimly lit tank male perishes, largest female will develop male in the Steinhart fits their common deep-water reproductive organs and take its place. preference. Unlike most Pseudanthias spp., which often live Yellowstriped Fairy Basslet aka Purple Anthias in large shoals, S. latus is usually found either Pseudanthias tuka (Serranidae) solitary or in a small haremic group. Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Philippines, Bali, Harlequin Bass Solomon Islands, Great Barrier Reef, southern Serranus tigrinus (Serranidae) Japan. Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Habitat: Favors strong currents along the Distribution: Tropical western Atlantic and edge of drop-offs and steep outer reef slopes throughout the Caribbean: Bermuda and at depths of 30 m or more. southern Florida, to northern South America. Appearance: Sexes dichromatic. Both sexes are Habitat: Most common in areas with rock or a deep pink to purple; however, females have a scattered coral, depth to 40 m. bright yellow stripe on the back extending onto Appearance: Snout long and pointed. Elongate the caudal fin. Males have a purple blotch on body; stripes and bars on light background form the base of the dorsal fin, elongated fin rays, irregular rectangles on body. Sometimes yellow- and a pointed snout Max. size: 12 cm. ish below. Colors and patterns, coupled with Diet: Planktonic crustaceans and fish eggs. spotted dorsal and caudal fins, are the source of Reproduction and Development: As in all its common name. Max. length: 30 cm. Anthias species, if a dominant male dies, the Diet: Mainly crustaceans and small fishes. largest female will usually change into a male Reproduction and Development: Synchronous and take his place. hermaphrodite. Territorial egg layer. Lives Remarks: Usually found in large aggregations solitary or in pairs. with many more females than males. Remarks: Said to have an aggressive nature. The Harlequin Bass is the most common California Academy of Sciences 141

member of the genus Serranus, commonly female. Fully adult super males have a pointed known as “dwarf sea basses.” The pointed filament on their tails. Pairs have been known snout and distinct color pattern make it easy to breed in captivity. to identify. Conservation Status: The orchid dottyback was greatly reduced in the wild, almost to Chalk Bass the point of extinction until successful captive Serranus tortugarum (Serranidae) breeding. Sea Basses: Groupers and Fairy Basslets Remarks: A shy fish that needs suitable hiding Distribution: Tropical western Atlantic: places. southern Florida, Bahamas, Honduras and Virgin Islands; throughout the Caribbean. Royal Dottyback Habitat: Found over rubble, silty, or sandy Pseudochromis paccagnellae (Pseudochromidae) bottoms. Often congregate in small groups Dottybacks hovering over a patch of coral rubble or an old Distribution: Indo-Pacific and western Pacific. conch shell. Will often hide in the substrate. Habitat: Shallow coastal reefs to steep coral Appearance: Body color a light purple with and sponge-covered drop-offs, especially areas bright blue to orange saddle bands along the with coral or rocky hiding places. back. Different specimens of this species can Appearance: Color: magenta and yellow with look very different from each other. Upper a sharp delineation between the two colors. side is darker than the ventral side. Max. Sexes similar; males may have brighter color. length: 8 cm. Max size: 12 cm. Diet: Feeds on zooplankton. Diet: Mostly small invertebrates, including Reproduction and Development: Like other worms, crustaceans, zooplankton. members of the genus Serranus, the chalk bass Reproduction and Development: Females is a synchronous hermaphrodite (has both male produce a spherical mass of eggs that adhere and female organs). The mated pair takes turns to a rocky substrate. After fertilization, the male in which one acts as the male and the other the guards and fans the eggs to provide oxygen female through multiple matings, usually over until they hatch in about four days. Some the course of several nights. dottybacks have bred in captivity, including Remarks: A non-aggressive species that adapts the royal dottyback. to aquarium life well. Remarks: Dottybacks often dive in and out of crevices. Watch our royal dottyback zip about Orchid Dottyback its tank, appearing and disappearing. Pseudochromis fridmani (Pseudochromidae) Dottybacks With their sharp canines and feisty nature, dottybacks are excellent hunters and staunch Distribution: Western Indian Ocean: known defenders of their territory. only from the Red Sea. Habitat: Usually on vertical rock faces or Royal Gramma beneath overhangs, taking refuge in small Gramma loreto (Grammatidae) holes. Found at depths from 1–30 m. Basslets Appearance: Rich lavender-red color with Distribution: Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda. scales trimmed in blue. A black stripe extends Habitat: Small groups in caves, crevasses and from the mouth though the eye. Max. length: under ledges, 1–60 m. c. 6 cm. Appearance: Length to 8 cm. Bicolored: ma- Diet: Small planktonic or rock-dwelling genta anterior, brilliant orange posterior. crustaceans. The large mouth enables ingestion Diet: Feed on ectoparasites of other fishes. of food items larger than most taken by fish Reproduction and Development: External its size. fertilization. Prior to spawning, some males Reproduction and Development: Like establish nest sites, using small holes and the rest of their family, this dottyback is crevices in the substratum. Females travel to hermaphroditic, changing to either male or male nests for egg deposition around dawn. 142 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Males guard and maintain nest. max: 30 cm. Remarks: Often rests or retreats when alarmed Diet: Terrestrial and aquatic insects, such as to a stereotypic “upside down” posture near dragonflies and mayflies, as well as snails, cave roofs. crayfish, and small fish. Juveniles eat small benthic organisms, such as fly larvae. Southern Blue Devil Reproduction and Development: Typical of Paraplesiops meleagris (Plesiopidae) sunfishes, the redbreast male selects an area of Roundheads sand and gravel in shallow water, and scrapes Distribution: Temperate Indian Ocean along out a depression where the female lays her the southern Australian coastline, from eastern eggs. The male guards eggs and fry. Victoria to southwestern Australia. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 5 years. Habitat: Rocky reefs and caves, in relatively Remarks: A popular gamefish throughout its shallow water from 15–25 m. They prefer range. deep cave systems, under projections and on ledges where a number of fish, ranging from This species should be called the “longear small juveniles to mature adults, may inhabit sunfish” as its ear (the opercle flap) is noticeably the space. longer than the ear of the species so named. Appearance: Large mouths and very large In some areas where it has been introduced, eyes, vivid light blue spots cover its dark blue/ the redbreast is displacing its longear cousin. brown body, and elongated pelvic, anal and Longear Sunfish dorsal fins. Unlike many fish whose colors Lepomis megalotis (Centrarchidae) mute with age, these spots become a more Sunfishes vivid blue. Max length: 33–35 cm. Distribution: North America. Widely intro- Diet: Other fishes and crustaceans. The blue duced as a game fish. devil is an ambush predator that is secretive Habitat: Pools of sluggish streams over sand, and spends much of its time hiding. With its gravel or rocks. Also warm freshwater lakes slow-moving manner, however, it can be both and reservoirs, almost always in shallow water predator and prey. with dense vegetation. Reproduction and Development: Members Appearance: Shape is perchlike. In direct of the Paraplesiops genus lay eggs on the sunlight sunfish have a brilliant sheen. A black substrate where they are guarded until extension of the upper gill cover is the “ear.” hatching by the male. Spinous dorsal fins. Length to 24 cm. Remarks: The species tends to be shy. In Diet: Carnivorous, tend to be generalists: aquatic an aquarium setting, it needs a space with insects, snails, crustaceans and small fishes. numerous nooks and crannies to hide in. Look carefully in the rockwork to find our blue devil. Reproduction and Development: Spawn during the summer. Nest side by side ar- Human uses include commercial fisheries and ranged in dense colonies near shore. Male commercial aquariums. Aborigines have long digs nest in gravel and defends territory dur- considered this fish a delicacy. ing prespawning period. Female approaches Redbreast Sunfish nesting colony when nest completed. Mating Lepomis auritus (Centrarchidae) pairs swim in circles over nest, stop for short Sunfishes intervals to release sperm and egg. Male Distribution: North America: Eastern rivers of may chase mate away from the nest, female USA and Canada. Introduced to eastern and may come back to the same nest or move on southern parts of Texas. to mate with another male. After hatching, young are pelagic and drift at the surface for Habitat: Rocky and sandy pools of creeks and weeks before settling and moving inshore. small to medium rivers. Juveniles school in large numbers in shallow Appearance: Olive to brownish gray along weedy areas and protected locations. the back; belly ranges in color from yellow Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by the to orange and rust. Common length: 20 cm; bowfin (Amia calva) and other fishes. California Academy of Sciences 143

Remarks: A popular game fish with anglers. and pools of streams. Prefers clear water and sites with vegetation over mud or sand. Largemouth Bass Appearance: Mottled black on light surface, Micropterus salmoides (Centrarchidae) wavy light/dark pattern on non-paired fins. Sunfishes Sexes similar. Max. size: ~ 50 cm. Distribution: Native to eastern North America Diet: Juveniles and small individuals feed and historically ranged from southern Canada on planktonic crustaceans and insect larvae. to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic coast Large adults take small fishes. Feed mostly at to the central United States. dawn and dusk; hang around vegetation or Habitat: Prefer quiet, shallow, clear water with submerged objects during the day. lots of vegetation. Reproduction and Development: Prolific Appearance: Has large mouth, a notch between breeders. Like other sunfishes, black crappie the two dorsal fins, and a dark stripe along the are nest builders. Male sweeps out nest and side of the body. Color variable, but usually a attracts female, who may spawn several times darkish green on the back and sides, fading with more than one male, laying 10,000–200,000 to off-white on the belly. Sexually dimorphic eggs. Male guards the nest until young can (female is larger). Average weight: 1 kg. Max: swim and feed. weight: 10 kg. Max. length: ~95 cm. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 15 years, Diet: Juveniles: zooplankton and aquatic average closer to 7 years. Important food insects. Adults: crayfish and other fish species, source for larger fishes. Turtles and birds feed especially other sunfish species. on young. Reproduction and Development: Males Remarks: The species name, nigromaculatus, prepare and build a crude nest in shallow means “black spotted” (L.), an accurate water. Following an act of courtship, female description. lays eggs in the nest. The male guard the eggs A highly regarded game fish prized for its until they hatch. The schooling fry remain close flavor, it is stocked in lakes and streams in all to their father for about a month. the lower 48 states. Mortality/Longevity: The expected lifespan in the wild is 15 years (longest 25 yrs). Yellow Perch Remarks: M. salmoides is the most popular Perca flavescens (Percidae) game fish in the United States. Perches This fish is a potential pest as it can eradicate Distribution: West central Canada and the indigenous species. Hudson Bay area east to New Brunswick, south The generic name for the bass, Micropterus, to South Carolina, and west to Kansas. Also means “small fin” and is a misnomer. The found in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Great Lakes. specimen from which the genus was named Habitat: Freshwater lakes as well as had a damaged fin, which gave the appearance impoundments of larger rivers, also smaller of a small fin behind the dorsal fin! ponds and rivers. Known in both brackish Since the beginning of the twentieth century water and salt lakes. Prefers clear water, though largemouth bass have been introduced can tolerate low oxygen levels. successfully all over the world. Appearance: Background color yellowish overlaid by 6–8 dark vertical bars on the sides. Black Crappie Sexual dimorphism: females grow faster and Pomoxis nigromaculatus (Centrarchidae) become larger than males. Max. size: ~50 cm. Sunfishes Diet: Insects, larger invertebrates, fishes and Distribution: North America: native to fish eggs. Diurnal feeder. freshwaters of central and eastern North Reproduction and Development: Males and America, today widely introduced throughout females congregate in shallow spawning the U.S. grounds over sand, gravel, and vegetation. Habitat: Lakes, ponds, sloughs, and backwaters Female releases a gelatinous egg strand that may be up to 2 m long! One or two males 144 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

release milt over the eggs, which may number and bars on rear of head and front of body. more than 100,000. Long first dorsal fin tip. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: ~ 7 years. An Diet: Nocturnally feeds on benthic crustaceans. important food source for top predators such Reproduction and Development: Mouth as walleye, northern pike, and lake trout. Gulls brooders; pair for courtship and spawning. and diving ducks take juveniles. Remarks: Overwinters in deep water (often Flame Cardinalfish with a protective covering of ice as suggested Apogon maculatus (Apogonidae) in the Water Planet exhibit), then moves to Cardinalfishes shallower water in spring to spawn. Distribution: Western Atlantic: Canada to A popular game fish prized for its flavor. Massachusetts, Bermuda, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico to Brazil. The spread of lampreys into the Great Lakes and beyond during the first half of the 20th Habitat: Coral reefs: also in other areas with century severely impacted yellow perch protective cracks and crevices. Often hovers populations as well as those of many other near and in holes. important game and commercial fish species. Appearance: Aptly named for notable orangish/red color. Black spot under second Yellowstriped Cardinalfish dorsal fin. Black eyes bordered top and bottom Apogon cyanosoma (Apogonidae) with white stripes. Length to 11 cm. Cardinalfishes Diet: Nocturnal predator on small benthic and Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. Common from planktonic invertebrates. Australia to the Red Sea. Reproduction and Development: Spawning Habitat: Inhabits sheltered clear water areas of may occur throughout the year with pairs lagoon and seaward reefs. Associates in small forming and exhibiting complex courtship to large aggregations under ledges, in holes, or behaviors. Mouthbrooders, like all cardinalfish. even among long spines of sea urchins. Male does not eat for several weeks while Appearance: Silver body highlighted with carrying eggs and fry. 6 orange-gold horizontal stripes. Pinkish to Remarks: Popular in the aquarium trade, but orange spot on base of caudal fin. Max. length: rarely seen during the day at the Steinhart. Check 8 cm. the darker crevices or come after 5:00 p.m.! Diet: Planktonic crustaceans and small invertebrates. Redspot Cardinalfish Apogon parvulus (Apogonidae) Reproduction and Development: Like all Cardinalfishes cardinalfishes, a paternal mouthbrooder. Has reproduced in captivity. Distribution: Western Pacific: Japan to Indonesia. Remarks: Like all cardinalfishes, active at night, with large eyes adapted to gathering Habitat: Around rocky reefs, especially in low light. current-prone areas. Appearance: Semi-transparent with distinctive Threadfin Cardinalfish large, red peduncular spot when adult. Max. Apogon leptacanthus (Apogonidae) length: 4 cm. Cardinalfishes Diet: Microplantkton. Distribution: Red Sea to Samoa, north to Reproduction and Development: Distinct Ryukyu, Japan, south to New Caledonia and paring during courtship and spawning; males east to Tonga. are mouthbrooders. Habitat: Assemble in huge groups at 1–20 m Remarks: This species commonly forms large depth in sheltered lagoons, protected reefs and mid-water aggregations. embayments among branching corals. Appearance: Length to 6 cm. Whitish, Seale’s Cardinalfish translucent with frosty iridescence on back; Apogon sealei (Apogonidae) iris is luminous blue. Yellow-edged blue bands Cardinalfishes California Academy of Sciences 145

Distribution: Western Pacific: Malaysia north crustaceans preyed upon nocturnally. to southern Japan, south to Australia; Palau. Reproduction and Development: The large eggs Habitat: Found under ledges and among are about 2.5 mm in diameter. Males mouth brood branching corals of sheltered reef lagoons; up to 40 eggs. Retain the fry in the mouth after mostly to depths less than 10 m. hatching. Tiny, fully formed juveniles are released Appearance: Tan with thin mid-lateral stripe and after a month of mouth brooding. small dark spot on tail. Max. length: 10 cm. Conservation status: The fragmentation of Diet: Small fishes and zoobenthos, their habitat, their limited distribution, and including benthic crustaceans and mobile over-collecting by the aquarium trade have invertebrates. put this fish at risk, and in 2007 it was listed as Reproduction and Development: Males are Endangered by CITES. The species is not yet mouth-brooders. on the IUCN Red List. Various aquaria, including the Steinhart, are Dog-toothed Cardinalfish monitoring the trade impact upon Banggai car- Cheilodipterus isostigmus (Apogonidae) dinalfish. Captive breeding programs are in place Cardinalfishes to curtail the need for wild caught individuals. Distribution: Western Pacific: patchy Remarks: Mouth brooding is very unusual in distribution including South China Sea, marine fish. Philippines, Borneo, Papua New Guinea. Habitat: Occurs in lagoon reefs to depths of Pajama Cardinalfish 12 m, usually in small groups among staghorn Sphaeramia nematoptera (Apogonidae) corals. Cardinalfishes Appearance: Silvery body with black lateral Distribution: Indian and western Pacific stripes. Caudal peduncal yellow with black oceans. spot. Canine teeth at front of lower jaw. Max. Habitat: Often found in reef areas of bays and length: 11 cm. lagoons along with other members of their species, Diet: Small benthic organisms, invertebrates, sheltered among branches of Porites spp. and fishes. Like all apogonids, are paternal Appearance: Head yellow; wide black band mouthbrooders; distinct pairing takes place encircling central body, and spots on the back during courtship and spawning. half of the body. Eyes large and red. Diet: Small fish and crustaceans. At night, Banggai Cardinalfish leaves the protection of coral shelter to feed Pterapogon kauderni (Apogonidae) along the bottom at about 15 m. Cardinalfishes Reproduction and Development: Sexes separate; Distribution: Apparently endemic to Banggai exhibit distinct pairing during courtship and Islands, east of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. spawning. The male incubates eggs in his mouth, Habitat: Silty sand bottoms with seagrass. protecting them from predators. Often associated with Diadema setosum, the Remarks: Note the large eyes, a common long-spined sea urchin. Adult banggais feature of nocturnal fishes that allows them to hover directly above the urchins, younger gather low light images. cardinalfish stay even closer to the urchins. All retreat among the spines when threat- Ocean Whitefish ened. Caulolatilus princeps (Malacanthidae) Appearance: Length to 8 cm. Tasseled first Tilefishes dorsal fin, elongate anal and second dorsal Distribution: British Columbia to Peru, fin rays, deeply forked caudal fin and striking including the Galapagos Islands. color pattern. Light brown to off-white body Appearance: Yellowish brown above and with three bold vertical, black bands, including lighter below with a yellow tail. Dorsal and one that transverses the eyes. Tiny white flecks anal fins are long with blue and yellow stripes. on fins and posterior of body. Length: 55–102 cm; weight: to 3.2 g. Diet: Probably small benthic and planktonic Habitat: Offshore rocky reefs, depths to 10–90 146 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

m. Found on muddy bottoms, soft sand as well channels during an outgoing tide at sunset or a as rocky bottoms. full moon. Oviparous; buoyant, spherical eggs Diet: Worms, shrimp, octopus, squid, small are pelagic, thus non-guarded. fishes. Remarks: Congregate in large aggregations, Reproduction and Development: Spawning often with other species of fusiliers. may occur 2–3 times from November through Bluestreak Fusilier March; eggs and larvae are pelagic. Pterocaesio tile (Caesionidae) Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 13 Fusiliers years. Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Remarks: A large commercial fishery existed Marquesas, north to southern Japan, south to in the 1920s &’30s. New Caledonia, and throughout Micronesia. Malacanthid species live in burrows or mounds Habitat: Outer reef slopes and in clear, deep which they construct. lagoons, to 60 m depth. Purple Sand Tilefish Appearance: Elongate body. Broad iridescent Hoplolatilus purpureus (Malacanthidae) blue mid-lateral band; dark olive above. Turns Tilefishes bright red along lower half of body at night. Distribution: Western Central Pacific: Max. size: 30 cm. Philippines and Solomon Islands. Diet: Zooplankton taken from midwater. Habitat: Sand and rubble patches of steep Reproduction and Development: Oviparous; seaward slopes, usually between 35–70 m. small pelagic eggs. Appearance: Slender, tubular, purple body Remarks: Usually form dense schools along with red-edged forked tail; long, continuous outer reef slopes and in clear deep lagoons, dorsal and anal fins. Max. length: 13 cm. to 60 m. Diet: Zooplankton. Caught commercially, primarily as tuna Reproduction and Development: Egg layers. baitfish. Have spawned in captivity. Siamese Tigerfish Remarks: Their popular name “sand” tilefish Coius (Datnioides) microlepis (Coiidae) comes from their lightning-quick ability to Tiger Perches diving into burrows they fashion in rubble Distribution: Southeast Asia: Thailand, Bor- substrates. neo, Sumatra Solitary or form small groups. Habitat: A bottom dweller in brackish waters. Yellow and Blueback Fusilier Appearance: An arrowhead-shaped fish with Caesio teres (Caesionidae) a silvery brown body and vertical jet black Fusiliers bars on its body. The number of black bars Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to Mi- depends on geographic location. Fish from the cronesia, Samoa and Line Islands; southwest- Asiatic mainland have 6 bars, and those from ern Japan to Great Barrier Reef, Australia. the Indo-Australian archipelago have 7. Max. length: 45 cm. Habitat: Active diurnally over upper edges of steep slopes, coastal seaward and patch reefs Diet: A predatory carnivore. As it approaches to 5–50 m; primarily around coral reefs, with a potential meal, the tigerfish slowly sways a preference for coralline lagoons. from side to side, as if sighting the prey and then strikes using its large mouth. Appearance: Length to 40 cm. Slender, torpedo- shaped body; silvery-blue, yellow from back to Reproduction: Egg layer. lower tail base and tail, pectoral fin base black. Remarks: In Thailand, the fish is sought after for Tail deeply forked. its flavorful flesh. Highly regarded by aquarists. Diet: Zooplankton. Striped Large-eye Bream Reproduction and Development: Spawning Gnathodentex aurolineatus (Lethrinidae) occurs near the surface, typically in deep Distribution: Widespread in the Indo-Pacific California Academy of Sciences 147

and Central Pacific. Halfmoon Habitat: Subtidal coral reef flats, lagoons, and Medialuna californiensis (Kyphosidae) seaward reefs at depths over 30 m. Sea Chubs Distribution: Appearance: Dorsal area brown with narrow Vancouver Island, British silver stripes; head and upper sides mainly Columbia to Gulf of California. Most common silver to gray, brownish-orange on lower south of Point Conception, California. sides. Prominent golden yellow blotch below Habitat: Common on nearshore rocky reefs posterior of dorsal fin. Max. length: 30 cm. and in kelp beds. Most abundant from Diet: Nocturnal feeder on benthic invertebrates, 3–20 m. including crabs, snails, and small fishes. Appearance: Slate blue to blue black, silvery Medialuna Reproduction and Development: Often form belly; dusky area above gill cover.

large aggregations for pelagic spawning. and common name refers to the half-moon shape of the tail. Scales extend over part of Remarks: During the day, up to several hundred dorsal fin. Max. length: 20 cm. individuals aggregate between coral heads or in Diet: gullies, hovering motionless in compact mass. Seaweed, sponges, small invertebrates. Diurnal feeders. Opaleye Reproduction and Development: Females Girella nigricans (Kyphosidae) oviparous. Sea Chubs Mortality/Longevity: Taken by California sea Distribution: Oregon to southern Baja Cali- lions, northern fur seals, loons, cormorants, fornia. and bald eagles among others. Habitat: A resident intertidal species with Remarks: A popular sport fish, especially from strong homing behavior. Can leave tide pools Santa Monica south. Also a small commercial if aquatic conditions become inhospitable. fishery, as flesh is of excellent quality. Typically Also found near or over rocky reefs and in kelp found in schools or loose aggregations. beds up to about 30 m depth. Dense schools form in the spring season in kelp forests. Mono Young are pelagic. Monodactylus argenteus (Monodactylidae) Appearance: Ovally rounded football-shaped Moonyfishes profile. Olive-green, frequently shaded with Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and blue or gray; often the snout has a white-col- East Africa to Samoa, north to southern Japan, ored area. Can display a silvery-white spotted south to New Caledonia and Australia. pattern over the entire body; one to three white Habitat: Bays, mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks, spots on back. Bright blue to blue-green eyes. and lower reaches of freshwater streams. Young are blue dorsally, silver ventrally. Max Appearance: Adults bright silver with length: to 66 cm. yellowish dorsal and tail fins. Round to Diet: Feeds diurnally, mainly on seaweeds; triangular-shaped, laterally compressed body. occasionally take invertebrates (shrimps, am- Small juveniles more colorful with yellow over phipods, jellyfish, etc.) most of the dorsal fin and two vertical black Reproduction and Development: Spawns bands over the head. Max. size: 27 cm. April to June; female sheds eggs into the Diet: Planktonic and benthic invertebrates. water column. Young-of-the-year move into Reproduction: Batch spawner. tide pools from June until winter season, the Remarks: Territorial; adults form schools; smallest in the most elevated pools. After 1–2 juveniles solitary or in small groups. years the juveniles migrate to subtidal reefs and kelp forests. Bank Butterflyfish Mortality/Longevity: A popular sportfish, also Chaetodon aya (Chaetodontidae) a mild, good-eating fish, sold commercially as Butterflyfishes “perch.” Distribution: Western Central Atlantic: North Carolina and northeastern Gulf of Mexico to 148 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Yucatan in Mexico; unknown in Bahamas and tary, pairs, occasionally in groups. Antilles. Appearance: Length to 15 cm. Compressed Habitat: Deep, offshore banks. Depth range: body. White band on caudal peduncle. Adult 20- 170 meters. posterior body brown to yellow. Head white, Appearance: Deep, compressed body, with eye transversed with a black vertical stripe. yellow on all fins except the pectoral fins. Colors highly variable among populations. Vertical dark bars on the eyes and near the Diet: Primarily octocorals (esp. Sarcophyton caudal fin. Prominent dorsal spines make spp.), also algae and zooplankton. these fish unappetizing to most fish-eating Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. predators. Nonguarders Diet: Algae, plankton, coral polyps, small PR24 crustaceans and worms. Reproduction: Broadcast spawner; forms pairs Raccoon Butterflyfish during breeding. Chaetodon lunula (Chaetodontidae) Butterflyfishes Conservation Status: Not at risk; bred successfully around the world for the aquarium Distribution: From East Africa throughout the trade. Indo-Pacific, south to Australia, east to Hawaii. Remarks: Typically found in pairs and active Habitat: Shallow reef flats of lagoon and during the day. At night they may sleep inside seaward reefs, to depth of 30 m. large sponges. Appearance: A large butterflyfish (up to 20 Is shaped to hover and navigate holes and cm), oval shape. Most have oblique stripes crevices in the reef. It has a small protruding on the flanks, and large black bar over the mouth and many small teeth in both jaws to nose and eyes that makes the eyes difficult reach and eat food items unavailable to many for a predator to see and is reminiscent of a other fishes. raccoon’s mask. Diet: Omnivore. Feeds on coral polyps, worms, Saddle Butterflyfish crustaceans, plankton, algae. Chaetodon ephippium (Chaetodontidae) Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. Butterflyfishes Pairs form during breeding period. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by larger Habitat: Lagoons and seaward reefs to 30 m in fish, invertebrates, and humans. Life span: coral rich, clear waters. 5–7 years. Appearance: Yellowish grey with a large black Remarks: Chaetodon means “bristletooth,” and spot on the upper rear sides bordered below by has a dental array well-suited to its diet. a broad white band; orange area from snout to Has a great fondness for coral polyps, which ventral fins, wavy blue lines on the lower sides. makes our Steinhart denizen a better fit for Adults have a filament extending posteriorly the Color Cluster’s “Hiding the Eye” tank, from the dorsal fin. Max length: 30 cm. which contains no corals. There it feeds on Diet: Filamentous algae, small invertebrates, other invertebrates rather than the Main Tank’s sponges, coral polyps, and fish eggs. prized corals! Reproduction and Development: Sexes separate; form pairs during breeding. Scatter Reef Butterflyfish eggs in the open water or on the substrate. Do Chaetodon senentarius (Chaetodontidae) not guard eggs. Butterflyfishes Distribution: Tropical western Atlantic Ocean: Klein’s Butterflyfish North Carolina to Brazil, including Gulf of Chaetodon kleinii (Chaetodontidae) Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Butterflyfishes Habitat: Coral reefs, usually from shallows Distribution: Indo-Pacific. to 40 m. Habitat: Deeper lagoons, channels and sea- Appearance: Silver body, yellow and black ward reefs 4–61 m, usually below 10 m. Soli- California Academy of Sciences 149

dorsal fin, and yellow tail; two vertical black Copperband Butterflyfish bars, one on the head through the eye and a Chelmon rostratus (Chaetodontidae) black bar across the caudal peduncle. Max Butterflyfishes length: c. 15 cm. Distribution: Andaman Sea to Papua New Diet: Coral polyps, polychaete worms, Guinea, north to Ryukyu Island, south to shrimps, amphipods and hydroids. Northwest Australia and Great Barrier Reef. Reproduction and Development: Broadcast Habitat: Estuaries, coastal reefs, silty inner spawners. Form pairs during breeding. The reefs, 1–30 m. Solitary or in pairs. female releases 3,000–4,000 eggs. The fertilized Appearance: Length to 19 cm. Deep, highly eggs are small, transparent, and hatch within compressed body. Beak-like mouth. Body whit- a day into minute, translucent silvery-grey ish with 4 vertical orange bands. Black false larvae. eyespot on terminal orange band. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by larger Reproduction and Development: Planktonic fish, such as moray eels, snappers, and eggs hatch after a couple days. Larval stage groupers. If it can’t find cover, will defend lasts several weeks to perhaps 2 months. Dur- itself by facing its predator with dorsal spines ing a distinctive late larval stage the head and erected, suggesting a sharply distasteful meal. body are covered with bony plates. Remarks: Typical of butterflyfishes, its mouth Remarks: Distinctive snout used for prying is adapted to feeding in crevices. The teeth are into the crevices of coral. curved at the tips and designed for scraping A food fish marketed locally. Reported to be and nipping at the small invertebrates. Teeth “not good” from a culinary standpoint. are in several rows in each jaw, giving the appearance of a brush. Origin of name: chaeto Western Talma = “bristle” and donte = “tooth.” Chelmonops curiosus (Chaetodontidae) Butterflyfishes Vagabond Butterflyfish Distribution: Southern and Central Western Chaetodon vagabundus (Chaetodontidae) Australia. Butterflyfishes Habitat: Coastal rocky reefs. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Appearance: Deep bodied, compressed fish Habitat: Reef flats, lagoon, and seaward reefs with long pointed snout. Silvery gray with five to depths of 30 m. vertical brown bars. Max. size: 26 cm. Appearance: Black bands over head, rear body Diet: Invertebrates and algae. and tail. The soft dorsal, anal and caudal fins are yellow. Max length: 23 cm. Longnose Butterflyfish Diet: Omnivorous; feed on algae, coral polyps, Forcipiger longirostris (Chaetodontidae) sea anemones, crustaceans and polychaete Butterflyfishes worms. Both male and female defend a feeding Distribution: Indo-Pacific from East Africa territory against other pairs of their species, to Indonesia, Philippines, Hawaii and French but are not particularly aggressive toward Polynesia; southwest Japan to Great Barrier other species. Reef. Reproduction and Development: Oviparous, Habitat: Non-migratory; usually found, alone monogamous. Open water egg scatterers. or in pairs, in the outer reefs from 3–70 m. Pelagic larvae settle in shallow back reef Appearance: Yellow with black upper head and habitats. silvery white below; extremely elongated snout; Remarks: Vertical line going through the eye black spots on breast, spot on anal fin below tail disguises the eye and makes it harder for a base. Individuals occasionally turn dark brown, predator to figure out which is the front of the a color phase that does not seem to be related to fish and which is the back, perhaps giving the sex or reproduction. Maximum size: 22 cm. butterflyfish a brief chance to escape while the Diet: Mainly small crustaceans. predator hesitates. Reproduction and Development: Monoga- mous; form breeding pairs. Ovoviviparous, 150 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

broadcast spawners, with eggs and larvae species; however, the flowing dorsal fin passing through an extended planktonic stage. and larger size of the Idol are distinctive Remarks: Sometimes confused with the differentiations. common longnose butterflyfish (Forcipiger Cherubfish flavissimus), which is similar in size and color Centropyge argi (Pomacanthidae) but has a shorter snout. Angelfishes Pyramid Butterflyfish Distribution: Bermuda, Florida, Bahamas, Yu- Hemitaurichthys polylepis (Chaetodontidae) catan and Central American coast to Guianas. Butterflyfishes Habitat: Nocturnally active in pairs or small Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean and the groups in rubble areas near rocky or coral reefs, Western and Central Pacific Ocean. occasionally walls. Depth 9–105 m, commonly Habitat: Outer coral reef usually close to drop- deeper than 30 m. offs, at depths 3–60 m. Appearance: Length to 8 cm. Small, oval an- Appearance: Brown to black head and a large gelfish. Dark blue body, yellow-orange face, white pyramid-shaped area on its side. Scales blue ring around eye. pearlescent. The dorsal and anal fins are Diet: Algae. yellow; caudal fin white. Max. length: 18 cm. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed on by other fish Diet: Plankton. such as yellow-finned tuna Reproduction and Development: Remarks: This small angelfsh darts into Ovoviviparous. Form pairs during breeding. crevices when frightened or pursued by Remarks: Occur in large schools that feed predators. several meters above the edges of steep outer Coral Beauty aka Dusky Angelfish reef slopes. Centropyge bispinosus (Pomacanthidae) Unlike many other butterflyfishes, this species Angelfishes does not feed on coral polyps, so is considered Distribution: Indo-Pacific. a good choice for aquaria with live corals. Habitat: Coral lagoons and seaward reef slopes Bannerfish aka False Moorish Idol at about 9 m. Heniochus diphreutes (Chaetodontidae) Appearance: A dwarf angelfish that rarely Butterflyfishes exceeds 10 cm. Color variable, though most Distribution: Indo-Pacific; widely distributed often light orange or purple with vertical bars from the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa on the sides of the body. to Hawaii. Diet: Mostly algae, but also some small Habitat: Outer reef slopes, 15–210 m; in the invertebrates. tropics typically found in cool upwelling Reproduction and Development: Thought to water. be a protogynous hermaphrodite. Appearance: White with pair of black bands, Remarks: A shy species found in lagoons and second band terminating at end of anal fin. seaward reef slopes. Note the Steinhart’s Coral Elongate dorsal fin filament. Length to 21 cm. Beauty is often found peering warily from Diet: Zooplankton. behind coral protection. Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- The smallest of the marine angelfishes. rous; form pairs during breeding. Flame Angelfish Remarks: Form large schools, and also occur Centropyge loricula (Pomacanthidae) in small groups or solitary. Elongate dorsal Angelfishes fin filament, which gives this group of fishes their “bannerfish” moniker; is the fourth dorsal Distribution: Tropical lagoons and reefs of the spine. Indian and Pacific Ocean. Often called the “false” Moorish Idol for its Habitat: Marine coral reefs; shy, stays near markings similar to the Steinhart’s iconic shelter; depth from 15–60 m. California Academy of Sciences 151

Appearance: Typically bright orange-red color; Lamarck’s Angelfish aka Blackstriped black blotch near the head and 4–5 black bars Angelfish across the body; flaring caudal fin about half Genicanthus lamarck (Pomacanthidae) the body height. Orange-red dorsal and anal Angelfishes fins tipped in alternating purple-blue and Distribution: Indo-Pacific: ranging eastward to black bands. Males are brighter and larger than Vanuatu, from the Solomon Islands and New females. Max. length: 15 cm. Hebrides north and westward to southern Diet: Algae and marine invertebrates on the Japan, and southward to the Great Barrier reefs. Reef. Reproduction/Development: Like angelfish in Habitat: A tropical reef dweller; at depths from general, this species begins life undifferentiated 10–35 m. sexually, matures to female, and may subsequently Appearance: Sexually dimorphic; white or develop as a male with one or more females in a silver body with horizontal black stripes from territorial harem. After a short mating ritual, both eye to speckled lyre tails. Females have bolder sexes rise in the water column to shed and fertilize stripes, one extending into the tail. Males have gametes that develop within the plankton. a yellow spot on the forehead, longer more Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by many pointed caudal fin and jet black pelvic fins; reef fishes. females’ pelvic fins are white. Max. length: Remarks: Members of the genus Centropyge are 25 cm. the dwarf or pygmy angelfishes. Diet: Plankton. Territorial males may determine dominance Reproduction/Development: Males maintain by grappling with interlocked jaws, a harems, scatter pelagic eggs after mid-water behavior humans sometimes mistake for a mating rituals. The eggs and larvae drift, then fishy kiss. settle onto the reef at the time of metamorphosis to the juvenile stage. Lemonpeel Angelfish Remarks: They prefer the top to middle of their Centropyge flavissima (Pomacanthidae) depth range unlike most other angelfishes. Angelfishes Males and females are so distinct that sexes Distribution: West-central Pacific. were once considered separate species. Appearance: Yellow dwarf angelfish with blue One of the few angelfish to display sexual eye ring, blue margin to opercular cover and dimorphism. to dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. Max. size: 14 Their genus, Genicanthus, is distinctive among cm. angelfish for their lyre tails, an adaptation to Habitat: Coral reefs in shallow lagoons. open water, fast swimming. They are also the Diet: Algae and corals. only group of angelfish that feed on plankton. Reproduction and Development: As with Swallowtail Angelfishaka Blackspot other dwarf angels, they are sequential Angelfish protogynous hermaphrodites. They start Genicanthus melanospilos (Pomacanthidae) out sexually undifferentiated, develop into Angelfishes females, and with environmental influences, Distribution: may develop into males. Males are typically Western Pacific. larger. Habitat: Outer reef slopes rich in coral growth Mortality/Longevity: Reported 11 years in interspersed with sand, also in caves or along captivity. the bases of boulders, 20–45 m. Typically in male/female pairs or small groups of females Remarks: C. flavissima is the model for the juvenile with one male, 1–2 m above the bottom at the Lemonpeel Mimic Tang (Acanthurus pyroferus). base of drop offs. Mimicry is presumably an advantage as the adult Appearance: angelfish has a sharp spine, while the young To 18 cm. Sexes are dimorphic. mimic has a small, still ineffective weapon. Male: white with about 15 narrow, black bars, gold spots on tail and dorsal fins. Female: up- per body and head yellow, lower body light 152 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

blue; no bars; two prominent black, forking stripes toward the posterior of the body with stripes in caudal fin. orange around the eyes. Rays of the dorsal and Diet: Primarily zooplankton, supplemented anal fins taper down and end in long filaments. with benthic invertebrates and algae. Max size: 30–35 cm. Reproduction and Development: Spawn at Like all angelfish, have a blunt snout and a sunset. Mating activity is less if there are no large strong spike at the anterior most bone of currents to disperse the spawn. the operculum. Remarks: Genicanthus spp. are the only angel- Diet: Sponges, tunicates, sessile invertebrates, fishes in which the sexes are distinctly colored. zooplankton and graze on benthic microalgae. Elongated tail that ends in two filaments be- Feed during the day, are lethargic at night. queaths the swallowtail its name. Reproduction and Development: Form monogamous pairs. During the late summer Queen Angelfish spawning cycle the females become more Holacanthus ciliaris (Pomacanthidae) territorial and the pair will mate daily. A pair Angelfishes can produce millions of fertilized eggs which Distribution: Bermuda, Florida, Bahamas, will drift in the water column for about 20 Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico to Brazil. hours at which time those that survive hatch Habitat: Offshore reefs, 2–70+ m. Travel soli- as finless fry living off their yolk sac until it is tarily or in pairs among sea fans, sea whips and completely absorbed. The fry then eat small corals. zooplankton until their size requires larger Appearance: Deep-bodied and strongly prey. Some juveniles display cleaning behavior. compressed. Length to 45 cm, weight to 1.6 kg. Conservation Status: One of the most abundant Dorsal and anal fins trail. Adults have blue to fish in the Sea of Cortez and not considered to greenish-blue ground color, yellow edges on be threatened. scales. Tail and pectoral fins bordered in yellow. Remarks: King Angelfish are popular aquarium Dark blue lips. fish but are difficult to keep. Diet: Adults feed primarily on sponges; also algae, tunicates, hydroids and bryozoans. Juve- Emperor Angelfish niles glean ectoparasites from other fishes. Pomacanthus imperator (Pomacanthidae) Reproduction and Development: Juveniles Angelfishes have vertical blue bands on an orange-red Distribution: Indo-Pacific. body. As the fish grows, the bars increase in Habitat: Juveniles solitary under ledges and number before gradually disappearing. holes of outer lagoon patch reefs or semi- protected areas of exposed channels and outer King Angelfish reef flats. Subadults occupy reef front holes or Holacanthus passer (Pomacanthidae) surge channels. Adults occur near ledges and Angelfishes caves in regions of robust coral growth on clear Distribution: Tropical reefs of the eastern lagoon, channel or seaward reefs 3–70 m. Adults Pacific from the coast of Peru north to the Gulf typically in male/female pair or solitary. of California and as far west as the Galapagos Appearance: Length to 40 cm. Juvenile with Islands. concentric white circles, also distinguished Habitat: Commonly found around shallow by a white dorsal fin margin; adult pattern rocky and coral reefs at depths of 3 to 27 m. emerges at about 10 cm: vivid, alternating Juveniles are generally found in shallower yellow and blue stripes and yellow tail; blue- water edged eye mask, broad blue-edged black bar Appearance: Bodies of both males and females behind head. are a dark blue with a vertical band of white Diet: Sponges and other encrusting organisms behind the pectoral fins, and yellow tails. The such as tunicates. Young and adults may pelvic fins of the male are white while the clean much larger fishes such as sunfish. females are yellow. Juveniles are primarily Reproduction and Development: Haremic. yellow with iridescent blue edged fins, blue Form pairs. California Academy of Sciences 153

Mortality/Longevity: More than 5 years in its transparent pectoral fins, making it almost captivity. impossible to see. Prey, some almost as large Remarks: When alarmed, can produce low- as the leaf fish itself, are sucked in as the large frequency drumlike noises that are loud mouth opens. enough to startle divers. Reproduction and Development: Males Frequently exported through the aquarium guard eggs, which are laid on leaves or other trade. flat surfaces.

Bluegirdled Angelfish Redspotted Hawkfish Pomacanthus navarchus (Pomacanthidae) Amblycirrhitus pinos (Cirrhitidae) Angelfishes Hawkfishes Distribution: Indo-Pacific from Indonesia to Distribution: Western Atlantic. Papua New Guinea, up to the Philippines and Habitat: Moderately common in rocky areas south to the lower Great Barrier Reef, and parts and among rubble, often in crevices and of Micronesia. shallow caves. Habitat: Coral abundant areas in clear lagoons, Appearance: Pale body bisected by broad channels and sheltered outer reef slopes at brownish vertical bars with lighter, narrow depths of 3– 40 m. stripes between. Head covered with bright red Appearance: Adults are bright yellow on the spots. Max. length: 9.5 cm. sides and back and the dorsal and caudal fins. Diet: Feeds primarily on small crustaceans, The head, ventral side, pectoral and pelvic fins particularly copepods, shrimps and shrimp are a bright blue with light blue spots. Narrow larvae, crabs and crab larvae as well as light blue bands run across the face and a broad polychaetes. Like other members of its family, dark blue band extends around the caudal has short, conical teeth, effective in grasping peduncle. The fins are edged in light blue. Max small prey items. length: 28 cm. Remarks: Like all hawkfishes, perches on Diet: Sponges and tunicates. rocks and corals waiting for food to come by, Reproduction and Development: Generally often hopping from spot to spot using its large solitary except when spawning, they form pectoral fins as landing pads. small groups with a dominant male and several Falco’s Hawkfish females. The dominant female can change sex Cirrhitichthys falco (Cirrhitidae) should the dominant male die. Hawkfishes Mortality/Longevity: Life span: c. 15 years. Distribution: Western Pacific, from the Conservation Status: This species is a highly Philippines to Japan, Samoa, the Barrier Reef, prized aquarium fish, but not listed as and New Caledonia; as far east as Hawaii and threatened or endangered. the Galapagos. Amazon Leaf Fish Habitat: Shallow coastal to outer reef flats and Monocirrhus polyacanthus (Nandidae) slopes at depths up to 45 meters. Typically Leaffishes rest at the bases of coral heads, perched high Distribution: Amazon River basin of Peru, enough to see prey and predators. Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, and Venezuela. Appearance: Whitish body with red spots that Habitat: Shallow, nearshore areas with dense form diagonal bands. Two thin red lines extend vegetation and slow-moving or still water. downward from the eye. Yellow tufts of cirri are present near the tips of dorsal spines. The Appearance: Can change colors to blend more male is larger than the female. Max. length: completely into its surroundings. Body shape, 7 cm. coloration and fin rays mimic leaf shape. Diet: Shrimp, worms, and other small prey, Diet: Carnivore, mainly feeding on other located by excellent eyesight. fish. Lie-in-wait predator, using camouflage to capture unsuspecting prey that ventures Reproduction and Development: Haremic, too close. Also can move toward prey using usually found with one male presiding over 154 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

a territory of 2–7 females. Hawkfish are Habitat: Inhabits surge swept reef fronts and protogynous hermaphrodites; if the male underwater terraces to a depth of 11 m. Hides is killed or missing, a female will change to in the branches of live corals. male and adopt his role. Male regularly visits Appearance: Flame red body with a black field females in his territory. If she is receptive to under the dorsal fin and a dark ring around his courtship, which may last an entire day, their eye. Mature adults have higher, more they swim together, eventually upwards in an rounded body than young individuals. Max. arc, releasing eggs and sperm simultaneously. length: 9 cm. Eggs and larvae remain in the plankton for Diet: Carnivorous, feeds mostly on small about 3 weeks, a fairly long time and perhaps crustaceans and other invertebrates. the reason for this species wide distribution. Reproduction and Development: Protogynous Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 15 years hermaphrodite. One of the females will become Longnose Hawkfish a male if dominant male dies or leaves the Oxycirrhites typus (Cirrhitidae) group. Oviparous; pelagic spawners. Haremic; Hawkfishes male stakes out a territory where he lives with 2–7 females. Distribution: Widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, from South Africa to the Hawaiian Islands, north to SUBORDER LABROIDEI southern Japan and south to New Caledonia. Also found in the eastern Pacific from the Gulf Midas Cichlid of California to northern Colombia and the Amphilophus citrinellus (Cichlidae) Galapagos Islands. Cichlids Habitat: Non-migratory tropical marine fish, Distribution: Central America: Atlantic slope found at depths from 10–100 m. Inhabit the of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Also established steep outer reef slopes that are exposed to in Florida. strong currents. Hide in large gorgonians Habitat: Max. length: 30 cm. and corals. Appearance: Though coloration is variable, the Appearance: White body with red striping species is typically grey to olive brown with that runs both horizontally and vertically. some that are bright orange to orange-red as Very long snout and a tuft of cirri, (small, thin adults. Mature males are larger, and sport longer appendages, often subdivided into branches) fins and a distinct hump on the head, especially near the tip of each dorsal fin spine. Max. pronounced during breeding season. length: 13 cm. Diet: Small animals and plants that encrust hard Diet: Small crustaceans. substrates, as well as snails, small fishes, insect Reproduction and Development: Pelagic larvae and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates. spawning has been observed from the field. Reproduction and Development: Typically Remarks: Members of this family (Cirrhitidae) spawn on the ceiling of caves or deposit seem to be monogamous. However, in reality they eggs on other hard surfaces. Both parents probably practice facultative monogamy. In this aggressively guard eggs and fry. Active fry mating system, males are limited in their ability to feed on mucus secretions produced by the skin acquire and maintain females, and thus have only of the parents. a single mate, but may acquire additional females Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 15+ years. if conditions for doing so are favorable. Remarks: This species is closely related to Amphilophus laibatus, which can hybridize with Flame Hawkfish A. citrinellus. Neocirrhites armatus (Cirrhitidae) Hawkfishes Red Devil Cichlid Distribution: Tropical Pacific Ocean, from Amphilophus labiatus (Cichlidae) southern Japan to the Great Barrier Reef, and Cichlids through Micronesia. Distribution: Atlantic slope of Mexico and Ni- California Academy of Sciences 155

caragua; in Lakes Nicaragua and Managua. during the breeding season. Female normally Habitat: Lakes; rarely enters streams or rivers. guards the fry; male defends a wider territory. Appearance: Body pinkish-red. Very long, red- Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 3–5 years. dish pectoral fin. Length to 24 cm. Remarks: At the larval stage, the higher the Diet: Small fishes, snails, insect larvae, worms water temperature, the higher the proportion and other bottom-dwelling organisms. of males develop in the group. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization A shy, cautious fish. Often difficult to find in is external. Female lays 600–700 eggs and the Piranha tank as it frequently hides within guards the clutch. the rockwork along the tank’s edges. Convict Cichlid Archocentrus nigrofasciatus (Cichlidae) Red Oscar Astronotus ocellatus (Cichlidae) Cichlids Cichlids Distribution: El Salvador to Guatemala. Distribution: Amazon basin; introduced to Habitat: Adults inhabit flowing water from small Florida. creeks and streams to the shallows of large and Habitat: Shallow, slow-moving water with fast flowing rivers; prefer rocky habitats and in mud or sandy bottom; seeks cover in grasses, the various cracks and crevices or among roots sunken branches or logs. and debris in warm pools of springs. Appearance: Length 33–40 cm. Olive green Appearance: Length to 10 cm. Laterally to gray or brown mottled body overlaid with compressed silvery body with eight black bands. random sized and shaped red blotches; dark Dorsal midsection of body burnt orange. eyespot on peduncle ringed in orange. Males Diet: Worms, crustaceans, insects, fish and slightly larger and brighter in coloration than plant material. females; juveniles marked distinctively with Reproduction and Development: 100–150 white or orange bars on body and randomly eggs deposited and vigorously guarded and placed white spots on head. cared for by both male and female. Diet: Smaller fishes, crustaceans, gastropods, Macmaster’s Dwarf Cichlid aquatic insects and their larvae. Apistogramma macmasteri (Cichlidae) Reproduction and Development: Breeding Cichlids pair will clear spawning site before eggs are Distribution: Colombia’s Meta and Orinoco laid and defend nest as eggs mature; hatching rivers. (typically three to four days after eggs are deposited) depends on temperature. Young Habitat: Slow-moving or still water, usually guarded by adult pair as long as possible. with vegetation and caves, rocks, and/or trees for hiding places. Remarks: May have 2000 eggs in a clutch. Oscars generally sluggish by temperament, Appearance: Deep bodied and laterally but may have short bursts of great speed. A compressed. Males are strikingly colored and popular food fish in South America. ornamented, with long filaments on their dorsal and anal fins. Males are 2–3 times as Peacock Bass long as the females and up to 10 times as heavy. Cichla ocellaris (Cichlidae) Length: 2.5 cm to 11 cm. Cichlids Diet: Carnivorous. Distribution: Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata Reproduction and Development: Usually basins in South America. Currently established haremic, the male visits females in turn, since in southern Florida. each female is out of phase with the others. Habitat: Warm freshwater. Females set up individual cavities where they Appearance: Elongate body with deeply deposit their eggs. Each changes her color to notched dorsal fin, large mouth with projecting bright canary yellow with black markings lower jaw. Color: olive-green fading ventrally when breeding. Both males and females are to yellow-white, with three dark vertical bars very aggressive toward others of their gender 156 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

on sides and series of dark spots in between. Ringtail Pike Cichlid A large black spot encircled by silver adorns Crenicichla saxatilis (Cichlidae) the caudal fin. Max. length: 60 cm. Cichlids Diet: Diurnal feeders on other fishes. High- Distribution: South America: coastal drainage speed pursuit predators. of Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Venezuela, and Trinidad. Reproduction and Development: Substrate spawner. Both parents guard their clutch for Habitat: Freshwater streams; sometimes about 9 weeks. Like most cichlids, breeding captured in rivers during the dry season. pairs are highly territorial and aggressive. Appearance: Max. length: 25 cm. Sometimes Remarks: Legally introduced to Florida. Are referred to as “spangled pikes” due to the considered a prized sport and food fish. sparkling white specks that decorate their bodies. Speckled Pavon Diet: Aquatic insects, fish, and plant material. Cichla temensis (Cichlidae) Reproduction: 300-400 eggs are laid and Cichlids fertilized, often in a large cave. After 4–6 days Distribution: South America: Amazon and the eggs hatch; another 5 days later the young Orinoco basins. Introduced to Florida and fish are swimming free. Texas. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 5–6 years. Habitat: Occupies deeper littoral areas in la- Remarks: A formidable predator, this species goons and sandy and rocky banks of the main is kept only with larger fish for obvious river channel. reasons. Appearance: Length to 99 cm. Weight to 12.2 kg. Ventral surface usually white. Three, wide, dark Earth-eater Cichlid horizontal bars on body. Body typically covered Geophagus altifrons (Cichlidae) with a series of white longitudinal dots. Dark Cichlids false eyespot on emarginated caudal fin. Distribution: South America: Amazon basin. Diet: Adults feed mainly on small fish (espe- Habitat: Freshwater. cially characids less than 10 cm). Appearance: Length to 22 cm. Protruding mouth. Reproduction and Development: External Head has red weblike markings. Spiky fins. fertilization. Build and guard nests. Very high Diet: Common name derived from this fish’s reproductive rate; females produce 9000–15,000 almost constant digging in the sand for prey. eggs per kg and spawn every other month. Reproduction and Development: Fish in Remarks: Commercial gamefish, also collected this genus are mouth brooders. The parents for the aquarium trade. take turns brooding and spit the fry into the partner’s mouth when their shift is over. Pike Cichlid Crenicichla lepidota (Cichlidae) Remarks: Genus name translates as “earthe- Cichlids ater.” This common name applies to many species. Distribution: South America: extreme southern Amazonia in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and A small, but popular food fish. northern Argentina Texas Cichlid Habitat: Riverine. Herichthys cyanoguttatus (Cichlidae) Appearance: Dorsal surface dark, ventral Cichlids surface whitish, prominent horizontal blackish Distribution: Originally restricted to the lower stripe from head to tail. Length to 18 cm. Rio Grande drainage in Texas and south to Diet: Insects, worms, and other fishes. Ambush northeastern Mexico. Introduced to central predators. Texas and central Florida. Reproduction and Development: Females Habitat: Pools and open runs of rivers; prefers reach sexual maturity at 14 cm, males at 18 warm water and areas with vegetation. cm. Fertilization is external. Nests are guarded. Appearance: Light grey with many small California Academy of Sciences 157

turquoise to white dots over the body. A single deposited upon vertical substrates and black spot on central side and second spot on guarded by both parents. the caudal peduncle; three black bars behind Remarks: Minor commercial fishery. central spot. Max. length: 30 cm. Diet: Worms, crustaceans, insects, and plant Katria matter. Sorts through mouthfuls of gravel, eats Katria katria (Cichlidae) the small animals, and spits out the rest. Cichlids Reproduction and Development: Form Distribution: One of 17 cichlid species pairs. Female cleans off space, often on a flat indigenous to Madagascar. rock, to lay eggs which male then fertilizes. Habitat: Freshwater pools, slow flowing runs Both parents protect eggs and fry. Female and rapids with predominantly sand and assists hatching by helping young out of gravel substrate, with a few very large rocks. egg sacs. Appearance: Unique pigmentation and Cichlids in the gar tank often reproduce and coloration pattern consisting of two prominent pairs can be seen aggressively guarding their black vertical bars on an iridescent golden young. background. Max length: 5.5 cm. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 15 years. Diet: Invertebrates, plants. Remarks: Considered a game fish in Texas Reproduction and Development: Substrate and Mexico. spawner. Pairs of Katria have been observed This species is the only cichlid native to the U.S. guarding either eggs or small juveniles close Turquoise Severum to the top of the rocks in the Nosivolo River in Heros severus (Cichlidae) November, 2005. Cichlids Conservation Status: IUCN Listed: Distribution: Amazon River basin to Upper Vulnerable. This species has a restricted Orinoco River drainage in Colombia and distribution within the Nosivolo and Mangoro Venezuela. rivers, but its habitat is in very good condition and it does not have to deal with either exotic Habitat: Lakes, standing water, or slow moving predators or competitors. Given the lack of water with copious vegetation. evidence for decline in quality of habitat or Appearance: Compressed body is silvery; five population size (it is a very common species black vertical bars punctuate the lower half within its range), this species is assessed as of its flanks, a sixth extends to its dorsal fin. vulnerable on account of its restriction to a Length to 20 cm. single location. Diet: Fruits, seeds, green algae and detritus. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Marakely is external. Female deposits up to 200 eggs on Paratilapia polleni (Cichlidae) stones or roots. Both parents guard the eggs. Cichlids Larvae are taken into the mouth for safekeeping. Distribution: Endemic to Madagascar. Paternal care can last up to six weeks. Habitat: Freshwater; occurs on both slopes of Madagascar at altitudes up to 1500 m and Chocolate Cichlid exhibits tolerance for a broad temperature Hypselecara temporalis (Cichlidae) range (15–40° C). Cichlids Appearance: Mid-sized cichlid, growing to 30 Distribution: South America: Amazon River cm in length; males grow up to a third again as basin. large as females; black velvet basic coloration Habitat: Slow-flowing, freshwater. with pattern of blue and gold spangling. Dis- Appearance: Length to 30 cm. Pinkish body. tinct spot present in dorsal fin of juveniles and Diet: Algae, supplemented with planktonic sexually quiescent adults. and terrestrial invertebrates. Diet: Carnivorous; juveniles feed chiefly on Reproduction and Development: Sexes planktonic crustaceans and insect larvae; larger separate. Fertilization external. Eggs are fish are crepuscular predators with a preference 158 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

for small fish but also take invertebrates as op- Jaguar Cichlid portunity presents. Parachromis (Nandopsis) managuensis Reproduction and Development: (The (Cichlidae) following extended narrative is intended Cichlids as a sampling of the complex reproductive Distribution: Central America: Honduras to behavior of cichlids, a distinctive feature of the Costa Rica. family that has promoted their evolutionary Habitat: Lakes, with preference for turbid success.) water and mud bottoms; also found in springs Marakely are monogamous, biparentally and ponds over detritus and sand bottoms. custodial substratum spawners. Pairs defend a Appearance: Body has a light background with territory and overt courtship begins a few days black markings all over; series of large black before spawning. Both sexes assume velvety spots on along the sides. Males tend to be larger black base coloration as spawning approaches; and have pointed anal and dorsal fins. Length: both also excavate gravel pit and increasingly males to 40 cm; females to 30 cm. exclude other fish from area. Pair spawns on Diet: Small fishes and invertebrates; a voracious bottom of excavated pit, placing eggs directly predator that makes a meal of any fish small upon the gravel; each ovoid egg has a long enough to fit into its unusually large mouth! adhesive fiber that adheres to other egg fibers, Reproduction and Development: Oviparous, forming a rope of eggs (up to a thousand) rolled spawns in batches. Female lays eggs on an open, into an egg mass. Male patrols perimeter of flat surface such as slate. After fertilization, the territory. Fry become fully mobile four days female fans the eggs and the male guards the post-hatching. Both parents are actively involved site. Both are aggressive defenders of young. in their defense, following the school of fry, Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 15+ years. retrieving stragglers by mouth and spitting them Remarks back into the school. Parental care continues for : Highly regarded as a food fish. about three weeks. Like all cichlids, have well-developed Remarks: A Marakeley captive breeding pro- pharyngeal teeth. gram is supported by many aquariums and zoos. Popular in the aquarium market, probably their route to Florida introduction through pet release. Mtoto Zebra Lamprologus brevis zebra (Cichlidae) Common Kribensis Cichlids Pelvicachromis pulcher (Cichlidae) Distribution: Africa: endemic to Lake Cichlids Tanganyika. Distribution: Africa: Endemic to southeastern Habitat: Sandy bottom areas with shells. Nigeria and the coastal zone of southern Cameroon. Appearance: Golden tan with darker Habitat verticalstripes on the sides, yellow and white : Warm brackish or freshwater, both accents on fins, and pale yellow markings slow and fast moving. Prefers areas with gravel on the face. Males longer than females and or sandy substrate and dense vegetation. somewhat more robust. Max. length: c. 6 cm. Appearance: A small (dwarf) cichlid with Diet: Tiny brine shrimp, other zooplankton several color morphs such as yellow, red, and organic bits. green, blue and even an albino variety. Both sexes have dark longitudinal stripe running Reproduction and Development: Bonded from the mouth to the caudal fin and pink male and female spawn and protect eggs and to red abdomens. Gold-rimmed eyespots are fry in a carefully chosen and stoutly defended common on dorsal and caudal fins. Male is shell. Fry stay close to the shell for the first 3 larger, with more elongate and pointed pelvic, weeks. Breed readily in captivity. anal and caudal fins. Max. size: males, 11 cm; Remarks: See Black Calvus for more information females, 7 cm. on Lake Tanganyika. Diet: Diatoms, green algae and other plants; also small worms, crustaceans and insects. Reproduction and Development: In the California Academy of Sciences 159

wild, breeds in holes excavated under aquatic East Coast Saroy vegetation. Female protects eggs, male defends Ptychochromis grandidieri (Cichlidae) territory. During the spawning season the Cichlids female sports a brilliant red belly. The species Distribution: Eastern drainages of Madagascar. breeds readily in aquaria; today virtually all Habitat: Fresh water in areas of high forest as Kribensis available in the pet trade are captive well as brackish water. bred. Appearance: Up to 21 cm long. Golden- Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by larger yellowish or greenish. fishes. Life span: c. 5 years. Reproduction & Development: Egg layers; Remarks: This shy fish digs and hides in both male and female care for fry. Rate of burrows or shelters in vegetation. breeding would allow population to double in less than 15 months. Orinoco Angelfish aka Altum Angelfish Conservation Status: Not endangered. Pterophyllum altum (Cichlidae) However, environmental degradation is wide- Cichlids spread throughout their range, and in some Distribution: South America: Amazon basin, localities numbers are greatly reduced. in the upper Rio Negro drainage; Orinoco River basin. Lionhead Cichlid Habitat: Rivers. Steatocranus casuarius (Cichlidae) Appearance: Extremely compressed silvery Cichlids body with two broad dark vertical bands. Re- Distribution: Africa: Malebo Pool (Stanley markably long trailing pelvic fins.Altum refers Pool) and the Lower Congo River basin. to the dramatic height of their dorsal and anal Habitat: Freshwater, in still water zones of fast fins. Length to 18 cm. flowing streams; demersal. Reproduction and Development: External Appearance: Length to 10 cm. Males have a fertilization. Monogamous; pairs persist until bump on head. Blotchy coloration. partner dies or is separated. Clutch-tending Diet: Small invertebrates and minimal amount guarders. of algae. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by other Reproduction and Development: Pairs bond fishes. Subject to bacterial diseases and proto- for life. Fertilization is external. The female zoan, fungal and worm infestations. produces 20–150 eggs, which are typically Remarks: Popular in the pet aquarium trade laid in caves; eggs and young are guarded by due to its unique appearance. both parents. Rarely spawn in captivity. Remarks: An under-developed swim bladder Their narrow profile allows altums to hide and its habit of swimming with a sudden, between tree roots in water along riverbanks. jerky movement adapt this species to live in fast current. The lionhead cichlids, now Freshwater Angelfish found in the large Cafe tank, typically hide Pterophyllum scalare (Cichlidae) out under the wood and vegetation in the Cichlids center of the tank. Distribution: South America: Amazon and River basin. Golden Tilapia Habitat: Swamps and flooded forests in dense Tilapia brevimanus (Cichlidae) riverine vegetation. Cichlids Distribution: Appearance: Disc-shaped, laterally compressed Native to western Africa. body with vertical dark stripes. Long training Aquacultured in southeastern U.S. pelvic fins, and elongate dorsal and anal fins. Habitat: Fresh to brackish water. Max. length: 18 cm. Appearance: Yellowish-grey, with 8–9 dark Diet: Benthic crustaceans and small fish. bars on back and sides. Upper side of head Remarks: Same as Altum Angelfish above. dark brown; dark band running from eye to corner of mouth. Pectoral fins transparent; 160 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

dorsal and caudal marked with light spots. Black Belt Cichlid Max. size: 25 cm. Vieja maculicauda (Cichlidae) Cichlids Diet: Mostly vegetation, also detritus, insects and insect larvae. Fry feed on zooplankton. Distribution: Atlantic slope of Central America, Guatemala to Panama. Reproduction and Development: Substrate spawner. Eggs laid and hatched in a nest dug Habitat: Inhabits stagnant water of rivers, by the male and female. Parents guard the lakes, or slow-flowing streams with roots eggs and fry. and branches that provide shelter. Tolerates brackish water at the mouth of rivers, a Remarks: Tilapia species have been introduced characteristic that may account for the wide around the world as important food fishes for dispersal of the species. humans. They are disease-resistant, reproduce easily, eat a wide variety of foods and tolerate poor Appearance: Up to 30 cm in length. Oval and water quality with low dissolved oxygen levels. laterally compressed, the male is white with In some cases, they have become problematic a black band around the pectoral area (thus invasive species that have wiped out whole the common name) and red caudal fins with populations of other species by outcompeting blotches of red from the head to the pelvic fin. them for food or feeding on fish larvae. In contrast, the female is grey with a red tail. Fins have spiny rays that serve to discourage Hornet Tilapia predators. Tilapia buttikoferi (Cichlidae) Diet: Vegetarian: benthic detritus, aquatic and Cichlids terrestrial vegetable matter. Distribution: Native from Guinea-Bissau Reproduction and Development: After the to West Liberia in Africa. Introduced widely couple performs some ritualistic circling, the throughout the world, primarily as a food fish. female, who has turned a dark color, will lay up Habitat: Tropical rivers and streams. to 1,000 eggs in a cavity she has prepared. The Appearance: A robust fish with deep, oval eggs are often attached in the tiny hair roots body of yellowish-grey color, with brownish- of trees along the shore. The fry, guarded by black bars. The head is yellow and the throat both parents, are free-swimming after a week. black. It has transparent pectoral fins and black Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 7-8 years. pelvic fins. Color may change with mood. Males are larger than females. Max length: c. Barred Surfperch 40 cm. Amphistichus argenteus (Embiotocidae) Surfperches Diet: A voracious, aggressive predator on other fishes, even larger individuals, (perhaps the Distribution: Bodega Bay, California to reason only a single Hornet Tilapia resides in northern central Baja California. the Swamp tank). Also eats plant matter. An Habitat: Sandy beaches in surf; found in trawl omnivorous and voracious eater; feeds on fish catches up to 73 m. and crustaceans and vegetable matter. Appearance: Length to 43 cm. Travels in small Reproduction and Development: Mouth groups. Silvery or white; 8–10 rust-colored brooders. Female carries the eggs in her vertical bars on side with spots in between. mouth for several weeks before releasing and Diet: Crabs; clams, and other invertebrates. continuing to guard fry. Reproduction and Development: Live bearer. Remarks: A territorial, belligerent, hardy, Males make “figure-eights” around females pugnacious and fierce fighter, it takes on all before mating. Five-month gestation period; competitors for food. females can produce 4–110 young. Juveniles After salmonids and carps, tilapia and their are born in spring and summer and are about close relatives—all fast growing, easily bred, 4.5 cm at birth. and mostly herbivorous species—are the most Mortality/Longevity: Life span: to 9 years. important fishes in a aquaculture by the gross weight of production. California Academy of Sciences 161

Redtail Surfperch Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by kelp Amphistichus rhodoterus (Embiotocidae) bass, sand bass, halibut, harbor seals and hu- Surfperches mans. Live to at least 6 years. Distribution: Vancouver Island to Monterey Bay. Remarks: Little commercial value, but often Habitat: Sand beaches and rocky shores in surf. used as baitfish. Appearance: All fins reddish. Faded brown bars on the side. Silvery overall with pale olive shading Kelp Surfperch Brachyistius frenatus (Embiotocidae) above. Caudal fin broadly forked; dorsal fin Surfperches distinctive for the long dorsal spines that contrast with shorter soft rays. Max. size: 41 cm. Distribution: Northern British Columbia to central Baja California. Diet: Worms, crabs, other small crustaceans, and fishes. Habitat: Among giant kelp, usually in kelp canopy to 30 m. Reproduction and Development: Females viviparous and reproductively mature at 3–4 Appearance: Upturned snout, oblique mouth, years; males mature at 2 years. Females enter and head profile concave at the eye. Brassy or bays and estuaries to spawn. golden brown, nearly matching the color of kelp. Darker above, often with blue spots or Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 9 years. streaks. Among the smaller surfperches; max. Remarks: This shallow water schooling fish length: 22 cm. is an important sport fish, the surfperch Diet: Juveniles and small individuals: most often caught from central California zooplankton. Larger adults: small crustaceans, northward. Comprises 10–30% of the total usually those that live on kelp as well as parasites recreational catch in this area. from other fishes, particularly blacksmith. Redtails also support a sizable commercial Reproduction and Development: Livebearer. fishery, and comprise almost 75% of the Breed in fall and early winter, spawn in spring. commercial surfperch catch. Black Surfperch Shiner Surfperch Embiotoca jacksoni (Embiotocidae) Cymatogaster aggregata (Embiotocidae) Surfperches Surfperches Distribution: Fort Bragg, California to Punta Distribution: Wrangell, Alaska to Baja Cali- Abreojos, Baja California. fornia. Habitat: Nearshore reefs and kelp forests. Also Habitat: Usually in shallow water around over sand, and in estuaries near algae. Usually eelgrass beds, piers, pilings and oil platforms. within 1 m of the substrate. Also in calm waters along exposed coast. En- ters brackish and fresh waters. Lives in loose Appearance: Almost never black. Length to schools to depths of 146 m. 39 cm. Deep, very compressed body. Colored various shades of brown, red, green above, Appearance: Length to 18 cm. Thin-bodied. yellowish below, darker bars on sides, blue bar Colored silvery, with rows of dark spots on on base of anal fin. Often sports a mustache-like scales forming vague black stripes on sides, black bar on upper lip. crossed by 3 vertical yellow bars. Diet: Worms, crustaceans and mollusks. Also Diet: Small crustaceans, crab larvae, poly- are cleaner fish of conspecifics as well as other chaete worms, as well as planktonic copepods, species. amphipods, fish eggs, algae and diatoms. Reproduction and Development: Summer Reproduction and Development: Usually is the peak breeding season. Fertilization mate during the summer; young born the fol- is internal. Viviparous; young embryos are lowing spring or summer. Internal fertilization. nourished internally and are quite large as Viviparous; young embryos are nourished newborns. internally and are quite large as newborns. Litter size varies from 4–25. Some males are Mortality/Longevity: Prey of leopard sharks. sexually active immediately after their birth. Remarks: Species name jacksoni, is after A.C. Females grow faster than males. Jackson, who, in the 19th century, first noted 162 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

that surfperches gave birth to live young. stripes on body; larger orangish bars on back. Fins tinged with orange with black blotch on Striped Surfperch soft dorsal and anal fins. Belly flat and long. Embiotoca lateralis (Embiotocidae) Max. size: 30 cm. Surfperches Diet: Isopods, amphipods and other Distribution: Wrangell, Alaska to northern crustaceans; also snails and brittle stars. Baja California. Reproduction and Development: Females Habitat: Rocky coasts and kelp forests, estua- viviparous and give birth to as many as 22 rine eelgrass beds, occasionally in sandy surf young, each about 5 cm at birth. near rocks. Depth to 21 m. Conservation Status: Not particularly Appearance: Length to 38 cm. Reddish orange abundant, but not protected. with brilliant neon blue stripes. Iridescent blue Remarks: Divers in Monterey Bay report streaks and spots on head and gill cover. rainbow surfperch cleaning ocean sunfish Diet: Amphipods, shrimps, crabs, worms, (Mola mola). other small benthic invertebrates, fish eggs and larvae. Dwarf Surfperch Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Micrometrus minimus (Embiotocidae) internal. Viviparous. Mature at 2–3 years (~25 Surfperches cm). Females produce 11–92 young per litter. Distribution: Bodega Bay, California to Central Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by rockfish. Baja California. Remarks: Fished commercially, also by Habitat: Rocky tide pools to 9 m, often among sportfishers and speared by divers. seaweeds. Appearance: Length to 16 cm, typically much Walleye Surfperch smaller (thus the common name). Silvery blue Hyperprosopon argenteum (Embiotocidae) or greenish on back, greenish to silver shading Surfperches below. Black triangle at base of pectoral fin. Distribution: Vancouver Island, British Irregular dark stripe along side, crossed by Columbia, Canada to central Baja California. bar-like dark blotches. Habitat: In surf on sand beaches and over sand Diet: Algae and small crustaceans. near rocks, to 18 m. Often in dense rapidly Reproduction and Development: Like all swimming schools. surfperches, fertilization is internal, aided by Appearance: Length to 30 cm. Thin-bodied, the thickened front part of the male’s anal fin. football-shaped profile. Silver, often with Embryos are nourished by the mother prior to bluish or greenish tints; may display dusky delivery. Litters are very small in number. Like bars and black edges on caudal and anal fins. all surfperches, offspring are born as juveniles, Diet: Small crustaceans. not larvae. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Mortality/Longevity: Occasionally taken by internal. Viviparous; bear 5–12 young; fishers using baited hooks. newborns about 3.8 cm long. Rubberlip Surfperch Remarks: Taken commercially and as a sport Rhacochilus toxotes (Embiotocidae) fish. Surfperches Rainbow Surfperch Distribution: Eastern North Pacific: Cape Men- Hypsurus caryi (Embiotocidae) docino, California to Central Baja California. Surfperches Habitat: Generally favor inshore waters with Distribution: Cape Mendocino to northern rocky shelves and extensive kelp beds. Baja California. Appearance: Silvery blue to purplish on dorsal Habitat: Rocky shores, often at the edges of surface; pectoral fins yellowish; pelvic fins kelp beds; occasionally over sand but not found black or dusky fringed with black; prominent in the surf zone. lips thick, pink or white. The largest of the Appearance: Orange and blue horizontal surfperches, up to 47 cm long. California Academy of Sciences 163

Diet: Oral “winnowers” sifting out thin-shelled the genus are monogamous; oviparous, ben- invertebrates from the substrate; occasionally thic spawners. Parents create a nest and male eat mollusks and algae. guards eggs. All are protandrous hermaphro- Reproduction and Development: Like all dites with one sexually active pair dominant surfperches, are viviparous with young highly over a group of juveniles. If the female dies, developed and free-swimming at birth. her male partner develops into a female to Remarks: Overall population decline. Small take her place, and the largest juvenile grows commercial fishery in Southern California; rapidly and sexually matures into the breeding most caught by sport fishermen who seek out male. The maturation of the smaller juveniles the larger, mature females. is stunted by the adult pair’s presence. Remarks: Coloration is apparently influenced Pile Surfperch by the host sea anemone species. Rhacochilus vacca (Embiotocidae) Symbiotic with several anemones found in Surfperches the Steinhart including Entacmaea quadricolor, Distribution: Southeastern Alaska to north Heteractis crispa, H. magnifica. central Baja California. Habitat: Rocky shores, pilings, kelp beds, False Clownfishaka Nemo underwater structures to 46 m. Amphiprion ocellaris (Pomacentridae) Damselfishes Appearance: Length 25–30 cm; maximum 42 cm. Silvery sides; deeply forked caudal fin. Distribution: Tropical Pacific Ocean. Diet: Hard-shelled mollusks, crabs and Habitat: Coral reefs. Sleep and feed among the barnacles. tentacles of their host anemone. Reproduction and Development: Live bearer. Appearance: Length to 9 cm. Adults are orange Fecundity increases with age, averaging from with three broad vertical white bands, thin black 11–60 young. margins on fins. Female larger than male. Mortality/Longevity: 7–10 years. Diet: Primarily zooplankton, especially cope- pods, also filamentous algae. Remarks: Specialized pharyngeal dentition that enable pile perch to crush hard shells Reproduction and development: Breeds contin- persuades some ichthyologists to place the uously at the Steinhart. Adhesive eggs are laid on species in its own genus (Damalichthys). a patch of cleared rock near the host anemone’s base and guarded by the male. Eggs hatch after Clark’s Anemonefish 10 days. The tiny transparent planktonic larvae Amphiprion clarkii (Pomacentridae) swim away from the anemone. Two weeks later Damselfishes the larvae metamorphose into small fish. Protan- Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Persian Gulf to drous hermaphrodites; some individuals mature Micronesia, New Caledonia and Fiji. Also as males, and all females are sex-reversed males. Southwest Japan to northern Australia. In the absence of a female the breeding male will Habitat: Depth 1–55 meters in outer reef slopes, turn into a female. less typically inhabit lagoons. Symbiotic with .Remarks: Often confused with Amphiprion 10 species of sea anemones. Non-migratory. percula, A, ocellaris is the true Nemo of Finding Appearance: To 12 cm. Black to entirely Nemo fame. orange with pair of white or pale blue bars. That said, Marlin, Nemo’s father, under natural Second bar wide; tail white or yellowish; conditions, would have changed into a female other fins variably black to yellow-orange. following the death of Nemo’s mother and There is also an orange variation: some are remained near his host anemone, rather than entirely pale orange, other than the two white swimming to Sydney. But then the film makers bands; others have a dark patch on rear body. wouldn’t have had a heart-rending narrative (See remarks) for the film. Diet: Primarily planktonic copepods and The name “Nemo” has found its way into benthic algae. FishBase (www.fishbase.org) as a common

Reproduction and Development: Members of name for this species in the USA! 164 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Common Clownfish Habitat: Reefs from 3–30 m. Pursue a symbiotic Amphiprion percula (Pomacentridae) life with at least 4 anemone species, but most Damselfishes commonly with the typically large (to 1 m Distribution: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New diameter) mature magnificent sea anemone, Guinea and Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Heteractis magnifica. Also associates with Habitat: Lagoon and seaward reefs, includ- Heteractis crispa, Macrodactyla doreensis and ing turbid coastal locations at depths 1–15 m. Stichodactyla gigantea. Symbiotic groups of this clown occur with Appearance: Pinkish-orange coloration varies three anemone species (Heteractis magnifica, H. in saturation of color by individual. Distinctive crispa and Stichodactyla gigantea). Each group of narrow white head bar, narrow white dorsal orange clownfish consists of a breeding pair stripe from eyes to tail. To 10 cm length. and up to 4 non-breeders. Diet: Zooplankton, primarily copepods, as Appearance: Orange with three horizontal well as filamentous algae. white bars, middle bar sideways T-shaped, Reproduction and Development: Protandrous variable amount of black edging on bars and hermaphrodites. Like all anemonefishes, sex fins. Length to 11 cm. and growth are controlled by the dominant Diet: Primarily zooplankton. female. Elliptical eggs are laid on rocks close Reproduction and Development: Each group under the host anemone’s mantle. The male of clown anemonefish consists of a breeding fish guards the eggs. Upon hatching the larvae pair and 0 –4 non-breeders. Within each group drift in the plankton. there is a size-based hierarchy: the female is largest, the male is second largest, and the Blue Chromis non-breeders get progressively smaller as Chromis cyanea (Pomacentridae) the hierarchy descends. If the female dies, the Damselfishes male changes sex and becomes the breeding Distribution: Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda, female, while the largest non-breeder becomes Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico. the breeding male. The maintenance of size Habitat: Outer reef slopes and exposed patch differences may avoid conflicts, because reefs from 3–60 m. subordinates do not become a threat to the Appearance: Length to 15 cm. Body is brilliant dominant breeders. blue, nape and back often dark. Slender tail is Remarks: Clownfishes and anemones display a deeply forked and has dark borders. classic case of mutualism. Clownfish gradually Diet: Zooplankton, primarily copepods. (matter of minutes to days) acquires a covering Reproduction and Development: Female lays of mucus by brushing against the tentacles of demersal eggs, which are guarded by the male. its host. The mucus provides a blanket of che- Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by other mosensory camouflage that prevents firing of fishes such as groupers and trumpetfishes. the host anemone’s nematocysts. Remarks: Often found in large aggregations. The symbiotic trade off: The clownfish actively discourages other anemone-nibbling fishes Bicolor Chromis from approaching and also provides the Chromis dimidiata (Pomacentridae) anemone with bits of food from its sloppy Damselfishes eating habits. The clownfish gains protection Distribution: Indian Ocean: Red Sea, Kenya, among the anemone’s nematocysts. Tanzania, South Africa, Mauritius, Réunion, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Christmas Island. Pink Anemonefish Amphiprion perideraion (Pomacentridae) Habitat: Lagoon and seaward reefs, 1–36 m Damselfishes depth. Occur in large aggregations near shore, over reef tops and upper edges of slopes. Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean to western Pacific Ocean; Indonesia to Marshall Is. In Appearance: Length to 9 cm. Brown or black eastern Micronesia. Southwest Japan to head and forebody; white rear body and tail. northwest Australia, New Caledonia. Diet: Zooplankton, plants. California Academy of Sciences 165

Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by bigger fish. of clear lagoon and outer reef slopes at depths of 2–36 m. Bicolor Chromis Appearance: Colored brown with silvery white Chromis margaritifer (Pomacentridae) to bluish lower parts, black borders on forked Damselfishes and Anemonefishes tail. Length to 10 cm. Distribution: Indian and Pacific oceans: Diet: Plankton. Feed in huge aggregations Christmas Island and northwestern Australia above reefs. in the eastern Indian Ocean to the Line and Reproduction and Development: Females Tuamoto Islands. lay elliptical, demersal eggs that are guarded Habitat: Coastal reefs, among mixed algae-coral by the male. reef or rocky reefs. Found on exposed seaward Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by larger reefs; less abundant in lagoons and channels. fishes, for example groupers. Appearance: Dark brown, almost black, with white rear body including tail and rear Green Chromis aka Blue Green Chromis dorsal and anal fins. Caudal fin lobes end in Chromis viridis (Pomacentridae) two filaments. Black spot at base of pectoral Damselfishes fin. Spine tips of the dorsal fin are blue. Max Distribution: Indo-Pacific. length: 9 cm. Habitat: Reef flats, shallow lagoons, sheltered Diet: Zooplankton, algae. Feeds in large seaward reefs to 12 m. Huge aggregations groups. above branching corals, often well above the bottom. Swarms of juveniles occur above Blacksmith smaller isolated coral heads. Chromis punctipinnis (Pomacentridae) Damselfishes and Anemonefishes Appearance: Length to 9 cm. Adults sea-foam green in color. Courting males develop blackish Distribution: Monterey Bay to central Baja dorsal rays and upper pectoral rays. Caudal California. fin deeply forked with very long, trailing tips. Habitat: Large schools of hundreds of Diet: Plankton. individuals are common during the day above nearshore rocky reefs to 45 m. Shelter at night Reproduction and Development: Elliptical on or near crevices, again often in groups. demersal eggs are guarded by the male. Appearance: Gray-blue or gray on sides with Sapphire Devil black spots on rear of body. Length about 30 Chrysiptera cyanea (Pomacentridae) cm. Damselfishes Diet: Zooplankton (copepods and other Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: eastern edge crustacean larvae and eggs). of Indian Ocean and Western Australia to New Reproduction and Development: Males Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and prepare nest sites in overhangs or small caves Ryukyu Islands. of reefs, and guard eggs. Females oviparous. Habitat: Rubble and coral of clear sheltered Spawn summer or fall. lagoons and subtidal reef flats. Mortality/Longevity: Predators include other Appearance: Brilliant light-blue color. Exhibits fishes (including kelp bass, moray eels, and marked sexual dichromatism: juveniles and lingcod), marine mammals (harbor seals, females usually have small black spot at rear California sea lions), and birds. base of dorsal fin and in some areas (e.g., Mi- cronesia) lack yellow; males have bright yellow Ternate Chromis snout and tail, orange in some regions, and lack Chromis ternatensis (Pomacentridae) black spot. Size up to 8.5 cm. Damselfishes Diet: Omnivore. Feeds on algae, pelagic tuni- Distribution: Red Sea, East Africa to Samoa, cates and copepods. In the wild, stakes out a Japan south to New Caledonia and the Great territory and “farms” the algae that grow in Barrier Reef. the area. Habitat: Over Acropora coral in upper margins Reproduction and Development: Damsels 166 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

pair off and the breeding pair establishes a ter- ippines to northern Great Barrier Reef and ritory, which they defend vigorously. Female Coral Sea; also eastern Caroline Islands. damselfish releases eggs, which the male fer- Habitat: Among branching corals in inshore tilizes by releasing sperm over them. Yolk-sac and lagoon reefs to 68 m. Form groups, typi- larvae have planktonic development. cally in shallow water. Remarks: Damselfishes are laterally com- Appearance: Deep and compressed body; white pressed and, like their cichlid relatives, are with three black bars, rear two-thirds of tail is characterized by single nostril on each side of black; large white spot between eyes extends to the snout rather than the usual two. lips. Pectoral fins transparent. Length to 8 cm. Damselfishes often occur in high population Diet: Plankton, including larval shrimps and densities, and as a group are known to be ag- crabs; algae, ostracods, amphipods, pelagic gressive and territorial. tunicates, copepods, and fish eggs. Yellowtail Blue Damselfish Reproduction and Development: Lay demer- Chrysiptera parasema (Pomacentridae) sal eggs that are guarded by the male. After Damselfishes hatching, larval stage lasts 22–24 days. Recent research suggests this species is a protogynous Distribution: Western Pacific. hermaphrodite. Habitat: Coral-rich areas of sheltered lagoon Remarks: Hide among Acropora branching and inshore coral reefs. Inhabits rubble beds corals when threatened, though adults have on lagoon reefs. Occurs in small groups on an aggressive temperament. Acropora patches. Appearance: Small, blue-bodied fish with a Garibaldi yellow tail; 7–9 cm in length. Colors become Hypsypops rubicundus (Pomacentridae) less contrasting with age. Damselfishes Diet: Omnivore. Distribution: Monterey Bay, California to Reproduction and Development: Damsels pair southern Baja California. off and the breeding pair establishes a territory, Habitat: Rocky bottom reefs and kelp beds, which they defend vigorously. Female dam- intertidal to more than 30 m. Often near crev- selfish releases eggs, which the male fertilizes ices and caves. by releasing sperm over them. Yolk-sac larvae Appearance: Length to 36 cm. Adults are have planktonic development. perched-shaped and brilliant orange. Juveniles Remarks: Have been bred in captivity. have iridescent blue markings. Diet: Sponges, bryozoans, anemones and Southseas Devil worms. Chrysiptera taupou (Pomacentridae) Damselfishes Reproduction and Development: Female pro- duces 15,000-88,000 eggs, depending on their Distribution: Great Barrier Reef to Samoa, east size. Male clears a sheltered nest, removing all to Northern California. but red algae, and aggressively guards the nest. Habitat: Lagoon and offshore reefs, 1–10 m. Mortality/Longevity: Lives to at least 17 years. Appearance: Length to 8 cm. Deep, compressed Conservation Status: California law protects body. Small terminal mouth. Continuous dorsal the garibaldi from sport or commercial fish- fin. Body primarily blue. Belly, pelvic, anal, ing. If inadvertently caught, the fish must be posterior dorsal and caudal fins yellow. Spi- released alive. nous dorsal fin yellow on mature males, blue on mature females. Remarks: This species is the official fish of the State of California. Diet: Benthic algae, zooplankton. Adults patrol their territories. The distinctive Blacktail Damselfish markings of the juveniles may alert aggressive Dascyllus melanurus (Pomacentridae) adults to their status and negate an attack. Damselfishes Common name is a reference to the redshirts Distribution: Western Pacific: Indonesia, Phil- worn by the armies of Giuseppe Garibaldi, a fighter for Italian unification. California Academy of Sciences 167

Neon Damselfish and the male will fertilize them. The male may Neoglyphidodon oxyodon (Pomacentridae) continue to mate with several different females. Damselfishes Depending on the species some damselfish Distribution: Indo-Pacific, the Indo-Australian males guard the eggs, while others do not. Archipelago, including the Philippines, Indo- Remarks: Because they are hardy and nesia and the Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea. inexpensive, damselfish are often used to Habitat: Mature reefs with abundant popula- condition new aquariums and establish the tions of branching corals. Commonly found nitrification cycle. in the current-swept reef flats up to depths of about 3 m. Spine-cheek Anemonefish Appearance: Easily identified by its velvety Premnas biaculeatus (Pomacentridae) dark blue body and brilliant electric-blue Damselfishes horizontal stripes on its face and upper body. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Indo- A vertical yellowish-white stripe divides the Australian Archipelago including India, Burma, body just in front of the dorsal fin. As the neon Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, damselfish ages the body stripes fade becom- New Guinea, New Britain, Solomon Islands, ing an overall grayish blue to black in color. Vanuatu, and northern Queensland, Australia. Max length: 15 cm. Habitat: Lagoon and seaward reefs, 1–16 m. Diet: A wide variety of foods including zoo- Exclusively with the sea anemone Entacmaea plankton and algae. quadricolor. Usually in pairs. Reproduction and Development: Character- Appearance: Length to 17 cm. Juveniles istic of the Family Pomacentridae, the males orange-colored; color deepens with age. Male assume the parental care of the eggs. smaller, bright red with three brilliant white bars, sometimes barely visible. Female becomes Conservation Status: This species is listed as maroon or almost black with subdued bars. low to moderate vulnerability. Its popularity Conspicuous spine on cheek. as an aquarium trade fish may be a reason for its low populations. Diet: Zooplankton and algae. Remarks: These damselfish can be found Reproduction and Development: Protandrous sleeping in the shelter of coral heads at night. hermaphrodite. Like Amphiprion species, are monogamous. Female is to about 2–3 times Goldbelly Damselfish the size of her male partner. Pomacentrus auriventris (Pomacentridae) Remarks: This fish has been successfully bred Damselfishes and reared in captivity. Distribution: Western Central Pacific from Micronesia to Indonesia. Beaugregory Habitat: Mainly around inner reef slopes at Stegastes leucostictus(Pomacentridae) depth of 2–15 m. Congregate in small groups, Damselfishes close to the bottom, in areas of mixed rubble, Distribution: The genus Stegastes is composed coral, and algae. of nearly 33 species with a wide tropical distribution. Several, such as the Beaugregroy, Appearance: Electric-blue back with a golden are known in the Caribbean. yellow belly. Max length: 5.5 cm. Habitat: Shallow rock and coral reefs. Diet: Algae and some zooplankton. Appearance: Even within a particular species, Reproduction and Development: Damselfish individuals and populations may display are substrate spawners. In most species, the male marked color ranges, making it difficult to establishes a territory, selects and prepares a site, identify an exact Stegastes species. such as a piece of rubble with a smoothed wall crevice, a coral surface, or a rocky ledge. Once Diet: Members of the genus are exclusively a spawning site has been prepared, the male herbivores. Their grazing on algal beds, both attracts a female into his territory with excited in the wild and in aquaria, helps control algal swimming and distinct movements The female growth. will lay her adhesive eggs onto the prepared site, Reproduction and Development: Damselfishes 168 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

lay elliptical eggs, which are normally guarded the aquarium trade. Data suggests declines by the male. over 10–15 years in exploited areas of 10-fold Remarks: Like many damselfishes, Stegastes or more. Today, much of catch is juvenile are highly territorial and pugnacious. fish, the preferred market size of this large- growing species. The Maori’s long maturation Maori Wrasse aka Humphead Wrasse time and the severe reduction of sexually Cheilinus undulates (Labridae) mature individuals reduces the potential for Wrasses population increase. Distribution: Much of the tropical and sub- Remarks: The Maori wrasse is the largest tropical Indo-West Pacific. member of the family Labridae. Habitat: Larger adults are typically found on outer or deep reefs and in the more open area Harlequin Tuskfish around steep coral or cliff walls, channel slopes, Choerodon fasciatus (Labridae) boulder-rich habitats and in lagoon reefs up to Wrasses 100 m deep. Adults frequently shelter in caves Distribution: Western Pacific, disjunct distri- or crevices at night. Smaller individuals and bution. North: Ryukyus to Taiwan; South: New juveniles prefer a more cryptic environment Caledonia to Queensland. of dense branching corals, and areas of bushy Habitat: Seaward reefs, 5–35 m. Usually soli- macroalgae or seagrasses. tary. Patrol a large territory. Active diurnally. Appearance: A distinctive hump on the Appearance: Length to 30 cm. Vertical, broad, forehead above the eyes becomes more bright orange bands interspersed with blue prominent with age. Lips are fleshy and thick. bands. Black caudal peduncle, white tail. Dor- Adult coloration varies from bright electric sal and pelvic fins orange. blue to green, purplish blue, or a dull bluish Diet: Mollusks, echinoderms, crustaceans, green with a yellow posterior margin tapering worms.Tuskfish have protruding canines used to the caudal. Scales are large. Juveniles are a for moving rubble to expose invertebrate prey pale green with elongate dark spots forming and prying mollusks from the substrate. Hard- bars on its scales and 2 black lines extend from shelled prey crushed by pharyngeal teeth. the eyes. Males much larger than females. Max Reproduction and Development: Pelagic length: males - 2 m; females - 1 m. spawners, initial males spawn in large groups; Diet: Primarily mollusks (particularly terminal males are usually territorial and pair heavy-shelled gastropods), crustaceans, fish, spawn with females of their choice. Females echinoderms and other invertebrates. One of change sex into males for their terminal phase. very few predators to feed on toxic animals such as sea hares, boxfishes and the crown-of- Exquisite Fairy Wrasse thorns sea star. Cirrhilabrus exquisitus (Labridae) Reproduction and Development: This species Wrasses is very slow to sexually mature; females are Distribution: East Africa to Tuamotus, north to sexually mature between 5–7 years, males Izus, southern Japan and south to Great Barrier around 9 years. Maori wrasses are protogynous Reef, Australia. hermaphrodites producing eggs before sperm. Habitat: Over rubble or low patch reefs in areas Spawning occurs with small groups of adults of current, also on reef edges and near rubble aggregating in the downward currents of reefs. zones in 5–35 m depth. Eggs are pelagic. Appearance: Length to 12 cm. Post-juvenile Mortality/Longevity: Individuals are initial phase to 7 cm and colored shades of exceptionally long-lived with males reaching brown; large black spot on base of upper tail. 25 years, females around 30 years. Terminal phase individuals colored shades of Conservation Status: IUCN Red List: green, bright red margins on dorsal and anal Threatened, mostly because of high fishing fins, narrow blue stripe from mid-body to tail, pressures in the center of its range in large black spot on base of upper tail, two or southeastern Asia. Also, highly valued by three blue line marks on head. California Academy of Sciences 169

Diet: Zooplankton in the water column, well less colorful. Max. size: 7.5 cm. above the substrate. Diet: Zooplankton. Reproduction and Development: Pelagic Reproduction/Development: Protogynous spawners, like all wrasses. hermaphrodites: in the absence of the male, the Remarks: Like all wrasses, active diurnally, dominant female morphs to male. Dominant rest nocturnally. males have harems of several females. Like all Frequently in moderately large groups of fairy wrasses, are pelagic spawners and do not mixed sexes during feeding. guard young. Males often display to each other. Remarks: Fairy wrasses (Cirrhilabrus spp.) are all sexually dichromatic (males typically Yellowfin Fairy Wrasse more colorful, especially during courtship) Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis (Labridae) and somewhat sexually dimorphic (males Wrasses slightly larger, with longer, more pointed Distribution: Western Central Pacific: unpaired fins). Philippines and Indonesia. Fairy wrasses are diurnally active, wrapping Habitat: Found among branching corals and themselves in mucous cocoons at night and rubble on protected reef slopes, at depths walling themselves up in reef crevices to hide. 12–30 m. Like all wrasses, they have protrusible mouths, Appearance: Brightly colored; dichromatic with teeth of the lower jaw jutting outward. and sexually dimorphic. Colors variable The wrasse family (Labridae) is known from depending on mood and stage. Terminal male: the Paleocene (65 to 55 million years ago). white to pinkish with red upper head; 2 wide red bars on forebody and yellow margin on Redeye Fairy Wrasse dorsal fin. One of the smallest wrasses. Max. Cirrhilabrus solorensis (Labridae) size: 10 cm. Wrasses Diet: Carnivorous; various small invertebrates; Distribution: Found in the Western Central does not harm stony or soft coral polyps. Pacific and Indonesia. Reproduction/Development: Protogynous Habitat: Coastal to outer reef lagoons on rubble hermaphrodite. Dominant female morphs and coral habitats. to male if dominant male is lost or dies. The Appearance: Highly variable. The eye is bright dominant male and selected female release red. Males usually have a dark band along the their gametes together in a complex mating end of the gill covering. Change color and sex ritual. with growth. Females are able to change sex Remarks: Like all fairy wrasses, this one is a into an often brilliantly colored terminal male very energetic, free swimmer but never far phase. Max. size: 11 cm. from a crevice to dart into. At night, it creates Diet: Natural diet consists of zooplankton. In a mucous cocoon masking its appearance and captivity they eat small shrimp, worms, and scent. invertebrates, as well as chopped meat. Male fairy wrasses are typically more brightly Reproduction and Development: In general colored than the females. wrasses spawn following a mating ritual during which the male flashes his colors to a Lubbock’s Fairy Wrasse harem of females. He selects a gravid female Cirrhilabrus lubbocki (Labridae) and they swim in a loop and at the highest Wrasses point release the gametes. A second male may Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Philippines, perform what is known as streak spawning, Celebes, and Indonesia. where he swims into the loop of a spawning Habitat: On outer reefs in coral rubble or finely pair and releases his sperm at the same time. branch coral, at depths of 20-25 m. Remarks: The cornea of the eye of fairy Appearance: Found in various colors: pink, wrasses is divided into two segments, red, and purple. Orange to yellow upper head, essentially forming a double pupil. It is dorsal fin a bright yellow in adults. Females thought that the center pupil is a close-up 170 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

lens that lets the fish have a magnified view Diet: Small worms, snails, crustaceans; may eat of their small prey. parasites off other fishes. Reproduction and Development: Pelagic Bird Wrasse spawners; protogynous hermaphrodites. Gomphosus varius (Labridae) Remarks: Relatively uncommon; often form Wrasses small groups. Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to Hawaiian Islands, north to southern Japan, Adult male and female appear similar, very south to Australia. atypical of wrasses. Habitat: Found in lagoons and seaward reefs Like many wrasses, these fish typically burrow in at depths 2–30 m. the sand at night or anytime to escape predators. Appearance: The common name refers to the Yellowhead Wrasse fish’s long snout, which is said to resemble a Halichoeres garnoti (Labridae) bird’s beak. This species, like many wrasses, Wrasses changes appearance as it matures. During the Distribution: Western Atlantic; Bermuda and juvenile phase it is blue above and white below. southern Florida to southeastern Brazil. The snout is short. In the next phase, called the Habitat: Commonly found on shallow and deep initial phase, most or all are females, and they reefs and exposed ledges at depths from 2–80 m. are white with a black spot on each scale. The Appearance: caudal fin is black and the top of the snout is Adults are blue above the lateral orange. During the terminal phase, a dominant line and have a yellow belly. Juveniles are male becomes blue green. The caudal fin has a yellow with a silvery blue stripe along the bright blue crest. The male can grow to 30 cm. side. Terminal male: head and forebody varies Females to about 20 cm. from bright yellow to yellowish tan; dark blue to green rear body and tail; two or more lines Diet: Although its mouth is small, it can grasp radiate from rear of eye. Max. size: 19 cm. prey in its strong jaws and smash it against the Diet: substrate until its meal is broken into bit-sized Various invertebrates. pieces. In captivity, brine and mysid shrimp Reproduction and Development: Protogynous and worms satisfy this non-avian “bird”. hermaphrodite. During breeding males form Reproduction and Development: Males leks (a gathering of males to attract females by are territorial, and females live within these competitive display). territories. The male will perform a mating Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by other dance and then both sexes release gametes. fishes such as groupers and snappers. The larvae are planktonic. Remarks: Curious; easily attracted by divers. Remarks: Like other wrasses, the bird Diurnal; swim constantly during the day and wrasse can be recognized by its characteristic rest at night. swimming pattern: the pectoral fins move up and down in a “flying” motion. Pastel Green Wrasse Halichoeres chloropterus (Labridae) Yellow Wrasse aka Canary Wrasse Wrasses Halichoeres chrysus (Labridae) Distribution: West Central Pacific: Philippines Wrasses to the Great Barrier Reef. Distribution: East Indo-Pacific: Christmas Is- Habitat: Shallow protected coral reef on silt, land to Marshall Islands; north to Japan, south sand and rubble bottom. to Australia. Appearance: Juveniles lime green; females Habitat: Sand and rubble edges of reefs. Depth pale green above and white below, with a 6–60 m; usually below 20 m. thin dark line on the base of the pectoral fin. Appearance: Length to 12 cm. Color canary Terminal males greenish with pink spots of the yellow, head with distinctive light-green side of the body, and irregular bands of pink bands. Males have a single white-rimmed and green on the head. Max. size: 19 cm. black spot on dorsal fin; females have two Diet: Hard-shelled prey, including mollusks, black, light yellow-rimmed spots. crustaceans, and sea urchins. California Academy of Sciences 171

Pinstriped Wrasse tide pools and down to 24 m. Halichoeres melanurus (Labridae) Appearance: Cigar-shaped fish with prominent, Wrasses forward-pointing teeth; large scales. Greenish Distribution: Western Pacific Ocean. above, yellow below. Males have dark bar Habitat: Sheltered reefs to 2–15 m. behind base of yellow pectoral fin. Wavy Appearance: Juvenile to 11 cm. Alternating blue lines may radiate from the eye. Dark yellow to orange and blue horizontal stripes, flecks on back, especially noticeable in young small black spot on dorsal fin, large blue- individuals. Max size: 38 cm. edged black dots on mid-dorsal fin, similar but Diet: Small invertebrates, taken during the day. smaller markings on upper tail base. Adults to Reproduction and Development: Protogynous 12 cm. Alternating horizontal green teal and hermaphrodites.: individuals function first as orange stripes. Three to 6 narrow turquoise females, then about 5% change to males at bars on upper side, large yellow spot on base length of about 30 cm. of pectoral fin, black tail tip. Remarks: Sleeps at night buried in sand, with Diet: Small invertebrates including polychaetes, head protruding, and will dart to a sandy ref- copepods, isopods and foraminiferans. uge during the day if startled. Reproduction and Development: Protogynous hermaphrodite; largest female in a male’s Striped Cleaner Wrasse territory typically completes sex change within Labroides dimidiatus (Labridae) 2–3 weeks of male’s disappearance. Wrasses Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by Distribution: Indo-Pacific. lizardfishes and other fishes. Habitat: Virtually all coral reef habitats: in- Remarks: A recent study showed that sex ner lagoons and subtidal reef flats to seaward change for this species, if recent, is reversible. reefs, 0.5-40 m, typically near branching cor- When a dominant male was reintroduced to a als. Active diurnally. Aggressively territorial. territory, the newly sex-changed male reverted Nocturnally retires to small crevices in the reef, to its former female role. enclosing itself in a mucus cocoon. Remains in stations where other fish come to be cleaned. Two-tone Wrasse Appearance: Length to 11.5 cm. Elongate body, Halichoeres prosopeion (Labridae) tubular mouth. Anterior of body yellowish, Wrasses posterior very pale blue. Widening horizontal Distribution: Western Pacific; east to Indonesia black band from mouth, through eye to end and Sumatra, north to southern Japan, south of tail. to Great Barrier Reef. Diet: Coral polyps, crustacean ectoparasites Habitat: Lagoons and seaward reefs. and mucus gleaned from other fishes. Appearance: Adults green-blue in front fading Reproduction and Development: External batch to light yellow behind. A dark spot behind spawns in pairs, also haremic. Pelagic spawners: the eye; dorsal fin with large black spot near initial males spawn in large groups, terminal the front. Unlike most wrasses, no obvious males are usually territorial and pair spawn differences between sexes. Max. size: 13 cm. with females of their choice. Females change Diet: Small crabs, shrimps, worms, and other sex into males for their terminal phase when the benthic invertebrates. dominant male is removed. Sex change complete Remarks: Like many wrasses, quickly buries within 14–18 days. Do not guard eggs. in sand when threatened or alarmed. Mortality/Longevity: Can live to at least 4 years. Rock Wrasse Remarks: The most common cleaner wrasse Halichoeres semicinctus (Labridae) on reefs. Wrasses Pick external parasites from other fishes. Also Distribution: Pt. Conception, California to clean the wounds of other fishes by removing Guadalupe Island off central Baja California. scar tissue. Clean the gills and even enter the Habitat: Close to rocks near patches of sand; mouth of the host. 172 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Advertise their services with an undulating At night, señoritas seek out a nearby sandy “invitation dance.” area and bury themselves with a headfirst dive Mimicked by the fin and scale nipping blenny into the sand, ultimately sleeping with head Aspidontus taeniatus, the bogus cleaner wrasse. protruding. Star of the movie Shark Tale. Red-tailed Flasher Wrasse Leopard Wrasse Paracheilinus rubricaudalis (Labridae) Macropharyngodon meleagris (Labridae) Wrasses Wrasses Distribution: Western Central Pacific: Fiji and Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Eastern Indian Vanuatu. Ocean to western Pacific and the islands of Habitat: Coral reefs, depths to 45 m. Oceania. Appearance: Adults reach 2 to 3 inches in Habitat: Subtidal reefs and outer lagoons, at length. The species has a red tail and a broad depths of 0–30 meters. red zone with a single filament on its dorsal Appearance: Sexual dichromism. Females are fin. Males have a reddish area on their distal white with black or brown irregular spots with anal fin. The reddish stripes on their sides turn white to blue margins over the body. Males whitish and their body becomes bright yellow have orangey-red background with green while they are displaying. Males from Fiji mottling. Max. length: 15 cm. have a narrow bluish vertical stripe on their caudal fin that is never seen on specimens from Diet: Gastropods, other hard-shelled prey and Vanuatu. The color of the female is subdued foraminiferans. compared to the brilliance of the male. Remarks: Wrasses can be recognized by Diet: Plankton feeders; need to feed often their characteristic swimming pattern. Their (three times a day) in captivity. pectoral fins move up and down in a “flying” motion. Reproduction: Like all Paracheilinus species, the red-tailed flasher wrasse is a protogynous Señorita Wrasse hermaphrodite. All specimens are born as Oxyjulis californica (Labridae) females and the dominant females develop Wrasses into males when there is a shortage of males. Distribution: Salt Point, northern California The dominant female will for instance develop to south-central Baja California. into a male if the male in her group falls prey Habitat: Found in kelp and other seaweeds and to a predatory fish. The transformation from over rocky reefs, usually at shallow depths. female to male can take as little as 10–14 days. Flasher wrasses scatter their eggs in the open Appearance: Cigar-shaped fish with large water. The actual spawning is preceded by a scales and protruding teeth. Orange to brown- “dance” where the male follows the female ish, a few are more pink or yellow. Large black until both fish rapidly swim upward into the marking at base of caudal fin. water column and simultaneous release egg Diet: Feeds during the day on small invertebrates; and milt. The eggs and larvae are carried by on occasion acts as a cleaner, picking parasites the current until the fry become free swimming from other fishes. Known to clean giant sea and make their way to the bottom. bass, garibaldi, kelpfish, and many other fishes. Remarks: First described in 2003. Juveniles feed on plankton and pick hydroids and other small food items off algae. John E. McCosker, Academy Senior Curator and former Steinhart Aquarium Director, is the Reproduction and Development: Oviparous; ichthyologist credited for naming members of pelagic spawner. Unlike most wrasses, they do the genus Paracheilinus “flasher wrasses,” the not change sex. common name derived from male’s brilliant Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by birds, such as “flashing” behavior, or rapid color changes, Brandt’s cormorants, and sea lions. observed during courting and mating. Live about 7 years and grow to about 25 cm. Flasher wrasses create a mucous cocoon over Remarks: Popular in the aquarium trade. their bodies for sleeping. California Academy of Sciences 173

Sixline Wrasse California Sheephead Wrasse Pseudocheilinus hexataenia (Labridae) Semicossyphus pulcher (Labridae) Wrasses Wrasses Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea south to Distribution: Monterey Bay, California to Cabo South Africa and east to the Tuamoto Islands, Saint Lucas, Baja California. north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Lord Habitat: Solitary or in small groups in kelp for- Howe and the Austral islands. ests and shallow reefs to 55 m, typically 3–30 m. Habitat: Seaward reefs among coral branches; Appearance: Length to 91 cm, weight to 16 dense coral habitats on shallow reef crest or kg. Fusiform, deep, compressed. Adult males slopes 2–35 m. with head, posterior body and caudal fin black, Appearance: To 7.5 cm. Violet with six hori- mid-body brick red, chin white. zontal orange stripes on side. Small black dot Adult females reddish-brown. Caudal fin al- on upper tail base. most square. Juveniles brick red on sides with Diet: Primarily small crustaceans, snails, and white stripe. flatworms. Diet: Varies. Hard-shelled prey (sea urchins, Reproduction and Development: Pelagic barnacles, clams, gastropods, mussels, lobsters spawners; protogynous hermaphrodites. and crabs) crushed with tooth-plates in rear of Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by grouper mouth. Also take octopuses and various worms; and other finfish. can pry prey from substrate with canine teeth. Remarks: Usually occurs in small loose groups. Reproduction and Development: Protogy- A shy species, usually swimming among the nous hermaphrodite. Individuals initially protection of coral branches. female, change to males at about 30 cm and 8 years old. Sex change metamorphosis takes Like most wrasses, inactive at night. less than one year. Mystery Wrasse Mortality/Longevity: Can live to more than Pseudocheilinus ocellatus (Labridae) 50 years, although this rarely happens now. Wrasses A popular food fish. Giant sea bass, as well as Distribution: West to central Pacific ocean. various marine mammals such as California sea Habitat: On coral reefs, 20–60 m, usually near lions and harbor seals, consume this species. the substrate. Conservation Status: Not on IUCN Red List. Appearance: The genus is known as the “lined Populations shrinking in southern California wrasses,” but unlike others in the group, due to fishing pressure and reduction of kelp the mystery wrasse has vertical rather than beds. Large males now rare. horizontal lines. Body reddish-pink, stripes Remarks: Juvenile sheepheads may act as white. These lines may fade as the fish matures. cleaner fish symbionts to other fish. Distinct black ocellus (eye spot) on each side Adults have steeply sloping foreheads, thus of the caudal fin, often surrounded by yellow the common name. may confuse predators. Max. size: 10 cm. Diet: Carnivorous: Fish egges, small crabs, Sixbar Wrasse Thalassoma hardwicke (Labridae) mollusks, sea urchins, and other benthic Wrasses invertebrates. Distribution: Tropical Indo-Pacific: East Africa Mortality/Longevity: Predatory fishes such as west to the Line and Tuamoto islands and from grouper, lionfish, and scorpionfish find lined southern Japan in the north to the Austral wrasses a tasty meal. islands in the south. Remarks: First described in 1999, its life history is Habitat: Shallow lagoons and seaward reefs, not well known. Because of its handsome color- along slopes and drop-offs to moderate depths, ing and hardy nature, it has become increasingly ranging from 0-15 m. popular with aquarists. Appearance: Adult is pastel blue to pale green with six dark, vertical bars on their body, the 174 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

last two saddling the tail. The head has a Moon Wrasse distinct ‘daisy’ print around the eyes made Thalassoma lunare (Labridae) of a few different pastel colors (e.g., pink Wrasses bands radiating from the eye) in larger adults. Distribution: Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to East Terminal males are gaudier than primary Africa to the Line Islands, northwest to males. Max length: 20 cm. southern Japan, and southwest to northern Diet: Carnivore on benthic and planktonic New Zealand. crustaceans, other motile invertebrates and Habitat: Marine reefs to a depth of 20 m. Also small fishes. lagoons, coastal reefs, protected seaward reefs, Reproduction/Development: Protogynous and estuaries. hermaphrodite; pelagic spawner. Appearance: Adult’s caudal fin is a large Remarks. Occur in small, loose groups. yellow crescent edged in purple and blue, the source of the species common name. Body Rainbow Wrasse dark green to blue with vertical red lines on Thalassoma lucasanum (Labridae) scales; pectoral fins a bright pink surrounded Wrasses by neon blue. The head is distinctive for its Distribution: Tropical marine waters from bright irregular pink and violet bands radiating the central Gulf of California to the Galapagos from the mouth towards the body, a kind of Islands. fluorescent camouflage. Terminal males most Habitat: Shallow reefs at depths of about 48 m colorful. Max. length: 25 cm. as well as near-bottom substrate. Diet: Crustaceans, snails, and other small Appearance: Distinctive yellow and red lateral benthic invertebrates; also fish and snail eggs. stripes with the less common larger males Reproduction/Development: Protogynous displaying a blue head with a broad yellow hermaphrodites. The terminal male has vertical stripe behind the head. Like most priority access to food and spawning females. wrasses, is cigar-shaped with a pointed snout, Because eggs are fertilized externally during thick lips, a protractile mouth and protruding mass spawning, some lesser males may mix canine teeth. Max. length: 15 cm. their gametes into the spawning cloud. Diet: An efficient carnivore that congregates Remarks: Typically a peaceful fish with only during the day in groups to feed on a wide the dominant males becoming aggressive in variety of small crustaceans, algae and egg territorial or mating disputes. masses. When frightened this fish will hide in the reef Reproduction and Development: Rainbow or bury itself in the sand; also buries in sand wrasses utilize two types of reproduction and to sleep. two types of males. Those displaying the red and yellow striped pattern are both males SUBORDER ZOARCOIDEI and females, and reproduce by broadcast spawning. They rise in large numbers to the Northern Ronquil top of the water column, release eggs and Ronquilus jordani (Bathymasteridae) sperm, and quickly return to the safety of Ronquils deeper water.. Distribution: Bering Sea to Monterey Bay. Terminal males are those identified with blue Habitat: On bottom, usually among rocks, heads and yellow vertical stripe. This male 3–165 m. forms a harem and selects each female with Appearance which to spawn. Normally each population : Males orange above, with vague of these wrasses has only one sexually mature dark bars on side; olive-green below. Females terminal male. Should that male be removed, olive-green above, paler below. Like all a female newly transformed into a terminal ronquils, body elongate, dorsal and anal fins male will quickly take its place. long, caudal and pectoral fins rounded. Max. size: 18 cm. Remarks: Not fished commercially. Diet: Small invertebrates of the plankton and benthos. California Academy of Sciences 175

Reproduction and Development: Males bottoms from the subtidal to 90 m. known to guard the brood. Appearance: Body is eel-like; pale brown with Remarks: Secretive habits make this species whitish-cream markings. Dark bars run down rarely seen. from eyes; prominent dark bars on dorsal, Ronquils are known only from the North caudal, and anal fins. “Decorated” by large Pacific. cirrus in front of each eye and by dense cirri on head and spines at front of dorsal fin. The effect Monkeyface Prickleback resembles feathers of a chieftain’s warbonnet. Cebidichthys violaceus (Stichaeidae) Diet: Small animals that swim or crawl near Pricklebacks its lair. Distribution: Southern Oregon to north- Remarks: This secretive fish is rarely seen out central Baja California. of the small rocky crevices where it hides. Habitat: Common in tide pools and shallow rocky areas to 24 m. Hide in territorial crevices Mosshead Warbonnet and rock shelters, venturing out around 5 m Chirolophis nugator (Stichaeidae) to feed. Pricklebacks Appearance: Length to 76 cm. Large and long Distribution: Aleutian Islands to southern compressed eel-like body. Adults usually California. uniformly colored black, olive or gray, except Habitat: Usually subtidal rocky areas to about for black streaks across eyes. Dorsal and anal 80 m. Often hides in crevices or tubeworm fins edged with red. Fleshy hump above eyes holes with only head protruding. Max. size: pronounced in reproductive males. c. 18 cm. Diet: Primarily crustaceans, esp. amphipods; Appearance: Brown or reddish brown. also worms, clam siphons and algae. Red and Numerous cirri on top of the head, all about green algae are the preferred diet of 5–8 cm the same length. About 12 black eyespots (or juveniles. sometimes short bars) on the dorsal fin. Dark Reproduction and Development: Spawn streak below the eye. during the spring at 3–4 years old. Female Diet: Known to eat small mollusks and lays large egg masses in rocky crevices. Eggs probably other items. guarded until hatching. Male and female grow Remarks: Pricklebacks are long, compressed, at the same rate for their first 8 years. Thereafter and somewhat eel-like, and are so named male grow faster. because, in most species, all rays of the dorsal Mortality/Longevity: Live to at least 18 years. fin are spiny. Juveniles preyed upon by birds such as great egrets and great blue herons. Occasionally sold Penpoint Gunnel in fish markets. Apodichthys flavidus (Pholidae) Gunnels Remarks: Sometimes placed in a separate fam- ily (Cebidichthyidae). Distribution: Kodiak Island, Alaska to Santa Barbara Island, southern California. Largest fish species in the intertidal zone of the eastern Pacific. Appearance: They have long, narrow ribbon- like bodies with light spots along the sides. Able to breathe air. If in an moist environment, Their coloration is red, brown or green. A spine can remain out of water for 35 hours or more. with a groove in front of the anal fin resembles Not a true eel of the Order Anguilliformes. a penpoint, hence the common name. To 46 cm. Decorated Warbonnet Habitat: Tide pools and tidal to subtidal areas, Chirolophis decoratus (Stichaeidae) especially among algae, such as rockweed or Pricklebacks other kelps. Distribution: North Pacific from Kamchatka, Diet: Small mollusks and crustaceans. Russia, to the Bering Sea and Alaska, south to Reproduction and Development: Spawning Humboldt Bay, California. occurs from January to April in nearshore Habitat: Usually among seaweed on rock waters. The female lays sticky eggs onto a 176 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

substrate where they will be guarded by the Colored mostly gray to brown, occasionally male for 2.5 months. Pairs have been observed greenish. Round dark spots with pale rings on coiled around egg masses. body and fins. Juveniles often orangish with Mortality/Longevity: Preyed on by other fishes dark spots merging into stripes at rear of body. and seabirds. Diet: Crabs, sand dollars, marine snails and Remarks: Color phases seem to vary with fishes. surroundings, controlled by two distinct body Reproduction and Development: Eggs laid pigments with individuals often reflecting the in rocky protected areas and guarded by both green, brown, or red of the algae where they parents. Juveniles initially pelagic, living near are collected. the top of the water column for 2 years. They Breathe air when out of water at low tides while then settle to an active life over the benthos, hiding in crevices or algae. eventually locate a rock shelter hideaway and Apodichthys [Gr.] means “fish without feet,” a become less active. A male-female pair will reference to this genus’ lack of pectoral fins. occupy the same shelter for years, apparently mating for life. Females reproductive at 7 years. Rockweed Gunnel Male butts his head against female’s abdomen Apodichthys fucorum (Pholidae) during courtship. He externally fertilizes the Gunnels 10,000 eggs per clutch. Both parents wrap Distribution: Eastern Pacific; British Columbia themselves around the egg mass; only one at to central Baja California. a time leaves to feed. Habitat: Intertidal areas, commonly found in Mortality/Longevity: Predators of eggs rockweed (Fucus) and other algae growing in include benthic rockfish and kelp greenlings. tide pools and subtidal areas. Remarks: Not a true eel of the Order Anguil- Appearance: Body eel-shaped, lacking pelvic liformes. fins and possessing much reduced pectorals. Can inflict a painful bite. Colors range from dark red, light green in the An edible food fish. intertidal to light brown or tan in kelp areas. Red morphs tend to associate with red algae, green ones with green algae. Long dorsal fin SUBORDER PHOLIDICHTHYOIDEI usually joined to the caudal fin. Max. length: (CONVICT BLENNIES) 22.5 cm. Engineerfishaka Convict Blenny Diet: Small crustaceans and mollusks. Pholidichthys leucotaenia (Pholidichthyidae) Remarks: A. fucorum is able to remain out of Convictfish water for extended periods of time, protected Distribution: Philippines and Eastern Borneo under rocks or seaweed and able to breathe air to New Guinea and Solomon Islands, south to for up to 24 hours if kept moist. Flores, Indonesia. Ecologically, gunnels are important forage Habitat: Shallow lagoons and coastal reefs. Ju- fishes for birds and commercially important veniles form schools that are often found under flatfishes. ledges or around coral heads. . . Wolf Eel Appearance: Length to 34 cm. Eel-like, conflu- Anarrhichthys ocellatus (Anarhichadidae) ent dorsal and anal fins, scaleless, yellowish Wolffishes body heavily colored with very dark blotches Distribution: Sea of Japan and Aleutian Islands or vertical bars; thus the common name “con- to Imperial Beach, California. victfish.” Juveniles resemble the venomous Plotosus lineatus Habitat: Adults live on bottom, usually among striped catfish but lack that rocks in subtidal locations; often in dens. species’ venomous spines and barbels. Depths from barely subtidal to 226 m. Remarks: Often swim with conspecifics in tight Appearance: Length to 2.4 m. Weight to 18 kg. formation resembling a single large body. Able An eel-like fish (large, elongate, compressed to move backwards and forwards, pulling itself body) with no pelvic fins. Large pectoral fins. through the water with extra-sinuous body movements. California Academy of Sciences 177

Adults live secretively in reefs, camouflaged the head visible. Live solitary or in pairs. by their barred or spotted color pattern. Noc- turnally retreat into a sand burrow containing Midas Blenny 1 or 2 adults Ecsenius midas (Blenniidae) Combtooth Blennies Maintain their nocturnal sand burrows by col- lecting and spitting the sediment out. Distribution: Indo-Pacific: from Gulf of Aqaba and southeast coast of Africa to Marquesas Have small, conical teeth, unlike the well- Islands. developed teeth of true blennies. Habitat: Coral reefs in moderate current. Only species in the family. Appearance: Usually dark yellow in color, with streaks of blue and gold over the body. SUBORDER BLENNIODEI Elongate, thick body and large head with big (TRUE BLENNIES) eyes. Max. length: ~13 cm. Diet: Zooplankton. Crevice Kelpfish Reproduction and Development: Oviparous, Gibbonsia montereyensis (Clinidae) eggs are demersal and adhesive. Kelpfishes and Fringeheads Remarks: Can change colors quickly to Distribution: British Columbia to Baja Cali- match the colors of other fish with which it fornia. is swimming. In its orange-yellow phase, it Habitat: Lives in rocky areas among algae. schools with Pseudanthias squamipinnis, which Appearance: Color varies from reddish it closely resembles in color. to lavender or brown, depending on Midas blennies have been compared to eels, surroundings. Patterning also varies: may because of their undulating swimming motions, be plain colored, striped or spotted. It has a and because they back into holes and crevices from long dorsal fin which is raised at both ends. which they observe their surroundings. Grows to 11 cm. Remarks: Can change color to match Striped Poison-fang Blenny surroundings; typically rests with tail curved Meiacanthus grammistes (Blenniidae) behind, often well camouflaged among coralline Combtooth Blennies algae. Distribution: Western Pacific, including Philippines, Indonesia, south to Great Barrier Bicolor Blenny Reef. Ecsenius bicolor (Blenniidae) Habitat: Sheltered lagoons and seaward reefs. Combtooth Blennies Appearance: This colorful, elongate fish with Distribution: Tropical Indo-Pacific, from its spotted caudal fin and alternating black and Maldives north to southern Japan, south to white stripes blending into bright yellow on Great Barrier Reef; throughout Micronesia. the head advertises its venomous bite. Max. Habitat: Inhabit clear lagoon and seaward reefs length: 11 cm. with mixed corals and algae-covered rocks at Diet: Omnivorous; small invertebrates and depths 2–25 m. plant material. Appearance: Highly variable. In a common Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. phase, anterior half is blue to dull brown; Details unknown, but probably like most posterior half a dull orange—thus the common blennies, the male entices the female to lay eggs name. Males generally larger than females, and in a hole in the reef, and both male and female become more brightly colored during breeding may guard them until they hatch. periods. Length to 10 cm. Remarks: About 50 blenny spp., including the Diet: Marine algae. 22 Meiacanthus spp., have evolved glands that Reproduction and Development: Female lays produce venom and fangs to deliver it. The fangs demersal, adhesive eggs. are very large canines in the lower jaw that are Remarks: Bottom dwellers; sometimes hard to see grooved to inject venom when the fish bites, as they hide in caves and rock crevices with only usually only in self-defense. Reports indicate that 178 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

the fang blenny will bite the inside of a predator’s Habitat: Intertidal to a few meters in depth on mouth and is quickly spit out. Humans are rarely reef flats and in shallow lagoons and estuaries. bitten as the blenny’s mouth is small. The bite is Appearance: Body a mottled tan with blue said to resemble a wasp sting. dots; up to about 12 cm. Several non-venomous species have evolved Diet: Algae eaters; tend to be territorial about to mimic and be protected by their semblance feeding areas. to the venomous model. The dandy blenny Reproduction and Development: Oviparous; (Petroscirtes breviceps) is thought to be a mimic form pairs and guard nests. of the striped poison-fang blenny. Remarks: Tends to hop from rock to rock Unlike most blennies, which typically lack swim looking for food. Its nickname “Lawnmower bladders and are bottom-dwellers, Meiacanthus Blenny” comes from its prodigious and effi- spp. have functional swim bladders and cient algal consumption using comb-like teeth frequently hover in mid-water. The large tail gives that line the jaws. the fish bursts of speed, causing one observer to Also noted for the filamentous skin projections call them “aquatic hummingbirds.” on the head that give it a look of having long Canary Blenny (if not too glamorous) eyelashes. Meiacanthus oualanensis (Blenniidae) Combtooth Blennies SUBORDER CALLIONYMOIDEI Distribution: Western Pacific; native to Fiji. (DRAGONETS) Habitat: Reefs. Appearance: Uniformly rich, solid yellow Spotted Dragonet aka Psychedelic body with a long, continuous trailing lyretail Mandarinfish composed mostly of soft rays. Males are Synchiropus picturatus (Callionymidae) generally larger than females and undergo a Dragonets succession of color changes during breeding. Distribution: NW Australia, Indonesia, Diet: Plankton. Philippines. Reproduction and Development: Demersal Habitat: Over rubble patches and sandy (on or near the bottom) spawner. bottoms of shallow, sheltered coral reefs 2–10 Remarks: Five genera with about 50 species m. Hides secretively in coral rubble. are known as “sabre-toothed” blennies because Appearance: Elongate, moderately depressed, of the distinctive canine-like tooth on each broad-headed. Pale brown to green, covered side of the lower jaw. (The rest are “comb- with large dark spots ringed with orange and toothed” - see blenny species above). The genus green, turquoise band markings around eye. Meiacanthus is notable having venom that can Length to 7 cm. be injected through grooves in these fangs. Diet: Benthic invertebrates. Fortunately for other fish, the bite is mostly Reproduction and Development: In captivity defensive, but aquarists should be cautious. frequently fight with opposite sex conspecifics. The bite is painful. Remarks: Spectacularly attractive, thus The conspicuous color is believed to advertise potentially a popular aquarium fish. That said, venomous fangs to predators, an example of it is very difficult to maintain in captivity and aposematism. has one of the highest mortality rates in the The golden mimic blenny, Plagiotremus aquarium trade, though Steinhart specimens laudandus flavus, gains protection from have done well. predators by being a canary blenny lookalike. Green Mandarinfish Jeweled Blenny aka Eyelash Blenny aka Synchiropus splendidus (Callionymidae) Lawnmower Blenny Dragonets Salarias fasciatus (Blenniidae) Distribution: Western Pacific. Combtooth Blennies Habitat: Shallow protected lagoons and in- Distribution: Tropical Indo-Pacific. shore reefs to 18 m. Over silty substrates with California Academy of Sciences 179

coral and rubble. Shrimp Goby aka Watchman Goby Appearance: Length to 6 cm. Body depressed, Amblyeleotris sp. (Gobiidae) small head. Ground color green (rare individuals Gobies red). Body covered with dark blue blotches ringed Distribution: Indo-Pacific. with dark outlines. Pectoral fins, face yellow. Habitat: Areas of broken rubble or coarse sand. Diet: Benthic invertebrates. Appearance: Typical goby body. Reproduction and Development: External Diet: Sand-dwelling invertebrates, many of fertilization. Open water egg scatterers. which are exposed by the shrimp’s digging. Conservation Status: Heavily exploited in the Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by other Philippines for the aquarium trade. fishes. Remarks: Mandarinfish produce mucous that Remarks: Amblyeleotris is the largest genus is highly distasteful; their bright color is a of shrimp gobies, a group well known for its warning to would-be predators to steer clear symbiotic relationships with certain pistol of this noxious beauty. shrimps of the genus Alpheus. The hard- working shrimp digs and maintains the burrow that is home to both, and the shrimp goby uses SUBORDER GOBIOIDEI its superior eyesight to detect predators. (GOBIES) The shrimp, nearly blind, maintains contact Yellowfin Goby with its visually superior partner via its Acanthogobius flavimanus (Gobiidae) antennae touching the goby’s tail. If the goby Gobies flicks its tail, the shrimp retreats. Distribution: Native to Asia; introduced to Randall’s Prawn Goby Australia and the west coast of North America. Amblyeleotris randalli (Gobiidae) Habitat: Muddy and sandy bottoms in Gobies estuarine, marine and freshwater habitats. Distribution: Western Pacific. Found at depths of 1 – 14 m. Habitat: Occurs on patches of carbonate sand Appearance: Large head, pale brownish body of clear-water reefs. with dark saddles and spots; length to 30 cm. Appearance: Whitish background with seven Diet: Smaller fish. horizontal orange stripes, the first through the Reproduction and Development: Spawn eye. Male sports a white-rimmed black eyespot in winter to early spring in estuaries; eggs on prominent dorsal fin. Max. length: 12 cm. are laid on the ceilings of y-shaped burrows Diet: Zooplankton and small benthic constructed by the males. Male guards the invertebrates. eggs. Reproduction and Development: Male Mortality/Longevity: Males mature at 1 year, attracts a female with his courtship “dance,” females at 2. Most live only 3 years. stimulating the female to lay her eggs, usually Remarks: Used in Chinese medicine. in a hole in the sand. After fertilization, This goby is an invasive species which the male guards the eggs from predators. has partially replaced the Pacific staghorn Successfully bred in captivity. sculpins in at least one location in California Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 5 to 8 years. and extirpated the endangered tidewater Remarks: Called a “prawn-goby” because it goby from some bodies of water. Probably usually lives in a symbiotic association with introduced in ships’ ballast or contaminated one or more alpheid shrimps in a shared oyster shipments. burrow. The shrimp builds and maintains Like all gobies, the yellowfin’s pelvic fins are the burrow, constantly clearing it of sand and fused into a sucking disc enabling the fish able rubble. When exposed, the shrimp rests an to cling to substrates or crawl into burrows. antennae on the fish, which quivers to alert the shrimp if danger lurks. Both then quickly retreat to cover in the burrow. Presently our 180 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

goby is living without the company of a Blackeye Goby crustacean companion. Coryphopterus nicholsii (Gobiidae) Gobies Hector’s Goby Distribution: Northern British Columbia to Amblygobius hectori (Gobiidae) central Baja. Gobies Habitat: Quiet water, usually in sandy areas Distribution: Red Sea and Aldabra atoll east near rocks. Intertidal to 100 m. to Indonesia and Palau, north to SW Japan. Appearance: Eye and tip of first dorsal fin Habitat: Over sandy patches near base of reef black. Large scales. Fleshy ridge extending formations, 3–30 m. from area between the eyes to dorsal fin. Pale Appearance: Dark brown with 4 bright yellow tan overall with small blue spot below the eye. stripes; black spot on first dorsal fin, yellow- Max. length: 15 cm. edged black spot on second dorsal fin and black Diet: Mostly zooplankton and small bentthic spot on dorsal base of tail. Length to 8.5 cm. invertebrates. Diet: Stomach contents of one specimen Reproduction and Development: A included filamentous algae, copepods, protogynous hermaphrodite; forms permanent amphipods, and nematodes. harem groups composed of a single male that Reproduction and Development: Demersal defends a territory and several females. During eggs are guarded by the male. spawning, which takes place between May– Remarks: Solitary. Lurks near shelter October, male prepares spawning site; after Stripes through the eyes disguise them; eye eggs are laid, male protects the nest. spots on the tail may confuse predators into Remarks: Defensive strategy is to freeze on the attacking a less vulnerable area. bottom; if a predator comes too close, the goby dashes for safety under a rock or to another Banded Goby protective spot. Amblygobius phalaena (Gobiidae) Gobies Blue-Banded Goby Distribution: Indo-Pacific from the Philippines Lythrypnus dalli (Gobiidae) to the Society Islands, southern Australia, Gobies throughout Micronesia. Distribution: Eastern Pacific coast of southern Habitat: Coastal reefs and sandy lagoons from California to Baja California and the Gulf of shallows of about 2 m to depths of 20 m. California. Appearance: Head is greenish-yellow with Habitat: Generally found in open rocky areas, blue and orange markings. The body is yellow but will retreat into crevices and holes. Prefers with brown bands. Fin edges are fringed with more exposed rocky areas to 75 m, but can be dark blue. found in the intertidal area. Diet: Feeds by sifting mouthfuls of sand Appearance: Bright reddish-orange body and and expelling it through its gills filtering out several iridescent blue vertical bars that narrow small invertebrates, organic matter and large towards the rear of the body. Males have a quantities of algae. higher first dorsal fin than the females. Typical Reproduction and Development: Like most of gobies, the pelvic fins unite to form a ventral gobies, they live in pairs maintaining territories suction disk. Adult length: 6 cm. with several burrows for shelter and spawning. Diet: Mainly small crustaceans. A paired female will guard her mate to prevent Reproduction and Development : him from mating with other females. Once the Hermaphroditic, having the reproductive eggs have been deposited on the ceiling of the organs of both sexes but displaying only one burrow, the male stops feeding and tends them behavioral gender at any given time. If it is until the embryos hatch in 3–4 days. Both the unsuccessful as one gender, it can switch to the paired female and male will show aggression other sex. The male blue-banded goby selects toward any fish approaching their burrow. a cave in which to care for his brood, courts a female by rapidly darting at her several times California Academy of Sciences 181

with his dorsal fin fully extended until she Bluestreak Goby deposits the eggs. The territorial male will then Valenciennea strigata (Gobiidae) guard the eggs, which are attached to the walls Sleeper Gobies of the brood chamber. Distribution: Indo-Pacific Ocean, East Africa Conservation Status: Prolific, not endangered. to Australia, and north to Southern Japan. Remarks: When threatened, often hides among Habitat: Shallow reef habitat, usually 1–6 the spines of sea urchins. m, but have been found at depths of 25 m. Commonly seen in clear lagoons over hard Barred Mudskipper or sandy bottoms, usually in pairs, hovering Periophthalmus argentilineatus (Gobiidae) around their burrow. Gobies Appearance: Light gray dorsally and white Distribution: Indo-Pacific: southern Red Sea ventrally with a yellow head; black-edged to South Africa, east to Marianas and Samoa, blue stripe from the mouth to the rear of the north to southern Japan, south to western operculum, a short blue dash behind the eye, Australia and Oceania. and several curved markings on the lower Habitat: Brackish mudflats in mangrove areas. sides of the head. Max. length: ~18 cm. Typically found resting on mud, rocks, or Diet: Benthic invertebrates, fishes, and fish mangrove roots with its tail dipped in water. eggs. Appearance: Eyes on top of head, mouth Reproduction and Development: Males directed downward. Silvery bars on lowers and females bond for life. (The male has sides. Strong pectoral fins enable it to lift an elongated second dorsal spine that its body from the surface and move about. distinguishes it from the female.) A female Partially fused pelvic fins create a suction disk, will generally lay about 2000 eggs on the a feature common to gobies. Max. size: 15 cm. roof of the nesting chamber. She will tend Reproduction: Construct deep burrows in the eggs for three weeks, during which the mud where they sleep and breed. Females time she will not leave the chamber. Just deposit eggs in the burrow and then are before hatching occurs the male will close driven out by the male, who tends the eggs the entrance to the chamber, sealing in the and often aerates them by bringing down female. After the eggs have hatched, the mouthfuls of air that he relases inside the male will reopen the chamber, at night, brooding chamber. freeing the 2-millimeter fry. Diet: Worms, crustaceans, insects. Active Remarks: Like many other goby genera, predators that sport sharp teeth Valenciennea, commonly called sleeper Remarks: Actively shuttles back and forth gobies, have the habit of resting on the between rock pools and air. substrate for long periods. Sleeper gobies, Amphibious air-breather, the mudskipper is however, often float motionless just above able to take in oxygen through the skin and the substrate, and so are sometimes called the lining of the mouth and throat, where rich “hover gobies.” networks of capillaries absorb oxygen and Members of the genus are carnivorous sand- release carbon dioxide, rather like a lung. The shifters, a fancy name that describes their animal also has large gill chambers that retain habit of taking in mouthfuls of sand, using water, can be tightly closed, and so supply specialized structures in their gills to extract small oxygen to the gills even when the animal is invertebrates, and then expelling the sand. out of water. Firefish Goby When disturbed, it can jump away from danger Nemateleotris helfrichi (Ptereleotridae) by flipping itself with its muscular pectoral Dartfishes fins. Distribution: Central Pacific. The genus name refers to its large and Habitat: Occurs on or near reefs, in relatively mobile eyes, peri meaning “all around” (think deep water, 25–90 m, over small patches of periscope, and ophtalmos meaning “eye.” sand, rubble, or hard open bottoms of steep 182 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

seaward reefs. SUBORDER ACANTHUROIDEI Appearance: Yellow head and lavender body; (SURGEONFISHES, RABBITFISHES, yellowish rear dorsal, anal, and tail fins; long UNICORNFISHES AND MOORISH IDOL) white and red first dorsal spine. Female tends Blue Spotted Spinefoot to be smaller and thinner than the male. Max Siganus corallinus (Siganidae) length: 6 cm. Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots Diet : Zooplankton. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. Reproduction and Development : Egg layer. Habitat: Often among corals of lagoons and Monogamous, frequently found in pairs. protected reefs at 3–30 m. Remarks : Dartfishes are timid and require Appearance: Head, body, and fins orange- lots of cover, including a sandy substrate for yellow with many small blue spots on the head burrowing and rocky rubble into which they and body. Max. size: 30 cm. “dart.” Diet: Benthic algae. Diurnal feeders, like all Zebra Goby members of the genus. Ptereleotris zebra (Ptereleotridae) Reproduction and Development: Pelagic Dartfishes spawner. Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and islands Remarks: Adults are often seen in pairs, as in in the western Indian Ocean, north to the our exhibit. Ryukyu Islands, south to the southern Great Like all rabbitfishes, have small, rabbit- Barrier Reef and parts of Micronesia. like mouths, large dark eyes, and a shy Habitat: Exposed seaward reefs, in shallow temperament, thus their common name. water over hard bottoms. Usually found at Rabbitfishes have fin spines with venom depths between 2–4 meters. glands that can inflict painful, though not life- Appearance: Long and slim with large slanted threatening wounds; aquarists should take care mouths. Yellowish to greenish gray in color. as the genus is easily frightened and readily The area from the lower half of eye to the chin takes defensive action. is enclosed by a broad blue-edged dark red to purple area. The pectoral fin base has an Barred Spinefoot aka Scribbled Rabbitfish orange-red bar broadly bordered with bright Siganus doliatus (Siganidae) blue. The fins are yellowish. Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots Diet: Zooplankton. Small schools hover several Distribution: Tropical west Pacific. feet above the substrate capturing morsels the Habitat: Coral rich areas of channels and current carries to them. lagoon slopes, reef flats and seaward reefs. Reproduction and Development: Very little Depth 1–15 m. known about reproduction. They are probably Appearance: Length to 25 cm. Light blue body monogamous, since they are often found in pairs. above, silvery below with intricate patterns of Remarks: In captivity they are jumping fish thin blue and yellow lines; pair of brown bars and should be kept in a covered aquarium. on head and forebody; yellow tail. The common name of the genus is “dartfish,” Diet: Algae and other plant matter. derived from the group’s habit of darting Reproduction and Development: Juveniles between rocks or into rubble when frightened. form schools. Pairs form at 7 cm; but these pairs Ptereleotris spp. usurp the burrows of alpheid continue to form loose schools to feed in areas shrimp, like the pistol shrimp in the Commensal being flooded by the tide. Cluster, or Valenciennea gobies, like its tank Remarks: Usually in male/female pairs. mate the bluestreak goby. Fin spines are venomous. Named rabbitfish due to their voracious appetite. California Academy of Sciences 183

Orange Spotted Spinefoot Acropora coral. Siganus guttatus (Siganidae) Appearance: Length to 38 cm. Highly Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots compressed body yellow with wavy, broken Distribution: East Indo-Pacific. blue lines. Dark band from eyes to mouth. Dark Habitat: To 25 m in inner lagoons, turbid dots extend from eyes to dorsal fin. coastal reefs, mangroves and brackish waters. Diet: Juveniles feed on filamentous algae; Typically in large groups of conspecifics. adults on algae, tunicates, and sponges. Appearance: Length to 42 cm. Pale grey with Remarks: Venomous spines, which can be numerous orange-gold spots; large yellow spot flashed at any bothersome fish or hand. on caudal peduncle below base of dorsal fin. Diet: Algae and seagrasses, though known Blotched Foxface Rabbitfish to nip on large-polyp stony corals as well as Siganus unimaculatus (Siganidae) soft corals. Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots Reproduction and Development: Spawners. Distribution: Western Pacific: Ryukyu Islands of Japan, the Philippines, south to western Mortality/Longevity: Highly esteemed as a Australia. food fish. Habitat: Coral rich areas of lagoons and Remarks: The spines of rabbitfishes (Siganidae) seaward reefs to depths of 30 m. are venomous, and can inflict painful wounds. Appearance: Same as the Foxface Rabbitfish S.( Common name “rabbitfish” is due to their vulpinus) except for the black spot or ‘blotch” voracious appetites for browse. The orange- on posterior upper side of body. Max. length: spotted rabbitfish in the Steinhart coral reef 20 cm. tank at Howard Street left the large Sarcophyton soft corals with bare spots where the fish fed. Diet: Seaweeds. Reproduction and Development: Pelagic Gold Spotted Spinefoot spawner. Siganus punctatus (Siganidae) Remarks: Some researchers believe S. Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots unimaculatus and S. vulpinus are a single Distribution: Tropical Western Pacific. species. Habitat: Clear lagoon and seaward reefs from All siganids have venomous spines on dorsal 1–40 m. Adults typically paired. Juveniles in and anal fins. groups to 50 individuals. Appearance: Length to 40 cm. Highly Barhead Spinefoot aka Varigate Rabbitfish compressed body. Blue, with numerous dark Siganus virgatus (Siganidae) edged orange spots on the head and caudal fin. Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots Diet: Benthic algae. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. Reproduction and Development: Fertilization Habitat: Usually shallow, inshore coastal reefs, external. Spawn in pairs. often in turbid water to 12 m. Juveniles are found in mangrove lagoons and are known to Remarks: Like all rabbitfishes, possess enter freshwater. venomous spines. Appearance: Yellow above, white below with Adults usually swim together as a pair. yellow dorsal and caudal fins; blue markings on Masked Spinefoot head and back. Eyes masked by a black stripe Siganus puellus (Siganidae) that extends from the bottom of the mouth to the Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots top of the head, and a second black stripe behind Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. the gill cover. Max. length: 30 cm. Habitat: Shallow, coral-rich areas of lagoons Diet: Benthic algae. and seaward reefs to 30 m. Adults often in Reproduction and Development: Pelagic pairs; species forms large schools in shallows, spawner. lagoons and outer reef flats, particularly in Mortality/Longevity: Stout venomous spines areas dominated by luxurious growths of discourage would-be predators. 184 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Foxface Rabbitfish Appearance: Length to 24 cm. Ovate compressed Siganus vulpinus (Siganidae) body black with a large orange caudal spot. Cau- Rabbitfishes and Spinefoots dal fin has a broad vertical orange band. Distribution: Tropical Western Pacific. Diet: Diurnal herbivores of filamentous and Habitat: Coral-rich areas of lagoon and sea- small fleshy algae. ward reefs to 30 m. Juveniles school among Reproduction and Development: Spawners. branching corals. Adults usually found in Juveniles lack the orange spot. pairs. Mortality/Longevity: An important food fish Appearance: Length to 24 cm. Highly com- on tropical islands. pressed yellow body, face white with two Remarks: Highly territorial. vertical, broad chocolate bands. Long snout. “Tang” in British dialect means dagger or knife. Diet: Diurnal herbivore of algae and zoo- Thus the common name refers to the caudal plankton. peduncle spines. Reproduction and Development: Spawns Single scalpel-like peduncular spine folds during outgoing tides. into a groove on each side of the tail. Spines Remarks: Highly esteemed as a food fish. are used offensively or defensively, against conspecifics in struggles for dominance or Moorish Idol against predators. Zanclus cornutus (Zanclidae) Moorish Idol Whether a fish has a common name of “surgeonfish” or “tang” seems to be a matter Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Southern Gulf of of convention, not substance. California. The generic name comes from the Greek Habitat: Hard substrates from turbid inner har- acantha (“thorn”) and oura (“tail”) bors and reef flats to clear seaward reefs as deep as 182 m. Usually in small groups of conspecifics, Ringtail Surgeonfish occasionally in schools of more than 100. Acanthurus blochii (Acanthuridae) Appearance: Length to 23 cm. Discoid body, Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the tubular snout, dorsal spines elongated into a Hawaiian Islands, south to Australia. very long white whip-like filament. Broad ver- Habitat: Lagoon and outer reef, 2–15 m. tical white, black, white-yellow black, yellow Appearance: Blue-gray to light brown; yellow banding. Tail black with white margin Black spot behind the eye. Dark blue dorsal, anal, and stripes break up the body outline and hide the caudal fins with narrow lighter blue margins. eye from predators. Often display a white ring around the base of Diet: Primarily sponges. Also consumes tuni- the tail. Max size: 45 cm. cates, other benthic invertebrates, and algae. Diet: Graze on algae. Reproduction and Development: Has a long larval phase and settles at a large size (6 cm), Blue Tang resulting in its very wide geographic distribution. Acanthurus coeruleus (Acanthuridae) Remarks: The moorish idol was the icon of Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes the Golden Gate Park Steinhart Aquarium Distribution: New York (rare north of Florida), since 1923.. Bermuda, Northwest Gulf of Mexico south to Gill, the leader of the tank fish inFinding Nemo, Brazil, east to Ascension Island. with the voice of Willem Dafoe, is a moorish Habitat: May be solitary, but typically in large idol. schools over rocky areas or coral reefs, 2–40 m. Often school with other species of surgeonfishes. Achilles Tang aka Achilles Surgeonfish Appearance: Length to 39 cm. Juveniles yellow, Acanthurus achilles (Acanthuridae) subadults blue with yellow tails. Adults blue, Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes laterally compressed, more circular than other Distribution: Indo-Pacific. surgeonfish. Habitat: Clear seaward reefs, primarily in the Diet: Graze on algae. surf zone to 4 m. Usually in small groups. California Academy of Sciences 185

Reproduction and Development: External dorsal fins brown with blue highlight at tip. fertilization. Open water/substratum egg Orange band on last third of dorsal fin. Yellow scatterers. Adults do not guard eggs. Males stripes along base of dorsal and anal fins, tail mature at 11 cm, females at 13 cm. blue with yellow bar. Length to 21 cm. Remarks: Adults can quickly change color Diet: Algae. from powder blue to deep purple, or become Reproduction and Development: Group paler or darker. spawner.

Eyestripe Surgeonfish Lined Surgeonfish Acanthurus dussumieri (Acanthuridae) Acanthurus lineatus (Acanthuridae) Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes Distribution: Indo-Pacific: from East Africa to Distribution: Indo-Pacific from East Africa Hawaii and the eastern Central Pacific. Also north to southern Japan and south to New from southwest Japan to the Great Barrier Reef. South Wales, Australia. Absent from most of the Central Pacific. Habitat: Usually found on exposed outer reef Habitat: Adults are found mainly on deep areas at depths of 1–3 m. coastal reef slopes and outer reef walls, often on Appearance: Compressed, disc-like body deep shipwrecks. Depth ranges from 4–130 m. with a large venomous, scalpel-like spine Appearance: Bluish to brownish body with on each side of the caudal peduncle. Body is horizontal line markings; yellow stripe through yellowish green, with bright blue stripes edged eye, blue tail with numerous black spots; white with black most pronounced on the flank. The caudal spine with the socket edged in black. stripes on the belly are lavender blue to bluish. Typically seen as a solitary fish but may also The pelvic fins are bright orange. Length to occur in small groups. Max. size: 50 cm. 38 cm. Diet: Grazes algae from reefs and sand. Diet: Herbivorous, browses on algae. Large Reproduction and Development: Reported to males patrol defined feeding areas and be a pair spawner; eggs are small and pelagic. maintain harems of females. Remarks: Surgeonfish are able to slash other Reproduction and Development: Migrates to fishes with their caudal spines by a rapid side- and spawns in aggregations at specific sites, sweep of the tail. although they sometimes spawn in pairs. The eyestripe surgeonfish reputedly has a strong Spawning occurs year-round at lower latitudes odor when cooked. The Hawaiian name for this but may be seasonal at higher latitudes. The fish ispalani and a Hawaiian riddle based on this eggs and larvae are pelagic. name means “odor reaching to heaven.” Mortality/Longevity: Can live 30 to 45 years. This species can quickly change its coloration Remarks: The caudal spines are very effective to a much darker shade that obscures the defense mechanisms for surgeonfish. They are yellow and markings. razor sharp and useful weapons against attack. The lined surgeonfish was first described in Powder Brown Tang 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. Acanthurus japonicus (Acanthuridae) Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes Mata Tang Distribution: Asian-Pacific: Sulawesi to Philip- Acanthurus mata (Acanthuridae) pines, SW Japan. Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes Habitat: Clear lagoons and shallow (2–12 m) Distribution: Red Sea and East Africa to seaward reefs. French Polynesia; southwest to Japan, Great Appearance: Like all surgeonfish, are colorful, Barrier Reef, New Caledonia. thin-bodied, oval shaped. Typically have long Habitat: Frequently inshore in turbid water, as continuous dorsal and anal fins and crescent- well as outer reefs in depths 5–100 m. Usually shaped caudal fins. in groups of conspecifics. Brownish body with white patch on check Appearance: Length to 50 cm. Compressed, between eyes and mouth; pectoral, anal, and pale to dark bluish body with numerous dark 186 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

to blue horizontal lines. Yellow dorsal fin, Orangeband Surgeonfishaka Orange Shoul- upper lip and band across eyes. der Tang Diet: Group grazer upon plankton. Acanthurus olivaceus (Acanthuridae) Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes Reproduction and Development: Form Distribution: resident spawning aggregations mid-water. Eastern Indo-Pacific. Habitat: Conservation Status: IUCN: Not Evaluated. Near reefs over sand, bare rock and Reported to be moderately to highly vulnerable rubble substrates, 3–45 m. Juveniles inhabit to extinction in the scientific press. protected bays and lagoons in depths as shal- low as 3 m. Adults occur singly or in schools. Remarks: Marketed as a food fish. Appearance: Juveniles less than 6 cm are Whitecheek Surgeonfishaka Goldrim Tang yellow, subadults become a dirty yellowish- Acanthurus nigricans (Acanthuridae) brown. At 12 cm have the adult coloration: light Surgeonfishes and Unicornfishes gray head and forebody, dark gray behind; Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean and blue-edged elliptical orange band behind up- throughout the tropical Pacific, including per gill cover. Length to 35 cm. Indonesia and the Philippines, eastward as Diet: Diurnal feeder on surface film of detritus, far as Hawaii, Galapagos and coast of Mexico. diatoms and filamentous algae covering sand Habitat: Hard substrates of clear lagoon and and rocks. especially exposed reefs to 67 m. Reproduction and Development: Spawn, Appearance: Length to 21 cm. Body dark typically at dusk. brown, navy-blue or black. Tail white with Mortality/Longevity: An important food fish. yellow bar; white patch below eye, white ring Mimic Surgeonfish behind mouth; yellow line at base of anal and Acanthurus pyroferus (Acanthuridae) dorsal fins; yellow tail spine. Surgeonfishes and Unicornfishes Diet: Filamentous algae. Distribution: Indonesia, Philippines, Reproduction and Development: Monoga- Micronesia to French Polynesia; southwest mous. Following external fertilization, female Japan to New Caledonia and the Great Barrier scatters eggs over substrate. Hatched larvae Reef. join the plankton. Habitat: Lagoon and seaward reefs from 4–60 Remarks: Territorial. m. Prefers areas of mixed coral, rock or sand near base of reefs. Often observed on silty reefs. Bluelined Surgeonfish Acanthurus nigroris (Acanthuridae) Appearance: Length to 25 cm. Adults have a Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to purplish-black to brown body; curving black Hawaiian Islands. band from chin to upper edge of the operculum; orange patch above base of pectoral fin. Front of Habitat: Clear lagoons and outward reefs to juvenile’s body (“face”) is gray; body is white 90 m. anteriorly and dark posteriorly. Dark-colored Appearance: Dark brown body with numerous caudal fin rounded in juveniles. blue stripes in scroll patterns on face and chest, Diet: Algae. more horizontal on body. Dark peduncular Reproduction and Development: spine and tail. Small but distinctive black spots Following on rear base of both dorsal and anal fins. A external fertilization female scatters eggs over small surgeonfish; max. size: 25 cm. open water substrate; eggs not guarded. Remarks: Diet: Filamentous algae, diatoms, fine algal The common name “mimic” is based film. on the juvenile coloration; juveniles exhibit three different color patterns mimicking angelfish in Reproduction and Development: Pelagic the Centropyge genus. Coloration of juveniles spawner. mimics these angelfishes until they achieve the Remarks: Solitary or forms small groups. largest size attained by the angelfishes; then their appearance transforms to the appropriate adult coloration for A. pyroferus. Presumably California Academy of Sciences 187

there is an advantage to mimicking an angelfish R e m a r k s : The genus C t e n o c h a e t u s which possesses a sharp, preopercular spine (bristletooths) have differently shaped when this young surgeonfish and its peduncular mouths than Acanthurus species. The latter spines are quite small. group have lips and dentition suitable for snipping off the tips and branches of algae. Convict Tang aka Convict Surgeonfish Bristletooths feed on detritus and unicellular Acanthurus triostegus (Acanthuridae) algae from the surfaces of dead coral, rock, Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes seagrasses, or other algae, using specialized Distribution: Indo-Pacific. bristle-like teeth to scrape off their meal and Habitat: Juveniles in tide pools. Adults in then suck it into the mouth. Both groups are lagoon and seaward reefs in areas of hard favorites of aquarists for their tank-cleaning substrates from sea level to 90 m; typically services. occur in shallows to 5 m. Their diet may contain high concentrations Appearance: Length to 27 cm. White with 5–6 of the dinoflagellates that produces ciguatera black bars on head and body. toxin, and so bristletooths and their predators Diet: Filamentous algae. are known to sometimes concentrate sufficient Reproduction and Development: Spawn at toxin to cause illness in humans. sunset within small groups that break away Tomini Tang from a huge milling aggregation of conspecifics Ctenochaetus tominiensis (Acanthuridae) at a reef edge or channel entrance. Pelagic eggs. Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes Larvae drift ~75 days. Post-larvae settle in Distribution: Western Central Pacific, intertidal areas of benches and reef flats. including Indonesia, Philippines, to northern Mortality/Longevity: Eggs and sperm are Great Barrier Reef. preyed upon by eagle rays, which are often Habitat: Steep coral drop-offs of sheltered coasts. present during spawning. Appearance: Brown with pale lower head. The Remarks: Ubiquitous, one of the most only species of Ctenochaetus (bristletooths) with widespread coral reef species. May be solitary, angular dorsal and anal fins; outer portion of in small groups or in schools of 1,000 or more. these fins is a bright orange. Caudal fin white. This black-barred fish’s common name Max length: 15 cm. presumably alludes to the coloration of many Diet: See Goldring Bristletooth remarks above. prison uniforms of the previous century. Reproduction and Development: Pelagic This species has a very small caudal spine and spawner. therefore is near the gutter of the “acanthurid pecking order.” Thus they usually feed in large, Spotted Unicornfish roving aggregations which overwhelm the Naso brevirostris (Acanthuridae) defenses of territorial herbivores. Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes Distribution: Goldring Bristletooth aka Spotted Surgeonfish Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Ctenochaetus strigosus (Acanthuridae) Hawaiian Islands, north to southern Japan, Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes south to Australia. Distribution: Central Pacific. Habitat: Mid-waters along steep outer lagoon and seaward reef drop-offs, from 4–45 m. Habitat: Coral-rich areas of deep lagoon and seaward reefs. Appearance: Olive-brown to blue-grey with dark spots on head and vertical rows of spots Appearance: Brown with pale yellow spots and lines on sides. Tail whitish with dark area at on head and pale yellow pinstripes on body. base. Long, tapering horn on forehead of adults Conspicuous, broad yellow ring around the is lacking in juveniles. Max length: 60 cm. eye. Max. length: 15 cm. Diet: Juveniles: benthic algae; adults: mainly Diet: Feeds on algae and detritus using its zooplankton. comb-like teeth. Reproduction and Development: Pelagic Reproduction and Development: Pelagic spawners. spawner. 188 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Remarks: Unicornfishes (Naso spp.) are unicornfishes have 1 or 2 sharp, fixed keel-like characterized by 2 sharp, fixed (not moveable peduncular plates. as in surgeonfishes), keel-like plates on the The spines are used both offensively and defen- caudal peduncle. The skin is leathery with tiny sively. non-overlapping scales, and teeth have finely serrate edges. Bignose Unicornfishaka Bumphead Naso Males of many Naso species are able to display Naso vlamingii (Acanthuridae) spectacular iridescent markings during courtship. Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Orangespine Unicornfish Habitat: Deep lagoon and seaward reefs from Naso lituratus (Acanthuridae) 4–50 m.in conspecific groups off steep slopes. Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes Appearance: Length to 60 cm. Adults develop Distribution: Indo-Pacific. a convexly rounded prominent snout and ex- Habitat: Over coral, rock or rubble of lagoon tremely tall dorsal and anal fins. Gray ovate and seaward reefs from the lower surge zone compressed body with bright blue markings. to 90 m. Tips of the tail fin are unusually long. Appearance: Length to 46 cm. A hornless uni- Diet: Zooplankton. cornfish, despite the common name. Coloration Reproduction and Development: External varies among populations. Ovate compressed fertilization. Egg scatterers, non-guarding. body typically black with yellow dorsal fin and Remarks: Courting males are able to orange anal fin. Face white, prominent vertical instantaneously turn iridescent blue. black stripe from eyes to mouth. Diet: Primarily leafy brown algae. Flagtail Surgeonfishaka Hepatus Tang Reproduction and Development: External fertil- Paracanthurus hepatus (Acanthuridae) ization, open water pair spawning. Non-guarders. Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Bluespine Unicornfish Habitat: Clear, current-swept terraces of sea- Naso unicornis (Acanthuridae) ward reefs, 2–40 m. Typically in loose groups Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes 1–3 m above substrate. Shelters among branch- Distribution: Indo-Pacific. es of Pocillopora corals or in crevices of rocks. Habitat: Inhabits channels, moats, lagoons and Appearance: Ovate, compressed blue body. Tail seaward reefs with strong surge. Typically oc- and pectoral fins yellow. Black oval extends under curs in small groups at depths of 1–80 m. dorsal fin to caudal peduncle. Length to 31 cm. Appearance: Body color gray to olive , tail Diet: Zooplankton. spines blue, Short forehead horn does not Reproduction and Development: Fertiliza- project past mouth. Adult males tend be larger tion external. Open water egg scatterers on and have better developed horn, peduncular substrate. Nonguarders. spines, and caudal filaments than females. Length to 70 cm. Remarks: Single scalpel-like peduncular spine used offensively or defensively against con- Diet: Diurnal feeders on macro- and micro- specifics in struggles for dominance or against algae, including brown algae like Sargassum. predators. Reproduction and Development: External Dory, the co-star of Finding Nemo, with the fertilization. Pair-spawning has been observed; voice of Ellen DeGeneres’ “spaced-out” fish, pelagic larvae. is a hepatus tang. Most kids now recognize Mortality/Longevity: An important food fish this fish as Dory. on most tropical islands. Long-lived, up to 35 Taken for commercial and aquarium trade. years. Preyed upon by other fishes. Remarks: Rostral horn responsible for species’ Brown Scopas Tang common name. Zebrasoma scopas (Acanthuridae) Surgeonfishes have a single scalpel-like pedun- Surgeonfishes, Tangs, Unicornfishes cular spine which folds into a groove while Distribution: Widespread throughout the California Academy of Sciences 189

Indo-Pacific from Africa to Japan. in captivity as yet. Habitat: Lagoons and outer reefs to 50 m. Like many other species of fish, use phero- Particularly well suited to large aquaria where mones to communicate with conspecifics. they can roam. Like most Zebrasoma spp., contain ciguatoxins Appearance: Males and females similar. Color that can be poisonous to humans if eaten; can be variable; most often shades of gray and spines can inflict deep, painful wounds. brown with a greenish tinge running along the dorsal spine; “scalpels,” which are used against rivals, are white (Gr. Acanthus means “thorn” SUBORDER ANABANTOIDEI or “spine”). Length to 20 cm. (LABYRINTHFISHES) Diet: Predominantly herbivorous in the wild, Whiteseam Betta but eats many different foods in captivity. Betta albimarginata (Osphronemidae) Reproduction and Development: Mate in Labyrinthfishes groups, scattering eggs and sperm into the Distribution: Known only from the Sebuku water column. basin in Borneo, Indonesia. Remarks: Zebrasoma is a small genus of tangs Habitat: Forest streams with moderate current, characterized by round, laterally compressed especially in shallow water (5–10 cm deep) bodies, large dorsal sail-like fins, and pointed among plant roots and leaf litter of shore snouts. Because of their snouts, they are able to margins. eat filamentous algae that grow in spots other Appearance: Males have dark fins trimmed in fishes cannot reach, a talent that also makes white, and are more intensely colored than the them popular in aquariums large and small. relatively drab females. Max. length: c. 4 cm. Interestingly, Zebrasoma are known to irritate Diet: Small insects and various zooplankton. some stony corals to induce the release of zoo- Reproduction and Development xanthellae, evidently a sailfin delicacy. : Paternal mouth brooder. The female stakes out a Territorial and sometimes aggressive toward territory and initiates spawning, flaring her other fish, especially other sailfins. fins and coaxing the male into the typical betta Pacific Sailfin Tang side-by-side embrace. The female then deposits Zebrasoma veliferum (Acanthuridae) her eggs, the male fertilizes them and scoops Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes them into his mouth for protective brooding for Distribution: Western Pacific Ocean. the 12 or so days before they hatch and he spits out the fully formed fry. At least in captivity, Habitat: Lagoon or outer reef to 45 m. Solitary older fry from a previous spawn may eat their or in small groups. Juveniles inhabit sheltered younger siblings. inshore areas. Remarks: All species in the suborder Appearance: Length to 40 cm. White bars Anabantoidei possess an accessory breathing alternate with grey/brown bars with pale organ known as the labyrinth organ, highly bands. Displaying its enormous fins will more vascularized, folded flaps of skin that allow than double the size of this fish. Juveniles have the fish to take in atmospheric air when water alternating yellow and black bars. is oxygen deficient. Diet: Small leafy algae growing around rock This betta lacks the brilliant colors and flowing, and coral. dramatic fins of the “figthing bettas” that have Reproduction and Development: Spawn in been selectively bred for these features over pairs and groups. Larvae planktonic. generations. In the wild, speed and agility are Mortality/Longevity: Relatively long-lived, to more important than color and beauty. about 25 years; eaten by sharks and other fishes. Remarks: Shelter on the reef at night. Siamese Fighting Fish Betta splendens (Osphronemidae) The extended pelagic larval period of Zebra- Gouramis and their Allies soma spp. accounts for their broad distribu- Distribution tion, but has also kept them from being bred : Thailand, (formerly Siam, thus their name), Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and 190 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

parts of China. in oxygen directly from the air, an important Habitat: Shallow, warm freshwater of rice adaptation for fishes that live in warm, shallow, paddies, ponds, and slow moving streams. oxygen-poor water. They can live out of water Appearance: Usually grow to about 5cm, for several hours if necessary. though some varieties reach 30 cm in length. Striped Betta Known for brilliant colors (red, blue, turquoise, Betta taeniata (Osphronemidae) orange, yellow, and green, as well as marbled Gouramies patterns and metallic shades) and large, Distribution: Borneo; may also be found in flowing fins. other parts of South East Asia. Diet: Carnivorous surface feeder (note the Habitat: The upper parts of fast flowing rivers upturned mouth); in the wild feeds on insects and clear-water streams, especially in shallow and insect larvae. areas with vegetation where it hides when Reproduction: When ready to spawn, the threatened. male builds an elaborate bubble nest at the Appearance: An elongated fish with short, water’s surface. He will posture with flared rounded fins. Males: brownish color; small gills, twist his body and spread his elaborate iridescent green scales around the head and fins if interested in a female. She will darken in a black horizontal bar across the face close to color, and curve her body back and forth. The eye level. Lower body and fins have a green or male then wraps his body around the female bluish iridescence. The female is smaller and in a “nuptial embrace.” Some 10–40 eggs are less colorful. Length: c. 7 cm. released during each embrace, until the female Diet: Omnivore. is exhausted of eggs. The male fertilizes them, retrieves the sinking eggs in his mouth, and Reproduction and Development: Paternal deposits them in the bubble nest which he mouth brooders. During courtship, the male’s guards and tends. Incubation lasts for 24–36 body becomes an iridescent red Between 200 to hours, and the newly-hatched fry remain in 300 eggs are laid and fertilized, then the female the nest for 2-3 days before swimming free. spits them into the male’s mouth. The female Juveniles can reach sexual maturity at 3 defends the male and the territory during months. incubation which lasts about 9–12 days. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 2-5 years in Mortality/Longevity: Life span: c. 4 years. captivity. Remarks: These fish puff out when aggravated Conservation Status: Not at risk; bred or to intimidate other males while attracting successfully around the world for the aquarium females. trade. Breeders continue to develop new When threatened, they can lighten or darken varieties, often crossing species to enhance their color in seconds creating horizontal or colors, fin size, and combativeness. vertical dark bars depending on the degree Remarks: Betta splendens has been nicknamed of danger. “The Jewel of the Orient” due to its beauty and They have been kept in Thai households in wide range of colors. aquariums since the 1200s, in Europe since Males are highly territorial and aggressive, the 1800s. especially toward trespassing rivals. They are Pearl Gourami known to respond aggressively even to their Trichogaster leeri (Osphronemidae) own reflections in a mirror! Therefore, only Gouramies one male should be kept in aquarium tanks. Distribution: Asia: Malay Peninsula, Thailand Several females and other compatible fishes and Indonesia, including Borneo. can complete a peaceful community. Habitat: Small flowing rivers and lakes in areas Females will flare their gills at other females, of dense vegetation. especially when setting up a pecking order. Appearance: Has filamentous pelvic fins. Large Like their allies the gouramis, bettas possess a anal fin extends from just behind the pelvic lung-like labyrinth organ that allows them take fins almost to the caudal fin. Length to 12 cm. California Academy of Sciences 191

Diet: Omnivorous; small invertebrates and Habitat: Preference is thickly vegetated fresh plants. water in ditches, canals, ponds, swamps, riv- Reproduction and Development: All gouramis ers or lakes. build nests of small air bubbles that vary in Appearance: The three-spot gourami displays size, shape, and position depending on the only two spots, one in the center of the body species. Some may incorporate plants; others and a second on the caudal peduncle. The eye are only bubbles. is actually the third “spot”. Their scientific Remarks: Common name comes from the name refers to the long pelvic fins that seem small, light spots that cover the body like like “hair” (Gr. trichias) “wings” (Gr. pteron). iridescent “pearls. Length to 15 cm. Diet: Omnivorous Moonlight Gourami Reproduction and Development: Typical of Trichogaster microlepis (Osphronemidae) gouramies, male builds bubble nest, usually Gouramies under a large leaf, after which he displays to Distribution: Thailand and Cambodia. female. Their courtship ends with her releasing Habitat: Lives in ponds, lakes and swamps eggs, which the male fertilizes and then col- with shallow, sluggish or standing water and lects in his mouth and “spits” into the bubble abundant vegetation. nest, where he guards them until they hatch Appearance: It has a greenish hue similar in 2–3 days. to moonlight glow, hence its name, and Remarks: Like all gouramies, have a labyrinth a distinctive concave head. Males can be organ just behind the gills that enables these identified by the orange to red color of the fish to breathe air and so inhabit water low in pelvic fins and the long, pointed dorsal fins. oxygen. You may see them regularly come to The female’s pelvic fins are colorless to yellow, the surface, release an air bubble, or swallow while the dorsal fins are shorter and rounder. air.” Length: 12–15 cm. Diet: Omnivore. Eats insects, crustaceans, and ORDER PLEURONECTIFORMES zooplankton. (FLATFISHES) Reproduction and Development : Oviparous; Pacific Sanddab a bubble nest builder. The bubble nest does not Citharichthys sordidus (Paralichthyidae) contain much plant matter so the bubbles float Large-tooth Flounders around freely. The male performs a courtship Distribution: Bering Sea to Cabo San Lucas, dance beneath the nest, culminating with the Baja California. male wrapping itself around the female and turning her on her back as she releases her Appearance: Flatfish; left-eyed, bottom dwelling. eggs. Up to 2000 eggs may be laid during Eyed side mottled brown, blind side light. To 40 the spawning. The male fertilizes the eggs cm long. Similar to speckled sanddab though are as they float up to the prepared bubble nest. darker with yellow, orange, or reddish-brown Eggs incubate in the nest for 2–3 days before rather than black spots. hatching. Habitat: Sandy bottom, most commonly from Remarks: Like all gouramis, has a lung-like 45–140 m, though reported as deep as 550 m. organ that allows it to breathe air directly by Diet: Opportunistic feeders: small fishes, gulping at the surface, an ability that increases mollusks, marine worms, sea squirts, copepods. survival in low oxygen situations. Often swim above the bottom to feed. Reproduction and Development: Spawn from Blue Gourami July through September, possibly multiple Trichogaster trichopterus (Belontiidae) times. Gouramies Mortality/Longevity: Sharks, rays, marine Distribution: Southeast Asia: Mekong River mammals and a variety of seabirds are among basin in Laos, Yunnan, Thailand, Cambodia, their predators. Older specimens probably live and Viet Nam in excess of 11 years. 192 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Remarks: They are a popular food fish taken are known to bite. In the larval form flatfish by both commercial and sport fishermen. are bilaterally symmetrical and swim upright, Common in San Francisco Bay and the Gulf as do other fishes, but at about 13 days one of the Farallones. eye begins to migrate to the other side of the head. By the time the juvenile is about 8 mm, Speckled Sanddab it has turned on its side and begins a primarily Citharichthys stigmaeus (Bothidae) benthic lifestyle. Lefteye Flounders Like flatfish in general, is an ambush predator, Distribution: Alaska to southern Baja using its large, powerful caudal fin to accelerate California. off of the substrate when prey ventures near. Habitat: Lives on sandy bottom from nearshore Support important commercial and recreational to 360 m; most often found at less than 90 m. fisheries. Appearance: Small, left-eyed flatfish, c. 13–17 cm. Eyed side brown or tan with black speckles C-O Turbot and spots; blind side white. Pleuronichthys coenosus (Pleuronectidae) Diet: Small benthic crustaceans (mysid shrimp, Righteye Flounders amphipods especially), worms. Eaten by other Distribution: Southeastern Alaska to northern fishes, marine mammals, and sea birds. Baja. Reproduction and Development: Spawns Habitat: On sandy or rocky bottoms. Common March–October. Eggs and larvae pelagic. in shallow water, but found to depths of 350 m. Remarks: Like many members of their family, Appearance: A right-eyed flatfish. Eyed side speckled sanddabs can change color and dark brown to blackish, though able to change pattern to match the substrate. color to match substrate. Blind side white. Max. length: 36 cm. California Halibut aka California Flounder Diet: Benthic crustaceans, mollusks, and Paralichthys californicus (Paralichthyidae) worms. Large-tooth Flounders Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. Distribution: Northern Washington to Females lay eggs that float in mid-water until southern Baja California, though less common larvae develop and sink to bottom. north of San Francisco Bay. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 14 years. Habitat: Sandy bottoms to a depth of 90 m along Remarks: As in all members of the family, the shore, near rocks and in bays and estuaries. swim bladder is absent in adults, an adaptation Appearance: They have small heads with large for bottom-dwelling life style. mouths, small eyes set wide apart and the A dark spot on the caudal fin with a curved lateral line appears as a high arch above the dark bar in front of it gives this fish its common pectoral fin. Many of these fish are right eyed name: upside down the pattern reads “CO.” even though they are members of the left-eyed family. They may grow to 1.5 m in length and Caught commercially and recreationally in weigh 32 kg. small numbers. Like all flatfish, it is edible. Diet: Adults: fish and squid. Juveniles: small English Sole organisms such as copepods and amphipods. Pleuronectes vetulus (Pleuronectidae) Reproduction and Development: Spawn in Right-eye Flounders shallow water from February to July; some Distribution: Eastern Pacific: Bering Sea to southern populations may spawn year round. central Baja California. The females mature at 4–5 years and grow Habitat: Sand and mud bottoms. Young found larger than the males which are ready to spawn in intertidal areas and estuaries; migrate into at 2–3 years. deeper water as they mature. Mortality/Longevity: May live as long as 30 Appearance: A right-eyed flatfish with a years. Subject to predation by sea lions, sharks, pointed head. Eyed side a flat brown; the blind rays and dolphins. side white or pale yellow. Max length: 49 cm; Remarks: They have very sharp teeth, and common length: 30 cm. California Academy of Sciences 193

Diet: Small crustaceans, marine worms, brittle Africa, east to the Hawaiian Islands, north to stars, small mollusks. Often feed by digging southern Japan, and south to the Great Barrier snouts into sand to extract food items. Reef. Reproduction and Development: Pelagic Habitat: Marine reefs, 4–60 m depth. spawner. Move to deeper water for spawning. Appearance: Kite-shaped body so dark it Larvae transform into flatfish shape at 6–10 looks black, but is actually a deep forest green. weeks. Pectoral fins yellow, black-edged gray or white Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by large dorsal and anal fins, white and pink tail. Max. flounders, California sea lions, and cormorants. length: 40 cm. Life span: c. 20 years. Diet: Algae, detritus, sponges, crustaceans, Remarks: Pigmented side is capable of octopuses, and fishes. remarkable color changes to match substrate. Reproduction and Development: Lays eggs As in all flatfish, the swim bladder disappears in nests guarded by the female. in the adult. Remarks: The first dorsal spine has a locking Are an important part of the flatfish trawl mechanism. fishery from California to British Columbia, Like all triggerfishes, able to rotate eyeballs where they are second only to Dover sole in independently. total pounds landed. Black Triggerfish aka Redtooth Triggerfish Odonus niger (Balistidae) ORDER TETRAODONTIFORMES Triggerfishes Distribution: Clown Triggerfish Red Sea to Marquesas and Soci- Balistoides conspicillum (Balistidae) ety Islands, north to Southern Japan, south to Triggerfishes Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. Distribution: Indo-Pacific; East Africa to Sa- Habitat: Current-swept seaward reefs 2–35 m. moa, north to Hakkaido, south to Lord Howe Appearance: Length to 40 cm. Head green with Island. Throughout Micronesia. rows of dark blue dots and stripes. Body, fins Habitat: Clear seaward reefs, 3-–5 m. Adults pre- dark blue. fer coral-rich areas of outer reef terraces adjacent Diet: Plankton and occasionally sponges, cor- to steep drop offs. Juveniles usually near ledges als, and other invertebrates. and caves of steep drop offs below 20 m. Reproduction and Development: External fer- Appearance: Length to 50 cm. Adults have a tilization. Forms pairs, builds and guards nest. small yellow mouth, black dorsal side with Remarks: When alarmed retreats into crevasses, yellow venations, large white polka dots on with only tail filaments visible. belly, blue dorsal and anal fins. Blackbar Triggerfish aka Picassofish aka Diet: Solitary diurnal carnivores. Dentition is Humuhumu nukunuku a pua’a very efficient for chewing food with mineral Rhinecanthus aculeatus (Balistidae) structures, such as sea urchins, mollusks, corals, Triggerfishes crabs and other crustaceans. Also eat tunicates. Distribution: Indo-Pacific. Reproduction and Development: Female lays demersal eggs in a nest which is aggressively Habitat: Subtidal reef flats and shallow pro- guarded by the male. tected lagoons to 50 m. In sandy areas with rubble and shelter cavities. Remarks: Large, thick dorsal spine may be locked upright by the second spine (the Appearance: Length to 30 cm. Light brown trigger). dorsally, shading to white ventrally, with a large black area containing four blue diagonal Pinktail Triggerfish bands. Melichthys vidua (Balistidae) Diet: Algae, detritus, mollusks, crustaceans, Triggerfishes worms, sea urchins, heart urchins, fishes, coral, Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East to South tunicates, foraminiferans and eggs. 194 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Reproduction and Development: Sexes aquaria, they may been weaned onto live brine separate; fertilization external. Oviparous. shrimp, but this will not provide the complete Demersal eggs in nest aggressively guarded nutrition they require.) Protruding snout and by the male. teeth that project from small mouth permit Remarks: Complete Hawaiian name Hu- them to snip off coral polyps. muhumu nukunuku a pua’a means “grunts like a Reproduction and Development : pig,” a reference to its habit of loudly grunting Monogomous batch spawners and non- when disturbed. guarders, scattering eggs among algae on the Popular in the tee shirt trade as a poster fish substrate. After spawning and fertilization, the for the State of Hawaii. pair swims back to their territory. Highly territorial; individuals or pairs aggres- Remarks: Because the orange-spotted filefish sively defend their turf. has a passive nature, it needs a species-specific Sleeps on its side. tank, or one with very passive tank mates. For successful acclimation, the aquarium should Popular in the aquarium trade. also include hiding places. Gilded Triggerfishaka Bluechin Triggerfish Shaw’s Boxfish Xanthichthys auromarginatus (Balistidae) Aracana aurita (Aracanidae) Triggerfishes Deepwater Boxfishes Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean: southern Hawaiian Islands, north to the Ryukyus, south Australia and Tasmania. to New Caledonia. Habitat: Continental shelf to depths of 160 m. Habitat: Marine reefs, 8–150 m depths. Also on deep rocky reefs. Appearance: Steel blue with white spots. Males Appearance: Sexes dichromatic: males covered have blue chin patch and yellow margins on with blue spots and lines, females orange/ dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. Females lack brown with white lines. Max. size: 20 cm. chin patch, and have maroon stripe on base of dorsal and anal fins, and on outer margin of Diet: Small worms and other invertebrates as tail. Max. size: 30 cm well as plant material. Diet: Zooplankton, especially copepods. Remarks: Like its Australian tank mate above, this fish also releases a poisonous substance, Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. called ostracitoxin, which will kill other fish in Lay eggs in nests. the tank very quickly. Remarks: Form small, loose aggregations. Ornate Cowfish Aracana ornate (Aracanidae) ORDER TETRAODONTIFORMES Deepwater Boxfishes (PUFFERS AND FILEFISHES) Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean, southern Orange-spotted Filefish coast of Australia. Oxymonacanthus longirostris (Monacanthidae) Habitat: Shallow tropical seas under 20 m. Filefishes Appearance: Brownish gold background with Distribution: Indo-Pacific. a handsome pattern of white stripes and spots. Habitat: Clear lagoons and seaward reefs in Max size: 15 cm. depths from 0.5–30 m. Diet: Small benthic crustaceans, algae. Appearance: Color: pale blue with about eight Remarks: Rare (and expensive) in the longitudinal rows of orange-yellow patches, Aquarium trade. or green with small dark-edged yellow to Though the cowfish moves slowly, it requires orange spots. Dark spot on the caudal fin Long surprisingly little thrust as water flows over snout with a small upturned mouth; concave its body very efficiently. The fish is so good at body profile above and below the snout. Max. turning and balancing that engineers modeled size: 12.0 cm. Diet: Feeds almost exclusively a submarine after it on Acropora polyps throughout the day. (In California Academy of Sciences 195

Ornate Cowfish Amazon Basin. Aracana ornate (Aracanidae) Habitat: Mostly warm freshwater and coastal Deepwater Boxfishes streams. Distribution : Eastern Indian Ocean, southern Appearance: Max size: 7.5 cm. coast of Australia. Diet: An active hunter, especially of snails. Habitat: Shallow tropical seas under 20 m. Reproduction: Pairs breed during the wet Appearance : Brownish gold background with season, spawning in rivers. Small eggs are a handsome pattern of white stripes and spots. scattered on the substrate and hatched larvae Max size: 15 cm. are carried downstream. Diet: Small benthic crustaceans, algae. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 10+ years. Remarks : Rare (and expensive) in the Remarks: Continuous growth of teeth keeps Aquarium trade. these fish ready for their crunchy and abrasive Though the cowfish moves slowly, it requires diet of crustaceans and snails. In captivity, surprisingly little thrust as water flows over these puffers should have a daily dose of snails its body very efficiently. The fish is so good at to prevent beak overgrowth. turning and balancing that engineers modeled These active and curious little fish need a a submarine after it!! complexly decorated aquarium to explore, or Papuan Toby aka Spotted Sharpnose Puffer like big cats in a barren cage, they will be found Canthigaster papua (Tetradontidae) “pacing” back and forth along the aquarium Pufferfish glass. Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Philippines, Like other puffers, can inflate themselves when Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia. threatened, presenting a much larger and spine- laden body to suddenly disheartened predators. Habitat: Various reef habitats from fringing reefs to lagoons, patch reefs, and deeper Many pufferfishes are highly toxic. C. asellus seaward reefs to 35 m. produces saixitoxin, the same neurotoxin produced by marine dinoflagellates such Appearance: Brown overall with blue lines on the as Gymnodinium, source of the red tides off back, forehead, and snout; blue spots on sides; the California coast. Ingestion of saxitoxin black spot at base of dorsal fin. Max. size: 10 cm. by humans, usually through ingestion of Diet: Mostly algae, but also take a variety of contaminated shellfish, can produce potentially small, benthic invertebrates. Some may nip off lethal paralytic shellfish poisoning. the tips of small-polyped stony corals and soft corals with their strong, fused teeth. Reproduction and Development: Haremic, with males establishing territories. Males CLASS SARCOPTERYGII posture and display to discourage conspecific (LOBE-FINNED FISHES) competitors, a ritual that can become violent and result in serious injury. Remarks: Tobies, both in the wild and the ORDER COELACANTHIFORMES aquarium, need hard calcareous material (COELACANTHS) to bite on to wear down their teeth, which Coelacanth (specimen) otherwise continue to grow and may interfere Latimeria chalumnae (Latimeriidae) with regular feeding. Coelacanths Like all members of its family, tobies are Distribution: Western Indian Ocean; off coasts able inflate themselves to a prickly ball that of Comoros Islands, Kenya, Mozambique, discourages predators. Madagascar, South Africa. Amazon Pufferfish Habitat: By day, along steep rocky shore, Colomesus asellus (Tetradontidae) sheltered in caves with as many as 13 Pufferfish conspecifics in a single cave at depths 100– Distribution: Peru, Colombia, Brazil. The 700 m. By night, several individuals occupy 196 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

overlapping home ranges. ORDER CERATODONTIFORMES (AUSTRALIAN LUNGFISH) Appearance: Length to 2 m. Weight to 95 k. Body dark, metallic blue-black, with numerous Australian Lungfish irregular pale blotches. Neoceratodus forsteri (Ceratodontidae) Diet: After sunset, a coelacanth singly leaves Australian Lungfish its cave and moves slowly across the substrate, Distribution: Four rivers in the state of presumably looking for food, within 1–3 Queensland, Australia. meters of the bottom, drifting passively with Habitat: Rivers with low flow in the austral the current or swimming slowly with its paired summer, then restricted to pools that remain. fins and its second dorsal and anal fins. Travels as much as 8 km in search of food and retreats Appearance: Flipperlike fins, large scales; stocky, to the nearest cave before dawn. Preys on fishes compressed body. To nearly 2 m in length. and squid (a skate, an eel and a swell shark Diet: Omnivorous. Plant material is an impor- have also been reported as eaten). tant component of the diet. A relatively small gill area seems to limit Reproduction: Eggs hatch into small lung- coelacanth to a slow metabolism and fish; unlike African (Protopteridae) and South movements, drift-feeding at night in cold American (Lepidosirenidae) lungfishes, the waters and resting in slightly warmer caves Australian lungfish has no larval stage for food digestion during the day. By resting Mortality/Longevity: Live to more than 65 in caves where there are no strong currents, years in captivity. Some individuals may live the coelacanth saves energy and avoids to 100 years. encounters with large predators such as deep- Conservation Status: CITES Appendix II. Loss water sharks. of habitat threatens this species. Reproduction and Development: Ovovivipa- Remarks: One Australian lungfish is the old- rous, with as many as 5–29 offspring. Gestation est specimen in the Steinhart’s live collection; period estimated at 3 years, which would be “Methusela” arrived from the Melbourne Zoo the longest known in vertebrates. in 1938. It was half its current size at the time. Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by large sharks. This species most resembles lungfish fossil Live to at least 48 years, and perhaps to 80. forms. Conservation Status: CITES: Appendix I: Unlike the African lungfish, this species international trade banned since 1990. IUCN: cannot survive dry spells through estivation. Critically Endangered. Although the lung supplements the gills Remarks: Entire books have been written during times of oxygen stress, it cannot survive about this species! solely by breathing air. This “living fossil,” was first documented as a The Australian lungfish has only a single lung; living species in 1938, when discovered near the the other two lungfish species have paired Comoros Islands off the east coast of Africa. It lungs. comes from a line of fishes thought to have been extinct since the time of dinosaurs some 66 million years ago. Earliest representatives from the fossil record date to at least 360 million years ago. CLASS AMPHIBIA Until fairly recently, coelacanths were believed to be the ancestors of tetrapods, though many ORDER CAUDATA researchers presently give this distinction to (SALAMANDERS) lungfishes. The issue has yet to be resolved. When the animal swims, the left pectoral and Chinese Giant Salamander right pelvic fins move forward, while the right Andrias davidianus (Cryptobranchidae) pectoral and left pelvic fins are pulled backward. Distribution: Streams and rivers in Southeast This tandem movement of alternate paired fins China. resembles the movement of the forelimbs and Habitat: Totally aquatic. Clear, cold, fast- hindlimbs of a tetrapod walking on land. California Academy of Sciences 197

flowing mountain streams. Active nocturnally; Remarks: Able to estivate when their ponds rests under rocks by day. dry up. The mucous coat covering their skin Appearance: Length to 1. m. Body broad and flat- hardens into a parchment-like cocoon over the tened, tail laterally compressed. Colored whitish body, excepting the mouth. with black and charcoal dots and mottling. When grasped by humans, siren vocalization Diet: Fishes, salamanders, worms, insects, sounds like yelps. crayfish and snails located nocturnally by smell and touch. Giant salamanders have very slow ORDER ANURA metabolism and are capable of going for weeks (TOADS AND FROGS) between meals. Reproduction and Development: Male builds Dwarf African Frog a nest and entices a female to his site. External Hymenochirus boettgeri (Pipidae) fertilization on strings of ~ 600 eggs laid in nest Distribution: Central Africa: Niger, Cameroon in streambed. Male drives away his mate and through Zaire. guards the eggs until they hatch. Habitat: Freshwater; shallow rivers, creeks, Mortality/Longevity: Can live to more than and ponds. 50 years. Appearance: Like all pipids, are dorsoventrally Conservation Status: Endangered due to flattened, though females are typically rounder pollution and damming of rivers. and larger than males. Max. size: 3.5 cm. Remarks: It’s the world’s largest salamander. Diet: Insects and small fish fry. Unlike Its heavily wrinkled skin aids in respiration terrestrial frogs usually noted for their sticky (oxygen uptake). tongues used to capture prey, pipids lack Species first described by Pere David, a Jesuit tongues entirely, and as aquatic feeders, seem scientist who made an early biological survey to depend on the creation of negative pressure of China. A prized gourmet food item in some by the rapid opening of the mouth that sucks regions of China. in prey that is then swallowed whole. Eyesight is poor; prey detection depends more on sense Lesser Siren aka Mud Siren of smell and vibration. Siren intermedia (Sirenidae) Reproduction and Development: Male Distribution: Southeast USA. captures the female in the embrace of amplexus Habitat: Totally aquatic. Inhabit shallow, heav- and holds on for hours. If receptive, the female ily vegetated freshwater lakes, marshes and releases eggs near the surface where the male swamps, often buried in mud or sand. fertilizes them. Eggs attach to the water’s Appearance: Adults: length to 25 cm. Eel-like surface tension layer and hatch in about 24 appearance, external gills, minute front legs, hours. Larvae are free-swimming for about 27 rear legs lacking. Tiny eyes. Larvae black with days, and tadpoles metamorphose into small red markings. frogs in t six weeks. Diet: Benthic nocturnal feeders upon insect Mortality/Longevity: Life span: about 5 years. larvae, crayfish, worms, snails and small fish. Remarks: The dwarf African frog has been Mouth lacks teeth; prey is crunched by siren’s introduced to southeastern Florida. horny beak and swallowed whole. Pipid males lack vocal cords but are able to Reproduction and Development: Mating has communicate underwater via clicking sounds never been observed; likely external fertiliza- generated by the larynx. tion. Females lay up to 1500 eggs singly, dis- persing them widely onto aquatic vegetation. Surinam Toad A parent guards until the larvae hatch 45–75 Pipa pipa (Pipidae) days later. Distribution: South America: Amazon region. Conservation Status: Threatened in Texas due Habitat: Freshwater; can live in oxygen defi- to drainage of wetlands. Due to degradation of cient, muddy, turbid or even polluted water. habitat, likely threatened elsewhere. Benthic, rises to surface to breathe. 198 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Appearance: Length to 20 cm. Stout body, reproduction is fairly common. Females attach huge, webbed rear feet for propulsion. Body the egg clusters to the underside of water- dark, gray to brown. Head triangular with washed rocks and logs. The eggs are large and flaps of skin on the jaw. Fingers are not webbed few in number. Tadpoles have very large, funnel– and terminate in star-like tipped extremities shaped mouths. They cling with their mouths at equipped with tactile sensory organs. the surface while their body hangs vertically. Diet: Juveniles are cannibals and predators. This helps them feed on microorganisms at the Adults locate food with long fingers with tac- water’s surface. tile receptors in murky water. Adults eat fish, Remarks: Call is unmistakable: a loud, worms, insects, and crustaceans. resonating, metallic honk or henk, somewhat Reproduction and Development: Males reminiscent of an air horn. The Jahai, an utilize a rapidly repeated clicking sound to aboriginal group from northern Peninsular attract mates. Fertilization external. Eggs are Malaysia, call this frog “Kengkang,” extruded while the pair somersaults in the onomatopoeic after its call. water column. Female’s epidermis becomes Oak Toad soft at mating; 290+ (60–100 eggs according to Bufo quercicus (Bufonidae) another reference) eggs laid on her back sink into her skin; within 24 hours the female’s Distribution: Southeastern U.S. form southern skin begins to swell around her eggs form- tip of Florida to southern Virginia, west to ing pockets that cover over with skin. Larvae eastern Louisiana. mature through the tadpole stage within these Habitat: Coastal plains in moist grassy areas pockets for 12–20 weeks. Eventually emerging near pine or oak savannahs with sandy soil. as fully formed toads, though they are less Also in vernal pools and freshwater wetlands. than 2 cm long. Appearance: Length from snout to vent: 1.9 to Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by some indig- 3.3 cm. Short head with pointed nose. Flat body enous Amazonian people. is black to brown with a long dorsal stripe of Remarks: Like all Pipidae, it lacks a tongue. white, cream, yellow, or orange. Back has fine The clicking sound they make is produced by bumps of red to orangish-brown. Relatively snapping the hyroid bone in their throats. long teardrop-shaped parotid (poison) glands extend down the sides of the head. Asian Horned Frog Diet: Primarily terrestrial insects and other Megophrys nasuta (Megophryidae) small arthropods. Active during the day unlike Distribution: Borneo, Malay Peninsula, most toads of the genus Bufo. Sumatra. Reproduction and Development: Sexes Habitat: Lives in relatively cool damp environs. separate. Males make high-pitched calls Optimal temperature is between 22–24° C. to attract females. Breeding takes place in Found on the rainforest floors, usually near shallow pools, ditches, and ponds. Eggs hatch small streams. and tadpoles develop into adult toads in Appearance: Have projections above each eye about 2 months. No parental care. A notable and nasal area, hence the name Horned Frog. evolutionary advantage: if males are unable Designed for camouflage; back is gray, tan, to produce sperm, they have an ovary that russet, or brown and darkens toward the side becomes functional, allowing them to breed making the frog almost invisible among the as females! forest leaf litter. The smooth skin resembles Mortality/Longevity: Predators include snakes dead leaves. Females are about 12.5 cm and and larger frogs. males about half that size. Conservation Status: Not listed, but numbers Diet: Mainly crabs and scorpions; also are declining due to habitat loss. arachnids, nestling rodents, lizards and other Remarks: B. quercicus is the smallest toad frogs that live on the forest floor. species in the Western Hemisphere. Reproduction and Development: Oviparous. Though small, it plays a significant role in Little is known about natural breeding. Captive insect population control. California Academy of Sciences 199

Like most toads, its poison glands secrete a rotates eggs. Males can tend offspring of several toxic fluid used to deter predators. different females simultaneously. The male of this species transports tadpoles on its back, typically Borneo River Toad one at a time, to pools of water, commonly in tree Phrynoidis juxtaspera (Bufonidae) cavities. The male excretes a thick mucus on its Distribution: This species is widely distributed back, soluble only in water so the tadpoles are in Borneo and Sumatra. It probably occurs securely attached until arrival in their new home. more widely than current records suggest, Mortality/Longevity: Life span: known to live especially in areas between known sites. It 8 years in captivity, probably a much shorter occurs up to elevations of 1,600 meters. period in the wild. Habitat: Found along rocky creeks and Conservation status: Still reported to be locally riverbanks. Breed in rocky-bottomed, strong common. Popular in the pet trade; most sold flowing streams where the larvae also develop. are captive-born. Appearance: Phrynoidis juxtaspera is one Remarks: Common in cocoa (not coca) planta- of the two river toads. It can get as big as a tions. small rabbit. The toad has extensive webbing Introduced to Hawaii to control non-native between toes and is a good swimmer; strong insect populations. The “success” of this ex- legs make it a good jumper as well. periment has yet to be proven. Diet: Ants, other insects, spiders. Aposematic (“warning”) coloration shies Reproduction and Development: No specific diurnal predators away from this bold frog. information found. Most species of toads lay eggs in water. The eggs develop into tadpoles, Blue Poison Dart Frog which metamorphose into adult toads. Dendrobates azureus (Dendrobatidae) Remarks: The toads secrete large amounts of Distribution: Panama and Guyanas. highly toxic, milky poison from their warts Habitat: Adults entirely terrestrial. Active when molested. Not only skin secretions of diurnally. adults but also eggs and tadpoles are poisonous. Appearance: Length to 5 cm. Electric-blue However, large specimens are hunted for food coloration, flecked with black. in some areas: the toad is skinned, washed, and Diet: Carnivorous. cooked. The heat denatures the toxins. Reproduction and Development: Several Green and Black Poison Dart Frog clutches of 5-13 eggs per female. Eggs laid in Dendrobates auratus (Dendrobatidae) leaf litter. Male apparently selectively guard Distribution: Central America to Northwest eggs; often protects one clutch more than Colombia. another. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles Habitat: Lowland primary tropical rainforests. wriggle to the male’s dorsum. The male Active diurnally. transports them, one or two at a tme to quiet pools within leaves of bromeliads or into tree Appearance: Length to 4.2 cm female, 4.0 cm cavities. male. Calligraphic green marking on dark background. Color and pattern varies widely Mortality/Longevity: Life span: to 10 years among populations of this species. Conservation Status: Endangered due to rain Diet: Ants and mites, also tiny beetles, flies and forest destruction. springtails. Often captures insects feeding on Remarks: Aposematic “warning coloration” rotting fruit. shies diurnal predators away from this tiny Reproduction and Development: Males territo- but bold frog. rial at high population densities. Females do not Strawberry Poison Dart Frog defend territories, but some females guard protect- Oophaga (formerly Dendrobates) pumilio ing males and attack other females. Lay eggs in (Dendrobatidae) leaf litter during rainy season. Male visits the eggs Distribution: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama. periodically during the two weeks of development and sheds water on them, removes fungi and Habitat: Tropical rain forest leaf litter and 200 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

decaying vegetation. the most poisonous frog species, Pyllobates Appearance: Length to 2.5 cm. Despite the terribilis, the Golden Poison Dart Frog. common name, coloration is reportedly highly Phyllobates species are the frogs most commonly variable among locations. Individuals may be sought by South American tribes for the poison ripe-strawberry red, brilliant blue, deep green used on their hunting darts. or brown. The limbs are marbled dark blue and black. Body is slim, snout is rounded, the eyes Red-eyed Treefrog large. The long, slender forelimbs end in finger Agalychnis callidryas (Hylidae) and toe tips expanded into adhesive discs. Distribution: Southeastern Mexico, through Diet: Hunts diurnally, primarily upon ants Central America, to northwestern Colombia. and termites. Habitat: Live near ponds or rivers in neotropical Reproduction and Development: Males rainforests from sea level up to 960 m. These vocalize loudly in order to attract mates. nocturnal frogs are completely arboreal. Amplexus absent; fertilization external. During the day they remain motionless, Females lay clutches of 4–6 eggs in leaf blending in among the foliage. They live in litter during the rainy season. Males protect warm (75-85° F, day; 66-77° F, night), humid the clutch of eggs, keeping them moist by (80-100%) climates. periodically emptying their bladders on the Appearance: Males are smaller (about 5 cm) eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the female of this than females (almost 1.75 cm). Both have neon species, transports them on her back, often green backs. With its bright orange-red suction high into the canopy, to rosettes of bromeliads toe pads it easily clings, climbs, and jumps or to water-filled tree crevices and deposits among arboreal surfaces. Their distinctive one tadpole into each pool. She returns on a bright red, bulging eyes provide highly regular basis to feed her offspring unfertilized developed parabolic vision. A reticulated eggs. Tadpoles metamorphose after ~ six pale nictitating membrane shields the frog’s weeks. sensitive eyes. Conservation Status: Reported locally Diet: These carnivorous frogs ambush insects common, though tourism and cultivation of (crickets, moths, beetles, flies, grasshoppers) forests are problems for some populations. and even smaller frogs. Remarks: Indigenous hunters heat this frog Reproduction and Development: The red- over a fire to extract the toxin exuded from the eyed treefrog’s reproduction is remarkable frog’s skin glands. The hunters use the poison in all three phases: courting, mating, and to tip their hunting darts. development. Males call from branches and Their bright coloration is a “stay away” leaves of trees above ponds in the rainy warning to potential predators. Such coloration season; they vocalize in unison and threaten is called warning coloration, or aposematic, if one another competing for females. Females you are a biologist. approach calling males; once in amplexus, with one or even several males attached, the female Striped Poison Dart Frog descends to the pond, where she absorbs water Phyllobates sp. (Dendrobatidae) for each clutch of eggs and then climbs to a Distribution: Central and South America: leaf above the water. with all suitors attached! Nicaragua to Colombia. Sometimes a single male will become superior, Habitat: Humid lowlands to premontane at other times another male will displace zones. the original one and inseminate subsequent clutches. Clutches of 11–78 eggs are deposited Appearance: Most species are brightly colored. on the leaf, which usually is folded around the Diet: Various insects. Diurnal feeder. egg clutch. After hatching, tadpoles drop into Reproduction and Development: Eggs are the water. Tadpoles are mid-water filter feeders deposited in dry leaf-litter; males transport and orient themselves in a head-up position. hatching tadpoles to forest streams to complete Mortality/Longevity: Life span: 3–5 yrs. Adults metamorphosis. preyed upon by birds, turtles, lizards, snakes, Remarks: The genus Phyllobates contains California Academy of Sciences 201

bats and other mammals. Tadpoles taken by westward to central Texas, northwest to aquatic predators such as giant water bugs or Manitoba, and south to northern Florida. An fishing spiders such as those on display in the isolated colony is also noted in New Brunswick. Water Planet. Habitat: All elevations of wooded areas near Conservation Status: CITES Appendix II. temporary and permanent waters. A. callidryas has become the familiar icon Appearance: Dorsal surface is rough and for conservation of the world’s rainforests. sprinkled with warts, but less than those of an However, as deforestation continues to destroy average toad. Colors range with background its habitat, its numbers are shrinking. and environment (including season and These frogs are also threatened by being humidity), but shades of gray are common captured by zoos or for the pet trade. with a black star on the back and white mark Global warming, deforestation, climatic and beneath the eye. Bottom of hind legs and groin atmospheric changes, wetland drainage and are orange/yellow with black speckles; belly is pollution have caused dramatic declines and white. Sexes alike. Average size: length ~ 3–5 deformities in all amphibian populations cm; weight ~ 7 g. including those of the neotropical rainforests. Diet: Tadpoles: algae and detritus. Adults: opportunistic cannibals, eating smaller frogs Green Treefrog if they can catch and swallow them as well as Hyla cinerea (Hylidae) most insects and their larvae. Distribution: Central to Southeastern United Reproduction and Development: Males start States. North to Virginia’s eastern shore, south breeding choruses in April/May and go on to the southern tip of Florida, west to central for several weeks. Females choose males with Texas. the most prolonged and frequent calls. Eggs Habitat: Forest habitats in small ponds, large are externally fertilized by the male. Tadpoles lakes, marshes, and streams, especially in hatch in 3–7 days and become froglets in 6-8 richly vegetated areas. weeks. Appearance: Bright yellow-green above, Mortality/Longevity: Suffer a high mortality though some are reddish-brown to green, in the wild; in captivity can live up to 7 yrs. often with small golden spots. White to cream Remarks: Two species, Hyla versicolor and below with a prominent white lateral stripe Hyla chrysoscelis, look identical and are on each side. Length to 62 cm. Females larger distinguishable only by chromosome number than males. (H. chrysoscelis is diploid, H. versicolor is Diet: Insectivores: flies, mosquitoes, and other tetraploid) and mating call (trill rate is faster small insects. in H. chrysoscelis). The different pulse rate and Reproduction and Development: Breeding pitch of the mating call is a barrier to cross cycle is influenced by day length, temperature, breeding. and rainfall. To attract females, males produce Hylid treefrogs produce a mucus on their a distinct advertisement call. Males mate with toepads which adheres to smooth bark or as many females as they can attract. man-made structures. Also, extra cartilage Mortality/Longevity: Predators include segments between the last two bones of each snakes, birds, large fish, and other frogs. toe allow the toes to swivel and remain flat Predatory aquatic insects such as giant water against surfaces. bugs may take tadpoles. Green frogs in These frogs are known to seek out light sources, captivity are known to live as long as 6 years. which attract insects. Remarks: Active at night. During the day, adults are well camouflaged among grasses Waxy Monkey Tree Frog and other vegetation, especially when legs are Phyllomedusa sauvagii (Hylidae) tucked below the body and eyes are closed. Distribution: Chacoan (dry prairie) regions of Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Grey Treefrog Habitat: Arboreal, near ponds, lagoons, & Hyla versicolor (Hylidae) other bodies of fresh water. Distribution: Southern Ontario/Maine, 202 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Appearance: Green with prominent white At this point the larval gills regress and the stripes. Hind legs are relatively short. Length: larvae can drown without access to air. They 5–7.5 cm. reach adult breeding size in 9–12 months. Diet: Small insects such as flies and ants. Conservation Status: Listed as endangered Reproduction and Development: Breeding (IUCN) due to destruction of their habitat takes place during the rainy months, and and introduced predators. Pet trade also the frogs do not return to the ground. They decimating this species. deposit eggs in leaf nests attached to branches Remarks: The animal’s bright color advertises overhanging water. The leaves are rolled up the toxicity of skin secretions that protect it and secured by a waxy substance, and upon from most predators. hatching, tadpoles fall into the water where they mature. Painted Mantella Mantella baroni (Mantellidae) Remarks: The waxy monkey tree frog is adapted to a warm, dry environment by Distribution: Endemic to the forests of east- diurnal torpor, uric acid excretion, and the central Madagascar. ability to secrete a waxy substance on the skin Habitat: Includes swamp forests, semi-arid that limits water loss. The lipid secretions are streambeds, bamboo groves, and streamside distributed over the skin by the legs in a wiping forests, including rainforests. Also lives in movement. degraded and second-growth forests. Though visitors rarely see this nocturnal Appearance: Females generally larger than species move about; the frog, rather than males. Length from snout to vent: 3 cm. hopping, grabs branches and moves like tiny Diet: Diurnal; feed on insects, especially ants. monkeys swinging through the trees. Reproduction and Development: Like all mantellas, lack amplexus (the nuptial embrace Golden Mantella of most frog species). Instead, females lay Mantella aurantiaca (Mantellidae) eggs on land, but always close to water. When Distribution: Very limited in west central tadpoles develop, they are washed by rain into Madagascar. nearby stream or pool. Are successfully bred in Habitat: Sunny patches in the high montane captivity, though captive bred individuals are rainforest. Entirely terrestrial. Diurnally active. not widely available. Appearance: Length to 3 cm. Adult body Conservation Status: IUCN: Least concern. color may be yellow, orange or gold. Black A fairly common frog within its area of eye, horizontal pupils. Juveniles are black and distribution, parts of which are within borders green. of protected areas, though its increasing Diet: Very young tadpoles rasp algae and plant popularity in the pet trade may be reducing matter. 6-8 week old froglets begin to hunt its numbers. for flea-sized food. ~10 weeks begin to hunt Remarks: Research over the past several fruitflies and other insects. decades has shown that the poison dart frogs Reproduction and Development: Males (Dendrobates spp.) acquire their alkaloids call to females from their territories on the by eating ants, but the poison source for ground. Females roam among competing male Madagascar frogs remained unknown until territories. Fertilization internal (unusual for a recently. Now, Academy entomologist Brian frog). Lays eggs on leaf litter during the rainy Fisher and Cornell chemist Valerie Clark, season. Egg mass requires high humidity, together with colleagues from the United warmth and no direct sunlight, but not States and Madagascar, have found that immersion. At ~ 10 days larvae have absorbed Madagascar’s Mantella frogs also acquire much of their yolksac, the jelly surrounding their toxins from ants. Both groups have the eggs liquifies and forms a communal pool evolved ways to ingest the poisonous ants for the clutch. A few days later tadpoles are without harming themselves. Their bright washed into small pools by rain. Rear legs start colors are aposematic signals of toxicity. developing at 3-4 weeks, front legs a week later. Even though the frogs in Madagascar and California Academy of Sciences 203

Panama live nearly half a world apart from Madagascar Reed Frog one another, they share 13 identical poisonous Heterixalus madagascariensis (Hyperoliidae) compounds. This, Fisher notes, is a beautiful African Tree Frogs example of convergent evolution—similar Distribution: Endemic to Madagascar. Found evolutionary pressures in two different parts along the northeast coast. of the world have led unrelated frogs to find Habitat: Common near rainforest edges, in and sequester the same poisonous alkaloids dry forested areas, and coastal forests as well in the same way (from Headline Science – as deforested areas, croplands, and even urban CAS) areas. Appearance: Though color can change Green Mantella depending on environmental conditions, Mantella viridis (Mantellidae) the back is usually uniformly white, gray, or Distribution: Endemic to Madagascar. sometimes yellow. Thighs and the undersides Habitat: Inhabits deciduous forests. Usually of legs and feet are orange. A dark band found around temporary streams. Also lives extends between the nostril and eye. Males to in degraded mango plantations. 3.5 cm snout to vent; females to 4 cm. Appearance: Mantella viridis is one of the Diet: A nocturnal and semi-arboreal hunter biggest of the Madagascar mantella frogs; max of insects, it readily eats insects as big as its length: 3.5 cm. The back and sides are yellow- own head. green; ventral parts are black with blue spots. Reproduction and Development: Breed in The toes are not webbed. A light stripe runs temporary or permanent still water year along the upper lip. round. Like most members of the family, Diet: Diurnal predators, eating mainly insects, males compete over sites by calling during the ants, and termites. May also eat fruit that has evenings. Our Steinhart reed frogs bred during fallen to the ground. the late summer (2010); the minute tadpoles Reproduction and Development: Adults mate on grew out in the leaf-nosed snake (MA14) and land and the eggs are laid in depressions in moss tiny frogs can be seen in the Klemmer’s yellow- or damp vegetation. Eggs hatch into tadpoles headed day gecko tank (MA12). during heavy rainfall, which washes them into Mortality/Longevity: Life span: c. 5 years. small pools of water. The tadpoles grow to a Conservation Status: IUCN: Species of Least size of about 2.5 cm. In 45–65 days they undergo Concern; H. madagascariensis seems a survivor, metamorphosis and take the adult form. able to live and breed in a wide variety of Mortality/Longevity: No specific information human-impacted habitats, including heavily found. Snakes, small carnivorous mammals, degraded forest areas and seasonably flooded and birds prey upon the frogs. Coloring and agricultural land. toxins may protect against predators. Remarks: All of the 11 known species of the Conservation Status: IUCN Red list: genus Heterixalus are endemic to Madagascar. Endangered. Reed frogs spend days resting or sleeping Remarks: Many species of tropical frogs in the sun, frequently perched on emergent sequester toxins in their skins. In most cases vegetation of swamps and ponds, thus the these toxins come from eating toxic arthropods common name “reed frogs.” such as ants. During the past 30 years, over 400 alkaloids of over 20 structural classes have been Borneo File-eared Frog detected. The skin of Mantella viridis has been Polypedates otilophus (Rhacophoridae) shown to contain such toxins. Distribution: Endemic to islands of Borneo It has been suggested that South American and Sumatra. toxic frogs and Malagasy toxic frogs arose in Habitat: Secondary forest growth, edges of Gondwanaland before continental separation primary growth; also villages, plantations, and began, from a common stock. This hypothesis other disturbed habitats. Lowland: sea level to still needs to be confirmed by DNA analysis. 500 m. Generally arboreal on vegetation near pools of standing water. 204 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

in mountain streams. Less well-documented Appearance: Dorsal color light brown to gray reports of habitation in lowland forests. to yellowish brown or bright yellow. Head triangular and longer than broad; serrated Appearance: These frogs are a marvel of bony ridge behind the eye. Thin black stripes camouflage coloration and texture. Tubercles run from the head down the back; thighs and spines on the skin and mottled colors of marked by black bars. Finger and toe tips green, black, and purple make the animals expanded into large discs; toes webbed. Length blend perfectly into their mossy, wooded from snout to vent: 6–8 cm. background. Diet: Adults feed on insects and spiders. Diet: Feed nocturnally on insects. Reproduction and Development: Males call Reproduction and Development: Eggs are at night. When clasped by males, females deposited above the water for protection from produce foam nest, made by whipping mucus aquatic predators. Larvae develop in rock with the hind limbs. Nest is attached to leaves cavities or tree holes containing water. Tadpole overhanging water. Tadpoles, upon hatching, larvae hatch in 7–14 days and drop into the drop into the water. water below. Are being bred in captivity, so threat from pet trade has been reduced. Conservation Status: Though populations are declining somewhat, this frog’s wide Conservation Status: Threatened by forest loss. distribution and ability to thrive under IUCN lists it as “Data Deficient.” As a highly conditions modified by humans suggest a cryptic species and one that may have sizable strong survivability quotient but localized populations, the verdict is still out on its conservation status. Some biologists think Harlequin Tree Frog it should be listed as threatened or endangered. Rhacophorus pardalis (Rhacophoridae) Protected by the Vietnamese government. Distribution: Known from pennisular Remarks: A semi-aquatic species that spends Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines. much time in the water, hiding under rocks Habitat: Subtropical primary forest, secondary and floating plants. Also spends time above forest and freshwater marshes from sea level the water, attached to crevice or rock where it to 1,000 m. blends perfectly with its background. Appearance: Fingers webbed and bear Curls into a ball and “plays dead” when expanded discs, outer edge of hand and frightened. forearm have wide flap of skin - all adaptations Like all tree frogs, has adhesive toe pads that for gliding. Bright red hand and foot webbing allow it to grip the undersides of slick leaves make this frog easy to identify. Dorsal side or rocks. Recent studies have shown these pads tan to reddish brown, often with spots. Flanks to be a sophisticated combination of mucous- yellowish with black spots. Size: Snout to vent covered areas that provide wet adhesion and - 5.0 cm males, 6.0–7.0 females. raised dry areas that provide a grip on dry Diet: Forages in canopy. surfaces. These findings have stimulated Reproduction and Development: Probably exploration into improved tire design. lives in the canopy, and descends in breeding Madagascar Tomato Frog aggregations to swampy forests, marshes, Dyscophus antongilli (Microhylidae) ponds. Eggs laid in foam nests and tadpoles Distribution: Northeast Madagascar. develop in standing water. Habitat: Primarily terrestrial in lowland Remarks: Heavily webbed hands and feet used habitats. Buries itself in soil during the day; for gliding. Spreads digits to break its fall. feeds nocturnally. Vietnamese Mossy Frog Appearance: Length to 12 cm. Female is larger Theloderma corticale (Rhacophoridae) with vivid red body (looking not unlike a Distribution: Vietnam, and possibly China. rather oddly shaped ripe tomato); male less Habitat: Known from karst (limestone rock) brightly colored. Flat head. zones of montane evergreen forests, where Diet: Insects. they occupy flooded caves and deep niches Reproduction and Development: Breeds California Academy of Sciences 205

in pools and ditches after heavy rainfall. from banks, and aquatic algae. Also take insect Lays eggs in water during the rainy season. larvae, mollusks and crustaceans. Scavenge Fertilized eggs hatch into free-swimming fishes and mammals as carrion. tadpoles. Reproduction and Development: Female Mortality/Longevity: Estimated to live ~10 excavates nest with hind limbs, lays multiple years in the wild. clutches of 7–9 eggs, number probably corre- Conservation Status: CITES: Appendix I. lated with the mother’s size. Sex of offspring is Endangered due to habitat destruction and determined by temperature during the middle over-collecting for the pet trade. For the past third of incubation (females produced at high 20 years, the tomato frog has been considered temperatures, males during low tempera- a flagship species for the Madagascar Fauna tures). At 30° C embryos develop to full term Group, a consortium of mostly U.S. zoos in 64–74 days. Embryos capable of estivating dedicated to the preservation of threatened in their egg until the rainy season’s flooding animals and natural habitats of Madagascar. stimulates hatching. Thus total incubation Today, institutions in the U.S., Europe, and period is to 102 days. beyond have determined exact lineages Mortality/Longevity: Eggs and adults taken of tomato frogs bred in captivity and are for food by Papua New Guineans. Australian exchanging animals appropriate for breeding aborigines eat adults of this species. with maximum genetic diversity. Conservation Status: Listed as Vulnerable by Remarks: Captive-bred individuals are rarely the IUCN. Trampling of nests by water buffalo, as bright red as wild tomato frogs. fishing, logging, grazing, agriculture and hunt- When alarmed, the frog secretes a very sticky ing are among negative effects. goo onto its skin, a defense against predators; Remarks: Australian populations were not this substance may produce allergic reactions discovered by biologists until 1969. in humans. Species first described from the Fly River of New Guinea in the 1800s. Secretive animals. Use forelimbs to burrow by scooping sand substrate over their carapace. CLASS REPTILIA Adults may thermoregulate underwater by lying over small thermal springs. ORDER TESTUDINES AKA CHELONIA Only extant species in its family. (TURTLES AND TORTOISES) Matamata aka Pig-nosed Turtle Fly River Turtle Chelus fimbriatus (Latin = “fringed turtle”) Carettochelys insculpta (Carettochelyidae) (Chelidae) Pignose Turtles Australo-American Snakenecked Turtles Distribution: Southern New Guinea and Kim- Distribution: Amazon Basin, South America. berly Plateau of Australia. Habitat: Active nocturnally in lakes, ponds Habitat: Shallow, slow-moving rivers, lagoons, and sluggish creeks. This sideneck lives near lakes and swamps with sandy or silty bottoms. the bottom of turbid waterways and rarely Also in estuaries. Active nocturnally. Emerge leaves the water. from water only in order to nest. Appearance: Length to 40 cm. Broad, three- Appearance: Length to 75 cm. Pitted, leathery, keeled brown carapace. Long thick neck, gray-green carapace and a white plastron. triangular head with tiny eyes. Large mouth, Limbs are clawed and paddlelike. Short head weak jaws. Snout is “snorkel-like: proboscis terminates in a broad, tubular, “piglike” snout. with nostrils at the top. Well camouflaged; Carapaces of juveniles have serrated perim- algae grows on its carapace. eters and a central keel. Diet: A “lay-in-wait” predator. Fishes cap- Diet: Opportunistic omnivores. Principal food tured with the “gape and suck” technique: is the fruits of shoreline trees. Eat other plant open mouth creates a vacuum to draw in prey, material: leaves, flowers that fall into river mouth snaps shut, water expelled, and the fish 206 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

is swallowed whole. ter. A single clutch of 9–61 eggs (35 average) is Reproduction: Male attracts a mate by repeat- laid per year. Larger females produce larger edly extending the head toward the female and clutches. Incubation lasts 79–113 days, depend- opening and closing its mouth. Fertilization ing on temperature. Warm and low incubation internal. Female lays 12–28 ping-pong ball temperatures result in all female neonates. sized brittle-shelled eggs terrestrially. The eggs Intermediate incubation temperatures produce hatch about 200 days after being laid. mostly males. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 15 yrs. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: to 100 yrs. (A in captivity. second source suggests 150 yrs) Eggs preyed Conservation Status: Reported to be locally upon by raccoons, river otters and wading common. birds. Humans collect adults for food. Remarks: South American Indian name Conservation Status: Listed as Threatened “matamata” translates as “I kill.” on the IUCN Red List. CITES Appendix III. Still harvested as the key ingredient of turtle A poor swimmer; its legs are adapted for soup. Habitat degradation also threatens them. walking over bottom of habitat. Hatchlings produced for the pet trade. Has been described as most resembling a pile Remarks: This is the largest freshwater turtle of debris. Slow movement, mottled colors, and in North America. algal coating all combine to create the illusion. Can swim, but most locomotion is by bottom- Alligator Snapping Turtle walking. Macrochelys temmincki (Chelydridae) Can remain submerged for about an hour. Snapping Turtles Despite its reputation, the species does not read- Distribution: Southeastern United States and ily bite; however, its powerful jaws and sharp Central America. beak can easily sever a finger, bone and all. Habitat: Primarily quiet, muddy freshwater, Some living Steinhart specimens were rivers, streams, lakes and ponds; leaves water “rescued” in 1972 from a “turtle soup” fate only to deposit eggs. Juveniles occasionally from a restaurant in San Bruno. A few months near bottom of small mud and gravel streams, earlier than the arrival of their shipment by air, to 9–29 cm deep. the California Fish and Game Commission had Appearance: Big head, long tail. Three ridge adopted regulations restricting snapping turtle keels on the broad carapace rise to knobby importation, a law that remains on the books, keels. Length to 80 cm, weight to 113 kg. Males and so they were confiscated and ultimately have been known to exceed 100 kg; females are released to the Steinhart. Our middle-aged, much smaller. The largest individual turtle in lucky survivors are thought to be at least the exhibit is over 55 kgs. The rest are likely ~40–50 years old. ~45 kg. Arrau River Turtle aka South American River Diet: Lie-in-wait predator. Rests on substrate Turtle with its mouth open and lures fish to its mouth Podocnemis expansa (Pelomedusidae) with a movable, pink wormlike tongue ap- Afro-American Side-necked Turtles pendage. Also takes crayfish, crabs, snails, freshwater mussels, salamanders, snakes, very Distribution: Northern South America: small alligators, small mammals, water birds, Amazon, Negro and Orinoco River basins. briar roots, wild grapes, acorns, and scavenges Habitat: Freshwater; large rivers and their as well. At the Steinhart, are fed fish, including tributaries, lagoons and forest ponds. Restricted herring and tilapia. Because they are accus- to calm waters of large rivers during the dry tomed to being feed regularly, they are rarely season, but move into the flooded forest where tempted by their tankmate fish. food is plentiful during the high-water season. Reproduction and Development: Male climbs Appearance: Max. size: 100 cm. Carapace onto the female’s carapace from behind. As in broad, flat; wider in the back than the front. all reptiles, fertilization is internal. Female’s Males smaller than females, which can weigh terrestrial nest is typically within 72 m. of wa- up to 90 kg. California Academy of Sciences 207

Diet: Aquatic vegetation and fruit, also insects Habitat: They prefer dry regions of brush, and sponges. Eats during the rainy season thorn and woodlands. when the forest is flooded; fasts during dry Appearance: The basic “tortoise” body shape: season. In captivity, feeds on a vegetarian/fruit high-domed carapace, a blunt head, and diet with a bit of fish added. elephantine feet. Legs, feet and head are yellow Reproduction: During the dry season, migrate except for a black patch on top of the head. to nesting sites on beaches. Females dig a Carapace is brilliantly marked with yellow nest in which they lay 50–150 spherical eggs, lines radiating from the center of each dark and then cover them with sand. After about plate of the shell, creating a star pattern. 45 days, hatchlings emerge, usually at night Diet: Grazing herbivores, they also eat fruits or early morning to avoid midday heat and and succulent plants. A favorite food in the predators, and head directly to water. Colonial wild is the Opuntia cactus. nesting and simultaneous hatching helps Reproduction and Development: The male maximize survival numbers of this perilous begins this fairly noisy procedure by bobbing journey. Hatchlings’ carapace is quite small, his head and smelling the female’s hind legs about 5 cm long. and cloaca. He mounts her from the rear, Mortality/Longevity: Recent studies on hissing and grunting, while striking the anal the growth patterns of bones and carapace region of his plastron against the female’s suggest these turtles can live up to 50 years. carapace. Females lay from 3–12 eggs in a Though young are vulnerable to predation, pre-excavated hole about 15 cm deep and then the massive size of adults protects them from depart. Incubation is between 5–8 months; most predators except man. juveniles are between 3–4 cm upon hatching Conservation Status: U.S. Fish and Wildlife and soon after attain the high-domed carapace. Service: Endangered; IUCN: Endangered; They can grow to a carapace length of up to 40 Lower risk, conservation dependent. Eggs cm and weigh up to 16 kg. and adults have been overcollected for food. Mortality/Longevity: Radiated tortoises may These turtles are considered rare throughout live as long as 40–50 years. the Amazon. Conservation Status: Critically endangered in Remarks: A fossil Pelomdusid is thought to the wild due to loss of habitat, being poached be the largest freshwater turtle to have ever for food, and being over exploited in the pet lived (carapace length: 230 cm). Even today, the trade. Arrau is one of the largest freshwater turtles A team of biologists from the Turtle Survival in the world. Alliance predicts that unless drastic Sidenecked turtles have a long neck which conservation measures take place, the can be withdrawn horizontally within the species will be driven to extinction within shell, leaving it partly exposed, rather than the next 20 years. Conservation efforts: retracting it in a vertical ‘S’ bend as in most habitat preservation, environmental education other turtles. programs, and captive breeding. A. radiata Our handsome “fellow” (sex unknown) is on is included in the Species Survival Plan of loan from the San Francisco Zoo during the the worldwide Association of Zoos and renovation of their Tropical Building. Aquariums. Weight: 20 kg. Age: unknown. Remarks: These cold-blooded reptiles move “Art,” as we call our turtle, was confiscated in from place to place to moderate their body heat Miami and came to the SF Zoo via the Miami and are active after rain. Traditional cultures Metro Zoo in 1997. revere the tortoise (it brings rain; when there are no more animals, there will be no more Radiated Tortoise rain). Astrochelys radiata (Testudinidae) Like other tortoises their shell is supplied with Distribution: Occur naturally only in the blood vessels and nerves, which enables it to extreme southern and southwestern part of sense when being touched. Madagascar. In some areas of China, a radiated tortoise 208 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

can sell for over $50, as it is believed to have Spider Tortoise aka Madagascar Spider Tortoise aphrodisiac properties. Pyxis arachnoides (Testudinidae) When caught, this tortoise emits high-pitched Tortoises cries, sometimes lasting an hour after capture. Distribution: Southwestern Madagascar. This noise would startle a predator in the wild, Habitat: Dry deciduous forest. an effective defense. Appearance: Highly variable among subspecies. Diet: Opportunistic browsers. Pancake Tortoise Malacochersus tornieri (Testudinidae) Reproduction and Development: Sexual Distribution: Confined to Kenya and Tanzania maturity at ~12 years; clutch size 1 egg. and a small population recently reported in Conservation Status: IUCN: Critically Zambia. Endangered because of habitat loss and its Habitat: Lives among rocky outcroppings in popularity in the pet trade due to its small size dry areas of scrub brush. and the handsome design on its carapace. Low reproductive rate exacerbates these pressures. : Appearance Unlike most tortoises, the pancake Will likely be extinct in the wild in less than 30 tortoise sports a soft, flexible shell rather than a years; global climatic change not included in rigid, thick one. Its common name reflects its flat- that dire conclusion. as-a-pancake profile. Length: 6–7 inches (15–18 cm); height: 2 inches (5 cm). Diet: Grasses and other vegetation, including ORDER CROCODYLIA red oat grass and aloe. Also eats seeds and American Alligator nuts. During the dry season, the diet provides Alligator mississippiensis (Crocodylidae) sufficient moisture. Distribution: Southeastern United States, from Reproduction and Development: Mating North Carolina to the Rio Grande in Texas. The occurs in January, egg laying and nesting in wetlands it inhabits frequently overlap with July and August. The female generally lays a human-populated areas. single egg per clutch and several clutches may be laid per year. Habitat: Usually found in freshwater, especially in slow-moving rivers. They are also found in Mortality/Longevity: Because of the soft shell, swamps, marshes, and lakes. They can tolerate this tortoise is easy to tear apart though not salt water only briefly. so easy to catch, an evolutionary tradeoff that seems in the natural predator-prey cycle to Appearance: Average female length is 2.6 favor the tortoise. Mongooses and predatory m; average male length is 3.4 m. The largest birds are among its predators recorded male was 5.8 m long. Exceptionally large males can weigh over 450 kg. Alligators Remarks: Its flat and flexible shell allows it to have between 74 and 80 teeth, which are replaced shelter in narrow crevices. Once tightly lodged in as they wear down; an alligator can go through its cranny, the tortoise then braces its legs against 2,000 to 3,000 teeth in a lifetime. The tail, which the rock. These maneuvers usually thwart accounts for half of the alligator’s total length, even the most determined predator’s efforts to is primarily used for aquatic propulsion, but is dislodge it. They live communally, with several also an effective defensive weapon. tortoises peaceably sharing a crevice. Diet: Alligators eat almost anything, but Because of its light shell, the animal is the primarily consume fish, birds, turtles, mammals fastest tortoise known and depends on and amphibians. Hatchlings mostly eat escaping danger by dashing for the nearest invertebrates. Once an alligator reaches adult- crevice hideout rather than by withdrawing hood, it will prey on any animal that lives in the into its shell. Its relative lightness and agility water or comes there to drink. Adult alligators also enable it to flip over quickly if turned on its will eat domestic animals including cattle, and back, an advantage for an animal that spends will also kill and eat smaller alligators. Larger most of its day climbing over and perhaps males have been known to tackle Florida falling from steep. rock-strewn hills. panthers and bears, making the alligator the apex predator throughout its distribution. California Academy of Sciences 209

Small prey is swallowed whole. Large prey is the American alligator is still listed as threatened crushed by the sharp teeth, then slapped against on the U.S. Endangered Species List because water or shore to break off manageable pieces. it looks like the American crocodile, which is Very large prey will be rolled underwater until endangered, and hunters are likely to confuse the victim drowns, then guarded until the meat the two species. Hunting is allowed in some rots enough to be ripped apart and swallowed. states, but it is strictly controlled. The greatest The stomachs of alligators often contain current threat is habitat destruction; this includes gastroliths, which grind up food in the stomach water management systems and pollution. and help with digestion. Remarks: Spanish sailors thought this animal All crocs store fat in their tails, so they can go was a huge lizard. In Spanish, “el lagarto” for long periods without eating if necessary— means “the lizard.” English sailors took the as long as two years for some big adults! name as “allagarter” and in time it became Reproduction and Development: Both males ‘”alligator.” and females reach sexual maturity at about Despite shared habitats, alligator attacks on 10–12 years of age. Breeding takes place humans are fairly rare. There were only nine during the night, in shallow waters. Males fatal attacks throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, roar to attract females and to ward off other although alligators killed 11 people from 2001 males. Courtship starts in April, with mating to 2006. Most alligators fear humans; attacks occurring in early May. often result from feeding. Once an alligator is After mating, the female builds a nest of fed by a human, it expects food whenever it vegetation. The nest measures about 2 m–3 m sees someone. in diameter and about 0.5 m to 1 m in height. Differences between alligators and crocodiles: In late June or early July, the female lays 35–50 • Alligators tend to have wide, U-shaped, eggs. The eggs are then buried within the nest rounded snouts, while crocodiles tend for a 65-day incubation period. The sex of the to have longer, more pointed, V-shaped juveniles is determined by the temperature of snouts. the nest: above 34° C all are male, below 30° • The large lower fourth tooth of an C all are female, and temperatures in between alligator fits into a socket in the upper jaw result in both sexes. and is not seen when the mouth is closed, Toward the end of August, the young alligators whereas in crocodiles this tooth is visible. make high-pitched noises from inside the egg. • Alligators live in freshwater; crocodiles The mother then removes the nesting material. tend to inhabit salt water. Upon hatching the alligator measures about • On average alligators are smaller than 15 cm–20 cm. Newly hatched alligators live crocodiles. in small groups. Birds and raccoons eat 80%. Claude is a male, 15 years old, 2.5 m (8.5 ft) Other predators include bobcats, otters, snakes, long, and weighs ~82 kg, (181 lbs); born in large bass, and larger alligators. Females captivity in Florida. (2010) aggressively defend their young during the Claude is a true albino, meaning that he is first year (occasionally for 2 or even 3 years). unable to produce melanin in his skin or eyes. This maternal care is unusual among reptiles. In fact, the pinkness/redness of his eyes is Mortality/Longevity: After it is 1.25 m long, an due our ability to see the blood/blood vessels alligator is safe from predators except humans through his irises. and occasionally other, larger alligators. Albinism is a naturally occurring (recessive) American alligators may live about 50 years genetic condition and is found in many kinds in the wild. of animals, ncluding rats, birds, humans, Conservation Status: Although once on the tigers, etc. verge of extinction, it is no longer endangered Like all albino animals, Claude has reduced except in scattered parts of its range. A combined vision and is vulnerable to UV rays from the effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state sun. Because of these issues, and the fact that wildlife agencies, and commercial alligator albinos are easily seen and eaten by predators, farms saved these unique animals. However, they rarely survive in the wild. 210 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Gars and snapping turtles would be an largest lizards in the Americas: 2 m in length, 5 alligator menu item in the wild. Fortunately, kg weight. They can be various shades of green, Claude is satifsfied with “gator chow.” large ranging from bright green to a dull gray-green. pellets comprised of “meat,” fish meal and The skin is rough with a set of pointy scales vitamins. along the back. They have long fingers and Alligators remain on average about 10–15 claws to help them climb and grasp branches. minutes underwater before going to the Males have a flap of skin, called a dewlap, on surface for air. Dives may occasionally last the ventral side of the neck. It can be inflated to longer, but alligators have also been known to make them seem larger, to attract females, and to drown within 20–30 minutes if held struggling adjust their body temperature. The tail is almost underwater. half their length, and can be used as a whip to drive off predators. They can detach their tail if ORDER SQUAMATA caught, and it will grow back. (LIZARDS AND SNAKES) Diet: Primarily herbivores, eating plants, especially leaves and fruit. Saharan Spiny-tailed Lizard Reproduction and Development: Iguanas Uromastyx geyri (Agamidae) reach sexual maturity in 2–3 years. Green Distribution: North Africa, including parts of iguanas breed at the onset of the dry season. A Algeria, Mali, and Niger. month or two later, the females lay a clutch of Habitat: Rocky, semi-arid areas. 14–76 eggs in burrows excavated in communal Appearance: Beige or orange with lighter nesting sites. At the end of a three-month spots. A red phase is bright red to a near-neon incubation period, the newly hatched iguanas orange. Females paler with less vivid patterns. emerge. Because hatching takes place during Length: c. 35 cm. the rainy season, food is plentiful. Diet: Primarily herbivorous. Acquire most of Mortality/Longevity: Reptiles, birds and their water from vegetation. Have powerful mammals prey upon the hatchlings. Less than jaws capable of eating cacti, especially if they 3% live to adulthood. Adults are highly prized need water. for their meat, and are hunted by humans. They Reproduction and Development: Eggs are also captured for the pet trade. incubated 70–80 days before hatching. Conservation Status: The green iguana has Conservations Status: An uncommon become extinct in some countries and is species, but total numbers seem to be holding endangered in others because of excessive steady in spite of increased import for the hunting and habitat loss. In Costa Rica a pet trade. program is being developed to breed and Remarks: Hide in underground chambers raise green iguanas in semi-captivity. After during the heat of the day or to escape successful breeding, the hatchlings are predators. In the wild, Uromastyx burrows may maintained for 6–10 months, then released into be as deep as 3 m. the surrounding area with supplemental food and protection. When they are adults, some The thick spiked tail is characteristic of all are harvested for food and to generate income Uromastyx species, thus the common name. by supplying leather for handicrafts. Such Green Iguana programs have decreased forest destruction Iguana iguana (Iguanidae) and helped to protected wild iguanas. Distribution: Widely distributed from Mexico Remarks: In parts of Central America where to southern Brazil and Paraguay, as well as on iguanas are eaten for food, they are called Caribbean Islands. “bamboo chickens” or “chicken of the trees.” Habitat: Tropical rainforests at low altitudes. Green Basilisk Lizard Is arboreal and spends most ofi its time in the Basiliscus plumifrons (Corytophanidae) canopy, 12–15 m above ground, coming down Helmeted Lizards only to mate, lay eggs, and change trees. Distribution: Central and South America. Appearance: Green iguanas are among the California Academy of Sciences 211

Habitat: Arboreal and semi-aquatic; inhabit its color in the lush woodlands it prefers, it can, the trees and bushes of the rainforest, often like most chameleons, change color quickly along riverbanks. depending on mood and temperature, or as a Appearance: Length, including tail, can be up mode of communication. to 85 cm. Adult color is bright green, or slightly Diet: Opportunistic: primarily insects. blue-green. Males have distinctive, high crests Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by snakes on their heads and backs, which they use to and large birds. impress females. The females have only one Reproduction: Most chameleons are egg layers, small crest. During the first months of their but the Jackson’s gives birth to live young, lives, young ones are a brownish/olive green 10–50 at a time. Gestation period: 6–9 months. color, with bright green heads. Young brownish at birth, taking on brighter Diet: Omnivores: plant material, insects, fruit, green coloration at about 5 months. Strongly and small vertebrates. territorial animals, they live singly, with both Reproduction and Development: In Costa males and females maintaining individual Rica breeding occurs during the wet season, territories except during mating season. May to September. Pregnant females prepare Remarks: The Jackson’s tongue, which extends a shallow trench where they lay up to 20 eggs. 1½ times the length of its body, can extend to Female then leaves the eggs to hatch on their capture prey more quickly than the human eye own. Incubation period is about 2 months. can see—in 30–50 milliseconds! The tongue’s Hatchlings are born with the ability to run (on sticky, suction-cup tip sticks to prey, which is land and water), climb, and swim. drawn into the large mouth and crushed. Mortality/Longevity: Life span is up to 10 years All chameleons have specialized feet that allow in captivity. In the wild raptors, opossums, and them to grip branches securely; each toe also snakes prey upon the lizards. has a sharp claw that increases traction. Remarks: The green basilisk lizard has been The long tail is often curled, but can be used for called the “Jesus Christ” lizard, because of its balance and sometimes as a weapon. ability to walk on water. The rear feet have The eyes rotate independently, a feature that long toes with fringes of skin that unfurl in increases depth focusing as well as wide-range the water, increasing surface area. The lizard vision. rapidly moves its legs as it slaps its splayed This species was accidentally introduced feet hard against the water. This creates into the wild in Hawaii. The large breeding tiny air pockets that keep it from sinking, population there now supplies the pet trade. provided it keeps running fast enough. It can move along the surface for 4.5 meters or Panther Chameleon more. When gravity eventually takes over, Furcifer pardalis (Chamaeleondae) the basilisk is an excellent swimmer. Chameleons Distribution: Jackson’s Chameleon Coastal Northern third of Chamaeleo jacksonii (Chamaeleonidae) Madagascar. Chameleons Habitat: Humid disturbed scrub and forest. Distribution: In the wild, live only in the Arboreal. woodlands of East Africa. Appearance: Length to 56 cm. Laterally Habitat: Arboreal; spends most of its time compressed body, prehensile tail, zygodactylous off the ground in bushes and shrubs, but feet. Protruding eyes covered with muffler- sometimes in taller trees. like lids. Independent eye rotation. Extensile tongue. Color variable; can change due to Description: Length to 30 cm including tail. alterations in light, heat and emotional state. Bright green coloration as adults. Male has three Sexes dichromatic rather than dimorphic. rostral horns that begin to develop at about 4 months. Female lacks or has reduced horns. Diet: Forages diurnally for insects, small Male also tends to be more brightly colored, with vertebrates and vegetation. blue or yellow markings. Well camouflaged by Reproduction and Development: Lays 10–46 eggs after about 45 days following copulation. 212 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Can produce four clutches per year. Young but deforestation within their limited range hatch 4–9 months later, depending on climatic threatens survival in the wild for this species. conditions. Growth is rapid. Sexual maturity They breed well in captivity, which presents at 6–9 months. hope for their future. Conservation Status: CITES Appendix II . In Remarks: Geckos, like lizards, have fracture 1998, 34,000 wild-taken of this species were planes in the tail so it breaks off easily, a handy exported from Madagascar for the pet trade. adaptation to escape predators, but with a CITES established an export quota of 2000 in 1999. downside: the tail stores fat, which can be a lifesaver in hard times. Sakalava Velvet Gecko Blaesodactylus sakalava (Gekkonidae) Madagascar Giant Day Gecko Geckos Phelsuma grandis (Gekkonidae) Distribution: Southwest Madagascar. Geckos Habitat: Found in semi-humid forest areas Distribution: Found in northern Madagascar, under bark, in crevices of rock or on trees. Seychelles, and smaller islands close to Appearance: Bodies broad with wide Madagascar. transverse bands across the back. Color ranges Habitat: Canopy of tropical rain forests. from brownish to gray, and changes depending Appearance: Largest species of the genus on mood. Eyes are orange/brown or steel gray. Phelsuma, 23–27 cm. They are bright green, with The skin is velvet to the touch. granular red spots on the body and a red line Diet: In captivity eats all kinds on insects and running from the eye to the tip of the nose. The their larvae, as well as fruits. eyes, surrounded by blue rings, have round Reproduction and Development: After mating pupils, indicative of a diurnal life style. a female will lay 6 to 12 eggs per season. It takes Diet: Mostly insects and other invertebrates; 45 to 50 days for the eggs to hatch. also soft sweet fruit, nectar, and pollen. Mortality/Longevity: Can live 10 to 25 years Reproduction and Development: Breeding in captivity. season is between November and the first weeks Remarks: One of three species of the genus of May. During this period, the females lay up to Blaesodactylus, all found in Madagascar. 6 pairs of eggs. Young hatch after approximately Formerly classified in the genus Homopholis. 60–65 days. Juveniles measure about 7 cm and Sakalava velvet geckos have not been studied in reach sexual maturity after one year. detail in the wild, and they are not commonly Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 10 years held in captivity, so there is still a lot to learn in captivity. about them. Conservation Status: Listed in Appendix II of CITES. Electric Blue Day Gecko Remarks: Many geckos can make sounds to Lygodactylus williamsi (Gekkonidae) attract mates, to advertise their territories, to Geckos warn off unwanted intruders or to frighten Distribution: Found only in the Kimboza predators. Herpetologist Ulrich Gruber Forest in eastern Tanzania. described the sound produced by the Habitat: Tropical forest. Madagascar day gecko as resembling ”the Appearance: A dwarf gecko. Male: bright blue croaking of a tormented frog.” with black throat. Female greenish, little or no Like many species of geckos, the giant day black on throat. Max. length: 10 cm; usually gecko does not have eyelids. Instead the lids closer to 6 cm. have fused, and the eye is covered with a large Diet: Insects, nectar. Unlike most geckos, is transparent scale. Geckos keep their eyes clean active during the day. by licking them with their broad flat tongues. Mortality/Longevity: Life history not well The eye color of many diurnal species is known; perhaps up to 10 years. much like the skin color. Their eyes blend Conservations Status: IUCN: not evaluated, into their heads, which in turn blend into the surrounding foliage of the geckos’ habitat. California Academy of Sciences 213

Klemmer’s Yellow-headed Day Gecko forces, which are molecular and not caused by Phelsuma klemmeri (Gekkonidae) a sticky substance, allow the gecko to attract Geckos any surface, even polished glass. Distribution: Found only in northwest Madagascar. Standing’s Day Gecko Habitat: Medium-sized bamboo in fragmented Phelsuma standingi (Gekkonidae) “bamboo islands.” When disturbed they hide Geckos in the cracks in older dead bamboo. Distribution: Limited range within southwest Madagascar. Appearance: Dorsal color is brown to turquoise with turquoise bands. A black lateral line runs Habitat: Dry thorn forests. Arid to semi-arid from the eyes to the hind legs. The head and regions where vegetation consists of thorny neck are yellow. The ventral surface is whitish; succulent plants and baobab trees. scales are small and smooth. Adults are about Appearance: Large for a gecko, mostly stocky 9 cm long. 25 cm. total length. Individuals can occasionally Diet: In captivity, eat a variety of insects, reach 30 cm. Base color is usually light gray including crickets and fruit flies, but will also or brown with darker fine reticulations. eat fruit baby foods. They also eat fruits such as Hatchlings have much brighter coloration guava, papaya, and peaches. In the wild, they with strong green and blue banding on a dark avoid the hotter part of the day and usually background. The pattern and colors gradually hunt and forage in the early morning, late fade as the animals grow. afternoon, or right after a shower. Diet: Insects, fruit, nectar and possibly other Reproduction and Development: Males reach lizards. sexual maturity at about 6 months and females Reproduction and Development: Established will start producing eggs at around 8 months. adult pairs will tolerate juveniles until they Sexual maturity depends on size more than reach sexual maturity. Eggs most often laid in age. Breeding can occur at anytime of year, pairs that are “glued” to each other. As in many and females will lay eggs every 3–5 weeks. reptile species, sex of newborns is temperature The developing eggs become visible through dependent. the underside of the female before the eggs Remarks: If inactive, the coloration of this are laid. By this time her once flattened body day gecko is often duller, giving it an overall is so large it looks as though she’ll explode! grey appearance. When cool it takes on darker Like most geckos, usually lay 2 eggs at a time, colors to help absorb light and heat and when often inside a hollow piece of bamboo. The hot it turns pale. babies are iridescent and look like tiny copies of the adults. Newborn klemmeri weigh a mere Kuhl’s Flying Gecko 0.1 g at birth. Ptychozoon kuhlii (Gekkonidae) Mortality/Longevity: No specific information Geckos found. Many geckos live between 5 and 10 Distribution: Southeast Asia, including years. southern Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia, and Singapore. Conservation Status: Species is widespread on the Ampasindava peninsula; they may not Habitat: Nocturnal arboreal animals, found in be as threatened as once feared. Their habitat lowland and mid-level rainforests. was confined to fragmented “bamboo islands,” Appearance: Weird looking with big heads, but the slash and burn techniques to clear land bulging lidless eyes, and elaborate webbed actually increased habitat, since bamboo forests feet. Gliding apparatus is composed of a large have replaced previously cleared lands. flap of skin along the flank. These flaps remain Remarks: This species of Phelsuma was first rolled across the belly until the lizard jumps described in 1990. off a tree. Then the flaps open passively in the air, acting as a parachute during descent. Geckos have very special feet that contain Additional flaps lie along the sides of the head, millions of hairs capable of producing electrical neck, and tail. These geckos are nocturnal and forces, probably van der Waals forces. These 214 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

cryptic, and often go unnoticed in their natural outlines of its body. The charcoal/light grey habitat. patterns on some individuals’ bodies look Diet: Insects and arthropods. like lichen. The short flat tail, for which the Reproduction and Development: In captivity, genus was named (uro – “flat,”platus – “tail”), breeding occurs when the animals are exposed looks like a dead leaf. The bulging eyes on its to about 12 hours of daylight. The female will flat triangular head have pupils with vertical lay two eggs about once a month. She can lay slits, an indication of a nocturnal life style. five or six clutches per season. Eggs will hatch Diet: Nocturnal predator, eats mainly insects. in 2–3 months. Reproduction and Development: Lays Mortality/Longevity: Can live up to 7–9 clutches of just two spherical eggs. Eggs are years. deposited on the forest floor hidden under Remarks: Some unusual characteristics of fallen leaves, beneath pieces of wood, or among geckos: dead leaves still attached to a plant. Following a 3-month incubation period, the eggs hatch to • Can vocalize, unlike most lizards, using reveal juveniles that are about 6 cm long. their voice to threaten, or for sexual attraction. Mortality/Longevity: Life span in the wild • Most have specialized toe pads that believed to be 3–5 years. Species has lived up contain thousands of microscopic to 15 years in captivity. hooks. These hooks catch microscopic Conservation Status: Listed in Appendix II irregularities of surfaces and enable of CITES. geckos to seem to defy gravity as they Remarks: Use several tricks to help escape walk. predators. Like most lizard species, geckos • Geckos have remarkable eyes. Their can shed their tails. A new, shorter tail will irises resemble their skin color, so that grow back. their open eyes do not give them away to In addition this gecko can frighten enemies by predators. Their lower lid is fused over opening its mouth wide to reveal the bright the eye to form a transparent spectacle for red interior. protection; they can use their long tongue Also some geckos, including this one, have to clean them! vocal cords, the only lizards that do. Its • Scientists at UC Berkeley have developed defensive behavior is often accompanied by an adhesive that has qualities of gecko loud distress calls. feet—easy attachment and release while having great holding strength. It won’t slip Great Plated Lizard or slide, but will release if lifted. Such an Gerrhosaurus major (Gerrhosauridae) adhesive may be useful when movement Plated Lizards and attachment are both desired, such as Distribution: Widely distributed in eastern for climbing, or for robots. and southeastern Africa. Found in the Somali Arid Zone. Henkel’s Leaf-tailed Gecko : Uroplatus henkeli (Gekkonidae) Habitat Favors rocky terrain in semi-arid Geckos steppe or grassland. May also use burrows of other animals or termite mounds for shelter. Distribution: Limited range in northwestern

Madagascar and on Nosy Be, an island off the Appearance: Length: snout to vent, c. 9 inches northwest coast of Madagascar. (23 cm); tail of equal length. Their heavy armor of large, bony, keeled scales, especially on the Habitat: Malagasy rainforest. Arboreal, dorsal surface, gives them their common name. inhabits mid-section of trees; not usually found Moderately long tail is covered by rings of on the ground. scales. Scaleless area along the sides functions Appearance: A master of camouflage: its as expansion joints for gravid females or grey-brown skin blends in with the colors of distention after feeding. Color grayish brown; tree bark. The fringes of skin along its head males are larger and sport bright-colored and body mask shadows by breaking up the throat. Stout cylindrical body. Non-venomous. California Academy of Sciences 215

Diet: Young eat fruit, leaves, and other flanks is variable, but is usually mottled with vegetation; also spiders, insects, and other white and dark scales. Belly is grayish white, small invertebrates. Adults will also eat small but may be reddish on the throat. mice and other rodents, as well as smaller Diet: Active diurnal foragers. Most species eat lizards. They are sit-and-wait predators, a variety of insects, though some species also disguised from prey by their coloration and seek fruits and berries. stillness. In captivity, their diet may consist of Reproduction and Development: Internal live crickets, chopped fruits and vegetables, fertilization. The female lays a small clutch and small pinkie mice. (up to 5) of large, elongate eggs in moist soil Reproduction and Care of Young: Females or within a rock crack. lay 4–6 eggs in a shallow depression, which is Conservation Status: Some species and then covered. Eggs hatch in three–four months; subspecies are listed by IUCN: Vulnerable. hatchlings are about 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) Remarks: One of the most unusual behaviors long. Life span: to 24 years. of the plated lizards is that they sunbathe, or : Mortality/Longevity Primarily snakes. bask, in an odd position. They lie on the belly Remarks: Males are territorial. When with their arms and legs held up in the air. threatened often run to hiding places among When frightened, which happens quite often rocks where they wedge themselves into for this shy species, they quickly run for cover crevices. May also run a short distance, under a bush or in some other hiding place then stop abruptly with tail raised, perhaps or bury themselves in loose soil by moving confusing would-be attackers. their arms and legs as if they were swimming. A favorite in the pet trade, this lizard has a Sometimes they will stay underground for 24 generally calm temperament. hours before coming above ground again. Madagascar Plated Lizard Relatively peaceable lizards, they rarely bite, Zonosaurus sp. (Gerrhosauridae) preferring instead to flail the spiked tail like a Plated Lizards whip, an effective defense. Distribution: Zonosaurus lizards comprise Mexican Beaded Lizard a genus of 17 species of plated lizards, all Heloderma horridum (Helodermatidae) found in Magagascar and all but one (Z. Gila Monsters madagascarensis) endemic to that country. Distribution: Western coast of Sonora, Mexico Found in all ecoregions, they are common in south to Western Guatemala. eastern Madagascar, but also known in the Habitat: Tropical, deciduous woodland and west and south and on some offshore islands. thornscrub. Frequently climbs trees. Often Habitat: A wide range of habitats in diurnal, on very hot days remains in burrows Madagascar, depending on the species, from and emerges to hunt at night. montane rainforests to rocky crevices, to sand Appearance: Length to 1 m. Stout body cov- dunes of the spiny desert. Normally found ered with dark brown and yellow beadlike in dry, open landscapes, they also adapt well scales. Powerful limbs, long fat tail. to field edges and secondary thickets. Even found in the zsingy, the fantastic limestone Diet: Young rodents, fledgling birds, eggs, formations that create a “forest” of rocky spires reptiles, arthropods. Chemosensorily locates that harbor many rare animals. food with its forked tongue. Appearance: Plated lizards are medium-sized Reproduction and Development: Mating takes (up to 36 cm) with an elongate, slightly flattened place in spring. Copulation can last for nearly 1 body. A prominent lateral fold running hour. Female lays 8-10 leathery eggs and buries the length of the flank allows considerable them in shallow nests in sunny locations. expansion of the body. The tail is almost twice Conservation Status: Listed as Vulnerable by as long as the body. Ground color is brown, IUCN. CITES Appendix II. Dry forest and des- with two yellow lateral stripes that run from ert habitat loss is the greatest threat, followed the eye to the base of the tail. The color of the by collection by unscrupulous dealers and hobbyists. Fully protected on paper: cannot be 216 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

killed, molested or collected. Habitat: Lowland rainforest. Adults arboreal, Remarks: Venom is used more for defense than typically in high canopy. Juveniles live in leaf for stunning prey. Venom is in lower jaw (vs. litter. in upper jaw in venomous snakes). Appearance: Length to 2 m. Adults: leaf- The two members of this family, which green scales with white transverse markings. also includes the Gila Monster (Heloderma Thin-bodied. Head and body heavily laterally suspectum), are the only known venomous flattened. Neonotates in a single litter may be lizards. green, red, yellow or a combination of these Their tenacious, chewing bite is potentially, colors. Juveniles typically have brown bodies. though rarely fatal to humans. Diet: Adults seize prey with long fang-like teeth, subsequently constrict with its coils. Eat Redtail Boa aka Boa Constrictor rodents (e.g., the arboreal rice rat), monkeys, Boa constrictor (Boidae) squirrels, birds (passerines and parrots) and Boas bats. Juveniles may prey on lizards. Distribution: Northern Mexico south to Cen- Reproduction and Development: Fertilization tral and Northeast South America to 35° south internal. Live-bearing (ovoviparous). Seven-18 latitude, Lesser Antilles, Dominica, St. Lucia neonates per clutch. Offspring colored red, and other small Caribbean islands. orange or green; change to adult green at sexual Habitat: Deserts, grasslands, arid woodlands, maturity. rainforests, also near human habitation. Pri- Mortality/Longevity: In captivity the estimated marily terrestrial but can climb and swim well. life span is 25 years. Active crepuscularly or nocturnally. Spends Conservation Status: Locally common. much time arboreally. Also shelters in burrows Strong prehensile tail. of agoutis, pacas and armadillos. The scales of the long, slender snout contain Appearance: Varies by subspecies. Many are heat-sensitive labial pits used in locating prey. gigantic, camouflaged brown with saddle markings. Length to 5.6 m. for mainland boas; Anaconda aka Water Anaconda most are much smaller. Eunectes murinus (Boidae) Diet: Primarily ambush hunters. Rodents Boas killed by constriction. Also consume bats, Distribution: South America: Amazon and monkeys, squirrels, agoutis, pacas, birds and Orinoco drainages from Colombia and Ven- reptiles including ameivas, tegus and iguanas. ezuela to East Bolivia and Central Brazil. Also Reproduction and Development: Reproduc- on Trinidad Island. tive in their second to fourth year. Fertilization Habitat: Associated strongly with watercours- internal. Viviparous. 15-60 offspring per clutch es, swamps and other freshwater locations. born 120-145 days after ovulation. Neonates Appearance: Length to 12 m. (another refer- average 45 cm. ence: to 5 m.) Gigantic, heavy-bodied, dark Mortality/Longevity: Can live to more than green boa with dark spots. 25 years. Diet: Monkeys, deer, peccaries, pacas, agoutis, Conservation status: Not on IUCN Red List. birds, fish, caiman and turtles. Prey usually Seems to be holding its own. killed by constriction; prey suffocates but is Remarks: Capable of delivering painful bites not crushed. Usually feed in water. Primarily to humans. a lie-in-wait predator. Important predator of rodents. Reproduction and Development: Typically The two currently on display were born at the during the spring a group of males will court old Steinhart Aquarium. a receptive female, competing peacefully to copulate. Male vibrates his vestigial hindlimbs Emerald Tree Boa rapidly, rubs on the back and flanks of the Corallus caninus (Boidae) female before mating. Copulatory behavior Boas may last 2 hours. A receptive female orients her Distribution: South America’s Amazon basin. cloaca toward his hemipenis. Ovoviviparous. California Academy of Sciences 217

Female coils around her eggs providing extra Remarks: Although called a “tree boa” it is less heat. She gives birth to 4-39 young, each about arboreal than most other tree snakes, primarily 80 cm in length. using trees for hunting. They are probably best Mortality/Longevity: Lives to over 29 years. described as part-time arboreals. Conservation status: Not yet strongly threat- The bright red color of the newborn may be ened. Rarely harvested for meat. Skin trade aposematic mimicry, warning predators to stay light in most of its range. Not a popular pet away, even though boas are not venomous. due to its size and “nasty” disposition. Black-headed Python Remarks: Can remained submerged for a very Aspidites melanocephalus (Pythonidae) long time lying in wait for its next meal. Pythons Our specimen is a female. She is now (2008) 3 Distribution: Northern Territory, Queensland, m long and weighs 90 lbs. In 3 0r 4 years, she’s Western Australia. expected to be about 6 m long! Habitat: Open woodlands, shrublands, Madagascar Tree Boa outcrops, humid coastal forests, and Sanzinia madagascariensis (Boidae) seasonally-dry tropical woodlands. Not Boas found in very arid regions. Found among Distribution: Endemic to Nosy Be, (an rocks and loose debris. island on the northwest coast of Madagascar) Appearance: A large snake with maximum and throughout the island of Madagascar, length of 2.5 m, though 1.5 to 2 m more excluding the very southwest corner. common. Head covered with shiny black Habitat: Live in a variety of forest habitats, scales; body a striped or brindled pattern in ranging from lowland tropical forests, to shades of black and gray brown, gold and humid upland forests, to dry forests. cream. Juveniles more vividly marked. Females larger than males. Appearance: Occurs in 2 color variations; those in the eastern part of the range are green Diet: Other reptiles; small mammals, especially to grayish-green, while in some parts of the rodents. Active at night. western range they are yellow, orange, and Reproduction and Development: Oviparous, brown. The green variety is somewhat smaller with 5–10 eggs per clutch, incubated by female, than the western form. Max length: about 2 m. who coils around the eggs and aggressively Females are larger than males. protects them for 2–3 months until they hatch. Diet: Hunt at night, feeding on small mammals Reproductively mature at 4–5 years. and birds. They use heat sensitive pits around Mortality/Longevity: Adults have no natural their mouths to hunt for warm-blooded animals predators besides dingos and humans; in darkness. Once captured, they use powerful juveniles are subject to predation, including muscles to constrict the prey, decreasing blood cannibalism. return to the heart or oxygen intake. Prey die Conservation Status: Though the species is from cardiovascular or respiratory collapse. unlisted, little is known about its numbers. Boas are not venomous. Remarks: Like all pythons, a non-venomous Reproduction and Development: Viviparous species that kills by constriction. (like all boas), usually bearing less than a dozen Because of its docility and handsome markings, bright red young. Gestation lasts 6 months and the black-headed python is prized by collectors. the offspring are about 25cm long. During the To save energy during the dry season when first year of life, they attain adult coloration. food and water are scarce, pythons reduce their Conservation Status: Vulnerable on IUCN body temperature. Red List (2003), Listed on Appendix 1 of Can dig and live in burrows to escape daytime CITES. Although the Madagascar tree boa heat. Small, streamlined head and non- is part of a captive breeding program, it protrusive eyes may be adaptations to entering is threatened by loss of habitat. Only 10% burrows and hollows. to 20% of the original primary forest of Valued by Aborigines as a Dream Time animal. Madagascar still exists. 218 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Woma often brown-to-reddish background color Aspidites ramsayi (Pythonidae) with cream patterning surrounded by black. Pythons Undersides lighter. Length: up to 2 m, known Distribution: Central and southwest Australia. to reach 3 m in captivity. Habitat: Arid zones on sandplains and Diet: Small mammals, lizards, other snakes, dune fields. Shelters in hollow logs, animals and birds. burrows, or vegetation during the day. Reproduction and Development: Female lays Appearance: Like the black-headed python, and incubates12–45 eggs, which hatch within the Woma’s head is unusually narrow for 2–3 months. a python. Gray, olive, brown, or red-brown Mortality/Longevity: Life span in captivity: above with darker olive brown to black cross- 20–30 years. bands on the body. Sides and undersides pale. Remarks: Known to be a “well-mannered” Diet: A nocturnal hunter of small mammals, species, easy to keep in captivity and thought ground birds, and lizards. Because it hunts its by many collectors to be a particularly prey in narrow tunnels, it cannot throw coils handsome snake. around its target. Instead the snake pushes a This species may be an unexpected visitor loop of its body against the prey, crushing it to on rafters and ceilings of buildings in more death against the side of the burrow. populated areas. Reproduction and Development: Oviparous, like all pythons. The female coils around the Ball Python 5–20 eggs, protecting and warming them with Python regius (Pythonidae) heat generated by muscular “shivering” for the Pythons 2–3 month incubation period. Distribution: West and Central Africa. Conservation Status: Listed as endangered by Habitat: Grassland, savannah, open wood- IUCN in 1996. Clearing of land for agriculture lands and agricultural areas. Nocturnally ac- and grazing and perhaps high predation by tive; often shelter in rodent burrows. foxes and feral cats are causes for decline. Appearance: Length to 2 m. Heavy-bodied Adelaide Zoo in South Australia is coordinating with small, slender head. Camouflage-colored: a captive breeding program with offspring black background with brown saddles, some being released to the wild. Active research interspersed with black dots. Female larger is aimed at returning the woma to its former than male. Young very similar to adults in range. color and pattern. Remarks: The woma, like its relative the black- Diet: Nocturnally prey on rodents. headed python, lacks the heat-sensing pits that Reproduction and Development: Fertilization border the mouth of most other pythons. internal. Female mature at 3 years; some males The woma is a prized food item for desert mature at 1 year. Lay 6-8 eggs, clutch to 16 eggs. Aboriginal people. Hunters follow the track Hatchlings are ~ 41 cm in length. of a woma to its burrow and then dig it out. Mortality/Longevity: Live to at least 49 years in captivity. Centralian Python Morelia bredli (Pythonidae) Conservation Status: Pet trade possibly Pythons threatening? Anecdotal evidence suggests that ball python populations may have benefited Distribution: Northern Territory of Central from deforestation. Australia. Remarks: Rolls into a tight ball with its head Habitat: Arid desert areas; most often on rocky at the center when frightened. outcrops and river banks in or around trees and shrubs. Most common python in captivity (~ 1,000,000 exported into captivity in the 1990s). Appearance: A large, heavily built species, unlike its two more slender Aspidites exhibit Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake companions, who are built for burrowing. Crotalus adamanteus (Viperidae) Distinct, but variable colors and pattern; California Academy of Sciences 219

Distribution: Coastal lowlands, south from as they mature. The adult female coloration is the Carolinas, and west to Lousiana; range dependent on the geographic region of origin. includes Florida and the Florida Keys. They can become quite colorful with yellow, Habitat: Dry forests and sandy beaches. red, blue, and green transverse markings. Known to occasionally swim in salt water. Females are larger than males, and can be up Appearance: May grow to be 2.5 m long, but to 1 m long. 1–2 m is more common. This is the largest Diet: Nocturnal hunters. Juveniles and adult rattlesnake species. Notable for large pit males prefer lizards, especially geckos. Females between the nostril and eye. eat a more varied diet, including rats, birds, Diet: Small mammals, from mice to rabbits; it frogs and lizards. will also eat birds. Diamondback locates prey Reproduction and Development: Mating may by odor, as well as by sensing infrared (heat) be seasonal, occurring during the rainy season. using its pit organ. Its venom disables and Pit vipers are viviparous, bearing live young. predigests its prey. Litter size from 6 –50. Reproduction and Development: 6-21 young Remarks: Wagler’s, like all pit vipers, have are born ovoviviparously. Maternal care is heat-sensing organs on their head below and minimal, from a few hours to at most a few days in front of their eyes (called loreal pits.) They Mortality/Longevity: Can live 20 years or can use these organs to sense prey, even when more. Adults have no natural enemies. The they can’t see it. young are prey to carnivorous mammals, Their venom hemotoxic, making it hard raptors, and other snakes (especially king for blood to clot. Bites can cause local pain, snakes). swelling, bruising, and bleeding. They are Conservation Status: Not listed as endangered, rarely fatal to humans. but populations are in decline due to habitat They, along with the Swamp’s Eastern destruction and hunting. The rabbit population Rattlesnake (also a pit viper), are the only in Florida may be on the rise due to reduced venomous snakes maintained at the Academy. numbers of these natural predators. The Temple of the Azure Cloud in Penang Remarks: The world’s largest rattlesnake, it is Island, Malaysia is known as Snake Temple. It considered the most dangerous snake in North was once filled with hundreds of Wagler’s pit America. A study in the late 1950s reported vipers. Tourists would be photographed with a human mortality rate of 30%. It has a high the snakes. Locals collected the snakes, and venom yield, up to 1,000 mg; the estimated the ones used for photography had had their human lethal dose is 100–150 mg. Typically, fangs removed. the rattler does not strike humans except when Mangrove Snake startled or provoked. Boiga dendrophila (Colubridae) Though feared and so often persecuted by Colubrids people, this snake plays an important role in Distribution: India to Southeast Asia, including rodent control. Borneo. Wagler’s Pit Viper Habitat: Common in lowland forests, especially Tropidolaemus wagleri (Viperidae) in riverine habitats and mangrove swamps. Distribution: Southeast Asia, including Appearance: Strikingly colored, black and southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, yellow-banded. A large snake; may grow to Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi and southern almost 2.5 m. Philippines. Diet: Mainly birds, but also takes fishes, frogs, Habitat: Lives in lowland tropical rainforests. small mammals, and other reptiles. A nocturnal Arboreal, living in low trees, and active at hunter that basks on tree branches during the night. day. Appearance: Juveniles and adult males are Reproduction and Development: Lays clutches usually green or bluish green with white of 4–15 eggs; young hatch in 3–4 mos. markings. Females change colors and markings Remarks: The species, because it is isolated 220 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

on various islands in Indonesia and the shape. Using the lower half of their body they Philippines, has evolved into at least 9 known form into an S. They then stretch out their ribs, subspecies. Most differ from each other by the flattening their bodies to double the original number, length, and width of their bands. B.d. width. The belly region of the snake becomes annectens is confined to Borneo. concave, a shape that acts as a parachute as Boiga spp. are known as “cat snakes” because the snake glides on air drafts from a higher their elliptical pupils resemble those of cats. branch to a lower one. They can undulate their Unlike most “cats,” this animal is an adept bodies to change directions and can glide up swimmer. to 300 feet. A venomous species: though no human Everglades Rat Snake fatalities are known, its bite can be extremely Elaphe obsoleta rosalleni (Colubridae) painful. Researchers recently (2006) isolated a Colubrids novel toxin from the venom, and determined Distribution: Native to the Kissimmee Prairie it to be a bird-specific neurotoxin. and the Everglades regions of South Florida. Paradise Flying Snake Habitat: Found in the seas of sawgrass, in the Chrysopelea paradisi (Colubridae) open grasslands and agricultural fields, in trees Colubrids or shrubs, and along waterways. Also found in Distribution: Southern Thailand, Malaysia, the Australian pine trees planted along roads. Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. Appearance: Adult rat snakes range from Habitat: Arboreal. Lives in a fairly diverse yellow to red to black, with 4 grey longitudinal habitat, ranging from tropical evergreen stripes; have orange eyes and a red tongue. rainforests with relatively sparse undergrowth Relatively large, reaching lengths of up to five to deciduous forests with undergrowth of feet. These rat snakes are skilled swimmers and shrubs and grasses. are also able to climb trees as well as burrow Appearance: Long slender body, reaching over underground. Harmless, non-venomous. a meter long. It can reach well over 1 m. Its Diet: Rodents, lizards, frogs and birds in the black body is covered with a yellow spotted wild; nocturnal hunters. pattern, which may form stripes with red and Reproduction and Development: Female rat orange splotches. The head has 5 yellow or snakes generally lay clutches of 6–30 smooth- orange bars that extend the width of the head. shelled, oblong eggs between May and July. Diet: Carnivorous and, like all snakes, swallows Hatchlings emerge in 8–15 weeks, August to its food whole. Prefers lizard species but will October. Hatchlings are 30–40 cm long. eat frogs, bats, small birds and small rodents. Mortality/Longevity: In captivity, live up to Reproduction and Development: Oviparous, 20 years. with internal fertilization. Lay clutches of 5 Remarks: Record length of a rat snake is to 11 eggs. Gestation period is not known. 2.3 m. Offspring hatch when they are about 15 cm Pure Everglades rat snakes are becoming rare long and are brightly colored like adults. in the wild due to the expansion of the yellow Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata) into predatory birds and large mammals. The Southern Florida. The yellow rat has been biggest threat is increased human habitation. interbreeding with the Glades rat to produce No information on life span. much darker individuals than those typical of Remarks: When prey is identified, paradise the pure Glades form. snakes will strike and snare the prey with 6 rows of teeth. Once it has hold, it uses a Red-tailed Green Rat Snake combination of constriction and mild venom Gonyosoma oxycephala (Colubridae) to subdue the prey. Colubrids Snakes classified in the genus Chrysopelea Distribution: Southeast Asia including usually posses the ability to “fly.” They slither Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia/ out to the end of a branch, and dangle in a “J” Singapore, Philippines Thailand, and Vietnam. California Academy of Sciences 221

Habitat: Arboreal, living in lowland tropical Remarks: Venomous; bites can produce severe forests, mangroves, or bamboos. local pain and swelling that may last for several Appearance: Bright iridescent green with days. Colubrids tend to chew when they bite, tails of red, orange or gray. Long and slender, further envenomating and infecting the site. averaging 1.5 m but can exceed 2 m. Females None of Madagascar’s more than 80 species are slightly larger than males. They have of snakes is overly dangerous to humans. No predominately smooth scales, with the head adders, cobras, mambas, pythons, or vipers— covered by plate-like scales, and the ventral just boas and colubrids. side with ridged scales. Burmese Vine Snake Diet: In the wild eat birds, eggs, and nestlings. Ahaetulla fronticincta (Colubridae) Will also eat frogs, lizards, bats, and other small Colubrids mammals. In captivity they are usually fed mice. They are fast hunters, and can capture Distribution: Myanmar (formerly Burma). bats in flight. Prey is killed by constriction, Habitat: Mostly arboreal in brackish mangrove rather than venom. swamps. Reproduction and Development: Breed year Appearance: Length to perhaps 60 cm. Pencil round, 3 to 4 clutches per year. Unlike most thin, delicate; green and brown scales. Bulbous reptiles they will incubate their eggs for 3 to 4 wide-set raised eyes. months. Hatchlings are about 24 cm. Diet: Diurnal hunter of small fish: gobies, and Mortality/Longevity: May live about 6 years in rice fish. Prey immobilized with mild venom the wild and up to 15 years in captivity. from enlarged rear fangs. Visually-oriented Conservation Status: Once commonly sold hunter. for purported medicinal value in some Asian Reproduction and Development: Fertilization countries, the snake is now restricted from internal. Viviparous. Newborn snakes are a export, at least by the Thai government, and subtle shade of brown. Polymorphic: some adults local people value it for rodent control. turn green, brown, or more rarely two-toned. Remarks: Red-tailed rat snakes spend most Remarks: The Steinhart Aquarium was the first of their time high in trees. The ridged scales to display this species. Academy field research on the ventral side help them hold tightly to on this little-known species continues. tree branches. An arboreally-adapted species that consumes Red-tailed green ratsnakes look and behave fishes is an oddity. In the Steinhart, feed on like a species of venomous pit viper that lives guppies and goldfish. in the same area, an example of mimicry. When Steinhart’s vine shakes have bred and reproduced threatened, they can compress laterally and in captivity, a first for this species. inflate the first 1/3 of their bodies. They coil this region into an “S” that reaches above the rest of the body. This posture exposes black and white diagonal bands of tissue and presents an CLASS AVES ominous threat to enemies. (BIRDS)

Madagascar Leaf-nosed Snake African Penguin aka Jackass Penguin Langaha madagascariensis (Colubridae) Spheniscus demersus (Spheniscidae) Colubrids Distribution: Coasts of South Africa and Distribution: Endemic to Madagascar. Namibia. Habitat: Arboreal, lives in and on vines and Habitat: Nests in colonies mainly on offshore branches. islands. Rarely encountered more than 8 km Appearance: Displays striking sexual from islands or mainland. dimorphism: male has a pointed snout and Appearance: To 70 cm tall. Like most birds body with contrasting coloration; female with shared parental duties, sexes are similar has leaf-shaped snout and is uniformly dark in appearance. Adults: upperparts blackish- brown. grey, underparts mostly white with inverted 222 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

black horseshoe extending down flank to thigh. Trinidad. Feet and legs black. Chicks arrive with second- Habitat: Semi-open rainforests. Also deciduous ary down feathers. Juveniles and immatures forest up to 1000 m. Common along forest gradually come to resemble adults. edges. Though they feed on the ground, these Diet: Piscivorous. doves are shy, mostly arboreal birds. Reproduction and Development: Colonial Appearance: Relatively small pigeons. The nesters. Dig nesting burrows. male sports blue-grey upperparts and paler Mortality/Longevity: May live to at least 25 grey underparts, with gray-white face and years. wings marked with black. Female is grey- Conservation status: IUCN: vulnerable. brown on head, neck, and breast, with pale blue-grey belly, ruddy brown back, and Historically, egg-collecting by humans re- chestnut rump and tail. Young resemble the duced populations. For example in 1897 female. Immature males similar to adult male, more than 700,000 eggs were collected from though some greyish brown feathers remain. colonies near the Cape of Good Hope. Afri- can penguin populations have plummeted Diet: Forages on the ground, feeding on seeds from 2 million in 1900 to less than 200,000, a and small insects. 90% decimation. Egg-collecting started that Reproduction: Builds a flimsy nest of twigs trend, and the downward spiral continues high in a tree; lays two white eggs. due to heavy shipping traffic. Oil spills and Remarks: Found alone, in pairs, or in family the careless discharge of oil kill penguins by groups. reducing their ability to insulate themselves. Call: a single, soft, repeated “coooo-oo.” The fishing industry continues to remove nutrition from the food web which would Blue and Gold Macaw otherwise be available to penguins. Global Ara ararauna (Psittacidae) warming, blamed in part on the increasing True Parrots severity and number of fish population col- Distribution: Mexico, Central America, and lapses, is also impacting penguins northern South America. In July, 2007 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat: Rainforests, where they live high in announced that the African penguin, along trees especially along swamps and rivers. with 9 other penguin species, is under review Appearance: A striking bird with emerald for inclusion on the Federal List of Endangered crown topped with azure blue across the back Species. and wings. Primary feathers meld to a deep Remarks: The alternate common name “jackass” cobalt blue with green tips. Chest a solid, eye- is a reference to its donkey-like vocalization. catching gold. Facial skin patch etched by lines Members of the Academy’s colony are all cap- of black feathers around the eyes. A large bird tive-born. Hand-fed from birth. (CAS penguins with a 1.2 meter wing span; weight up to 1.2 kg. will not eat live fish!) Twice daily fed thawed Diet: Fruits, vegetable matter, seeds, nuts, herring and capelin occasionally laced with leaves and bark. Also small animals. Beaks medications for ailing birds. used for crushing seeds. In the course of daily CAS is a participant of the AAZPA (American feeding, macaws allow plenty of seeds (while Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria) eating, as well as in their droppings) to fall to SSP (Species Survival Program) for this species. the forest floor, thus generating forest growth. CAS penguin pairs share the same colored Reproduction: Breed readily in captivity and wing band. Males wear their bands on their are popular in the pet trade. Sexual maturity right wing, females on the left. reached at 3–6 years. Like other macaws, they form monogamous pairs. Nest is usually in Blue Ground Dove hole of a tall dead tree. Female lays 1–3 eggs, Claravis pretiosa (Columbidae) incubating them for 24–26 days during which Distribution: Found in most of the New World time the male feeds her. Young are precocial, tropical zone from Mexico to northwestern born blind and almost naked. Female feeds Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina; also them initially with regurgitated vegetable California Academy of Sciences 223

matter; within a week, the male joins the effort. deep “parrot bill” shape, ivory on upper bill, Young fledge after 4 months, may remain with black on lower. Legs and feet are black. Young parents for up to a year. birds are similar in plumage, but eye is brown. Mortality/Longevity: Life span: about 50 years Diet: Ripe fruit and nuts. The strong, powerful (some sources say 80 years). bill allows them to crack very hard nuts and Conservation Status: Listed on CITES pierce large unripe fruits, which are not Appendix 2, indicating they may become rare available to the many other fruit-eating species. or endangered if trade is not regulated. As with other parrot family members, the Remarks: A relatively calm bird which one upper bill is highly hinged and can be raised source refers to as the golden retriever of the and lowered with great force. They periodically parrot family. eat clay to neutralize the acid of the unripe fruits. Also like other parrot family members, Blue-golds are extremely intelligent, speak they bring food to their bill with one foot well, and can learn tricks. (usually the left one) while grasping branch Powerful beaks exert great pressure, sufficient with the other. to crush seeds or even bite through a human Reproduction and Development: Macaws finger, bone and all. Fortunately, these mate for life and reinforce the pair bond with birds don’t bite handlers hard, preferring a frequent preening and rubbing each other. reprimanding pinch instead. Beaks are also They nest in a found hole high in canopy tree, used as a “third foot” when climbing. shaping it somewhat to their needs. Chipping In the wild, pairs are the principal grouping, inside the cavity, they create a chip and fiber though the birds often congregate in flocks of cushion inside the nest to absorb chick waste. up to 30 birds. The body position for copulation is side-to- According to one source, blue and gold side, rather than male on top of female, the macaws are extremely intelligent, and will male placing one wing and foot over the female show their emotions or intentions by cocking as both turn towards each other to give cloacal their heads, vocalizing, flashing their eyes and contact. Mates may stay together on the nest, blushing. They also use fluffing of the feathers, but the female incubates the 2–4 eggs for 24–27 raising the wings, prancing, bowing, shaking days. She is fed by the male. Young are fed their tail feathers, and head bobbing as forms regurgitated food by both parents. They are of communication. camouflaged in foliage, and sensing danger This species is the most popular macaw when nesting or feeding young, will freeze among hobbyists. However, people should until threat is assessed. know blue-golds, like all parrots, are a long- Mortality/Longevity: Adults are rarely preyed term commitment given their life spans and upon since size, aggressiveness, flight agility, require an extraordinary amount of positive habitat cover and camouflage offer protection. interaction with their owners. Young in nest may be taken by snakes, toucans, monkeys and African bees which may have a Scarlet Macaw hive in cavity nest; fledglings are additionally Ara macao (Psittacidae) prey for eagles, hawks. Life span: up to 50 True Parrots years. Distribution: From southeast Mexico through Remarks: Like other psittacids, macaws have a Central and South America to northern vocabulary of body language. Theirs includes Argentina; especially in Amazon Basin. “blushing” to indicate mood. They also hiss, Habitat: In the rainforest canopy, mostly at ruffle feathers, raise and lower body, and altitudes below 1000 m. threaten with one foot. Most aggressive posture Description: Male and female are mostly is body and bill forward, hissing and up-and- scarlet on head, front, back, and main tail down “push-ups.” feathers. Scarlet is accented by brilliant blue They are strong fliers, with powerful, shallow and yellow on parts of flight and tail feathers wingbeats and very adept moving in trees, and plumage on back. Face is contrasting using their strong beaks as well as zygodactyl white; large eyes are yellow. Beak is large and 224 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

feet to maneuver in branches. Silver-beaked Tanager Ramphocelus carbo (Thraupidae) They can be aggressive and territorial. Tanagers, Honeycreepers, Euphonias and their Red-legged Honeycreeper Allies Cyanerpes cyaneus (Thraupidae) Distribution: Resident breeder in South Tanagers, Honeycreepers, Euphonias and their America from Colombia and Venezuela south Allies to Paraguay and central Brazil as well as on Distribution: Widespread from southern Trinidad. Mexico to Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and some Habitat: Light woodland and cultivated areas. Caribbean Islands. Appearance: Adult male: velvety crimson back Habitat: Prefer crown of deciduous forests but with deep crimson throat and breast; upper are also common in semi-open, second growth mandible black, lower mandible bright silver. and gardens in shrub and understory. Female: duller; brownish upperparts and Description: Male red-legged honeycreeper reddish brown underparts, throat, and breast. is a striking dark violet-blue on its face, Diet: Mainly fruit as well as insects. undersides and neck, set off by black eye Reproduction: Clutch of 2 green-blue eggs patches, wings, tail and upper back. The crown blotched with black-brown are laid in bulky is bright turquoise, the underwings yellow. The cup nest usually built at lower forest level. black bill is fairly long and decurved. Its legs Female incubates eggs for 11–12 days before are brilliant red. The male molts to the female they hatch. Chicks fledge 11–12 days later. plumage colors: greenish paler below with Remarks: These social birds tend to be noisy, slight streaks and rufous legs. Size: c. 12 cm; traveling in groups of 4–8 in the wild. weight: 14 grams. Our rainforest birds have already nested, Diet: Primarily fruit eaters, honeycreepers hatched, and fledged! also depend on nectar sipped from blossoms while perching. Trees with arillate seeds (small Red-shouldered Tanager fleshy-covered seeds often within a pod) Tachyphonus phoenicius (Thraupidae) are also a frequent food. They often come to Distribution: Tropical to sub-tropical South feeders for fruit and nectar, joining small mixed America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, flocks of birds with similar food preferences. French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Active and restless, they move through foliage Venezuela. often in groups of 15 – 20 seeking food trees. Habitat: Dry shrubland or seasonally wet Keep in contact with constant ‘tsip’ notes. or flooded lowland grassland. Also open Reproduction and Development: Pair jointly rainforest, to 2000 m. build a thin, somewhat flimsy cup of fiber and Appearance: Male: glossy black, point of grasses, small twigs and moss, and fasten it shoulder red. Female: top and sides of head to the fork of a slender branch with cobwebs, dark brownish grey as are back, wings, and usually 10–15 feet above ground. Two brown- tail. Underparts a dull white, sides of throat a spotted white eggs are incubated by the female brighter white. for 12–13 days; both parents feed the young Diet: Usually forage in pairs. for 14 days. Mortality/Longevity: Preyed upon by hawks Rufous-crowned Tanager and snakes. Tangara cayana (Thraupidae) Remarks: The male’s striking brilliant blue, Distribution: Tropical to sub-tropical areas of turquoise and yellow plumage colors, and South America. the startling red legs impress human visitors, Habitat: Favors tropical moist lowland forests, who often have a chance to see birds which but also found in open terrain with scattered are drawn to fruit and nectar feeders. Out of trees and in cultivated areas. breeding season, they join in fairly large mixed Appearance: Male: crown a bright coppery flocks. rufous; sides of the head black; throat and breast dark greenish blue; back a shining California Academy of Sciences 225

opalescent straw color; underparts light Reproduction: Builds bulky cup nest in tree or orange-yellow. Female: much duller; lacks the shrub. Female incubates three brown-blotched male’s distinctive dark throat patch. grey-green eggs for about 12–14 days. Diet: Fruit and insects; forages in flocks from Remarks: Call: sharp, twittering chirps. low levels to treetops. Opal-rumped Tanager Reproduction: 2 eggs laid in open cup nest. Tangara velia (Thraupidae) Paradise Tanager Distribution: Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Tangara chilensis (Thraupidae) Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Distribution: South America: common in Habitat: Tropical forests, from emergent to Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil. shrub layer, especially lowland rainforests and Habitat: Canopy and edges of subtropical to the forest edge, though found in some areas tropical lowland humid forests, including parts up to 1200 m. of the Amazon basin and upwards to 1400 m. Appearance: Upperparts mostly black; Often moves in mixed flocks. underparts a deep-violet blue. Rump an Appearance: Striking colors: top and sides opalescent silvery green. Beak, feet, and legs of head bright apple-green, black upper body are black. Female differs from male by having plumage, lower back scarlet, underparts a bright glistening blue green rather than purplish blue turqoise. Beak and legs black. Sexes similar. on sides of head. Diet: Mainly fruit, buds, leaves. Forage from Diet: Usually forages in the canopy or emergent middle heights to treetops. Also, like other layer mostly for fruits and berries. Tangara tanagers, picks insects from leaves or Occasionally pick insects from leaves or takes sometimes takes them in flight. Often moves them in flight. and feeds in mixed flocks. Reproduction: Female constructs well- Reproduction: Female builds a cup nest where concealed cup nest and typically lays clutch of she lays two or three brown- or lilac-speckled 2 grayish-white eggs dotted with darker gray. white eggs. Eggs hatch in 13–14 days; chicks Incubation: 13–14 days; chicks fledge 15–16 fledge in additional 15–16 days. Nestlings days after hatching. Both male and female feed are feed insects and fruit by both male and hatchlings a diet of insects and fruit, and are female. often assisted by same-species helpers. Remarks: In Spanish, called “sieite colores” for Remarks: Generally seen in pairs and/or small its seven-colored appearance: green, yellow, groups of mixed species. scarlet, black, and three colors of blue feathers Emit a high-pitched twitter in flight. adorn this handsome bird. Blue-gray Tanager Turquoise Tanager Thraupis episcopus (Thraupidae) Tangara mexicana (Thraupidae) Distribution: Found mainly from central Distribution: Trinidad, Colombia, and Mexico to northern parts of Boliva and Brazil. Venezuela, much of Brazil, and south to Common throughout much of Costa Rica. Bolivia. Habitat: Semi-open habitats; often found near Habitat: Rainforest, mangroves, open cultivated areas, especially fruit orchards. woodland and cultivated areas. Appearance: Male: pale blue-gray color with a Appearance: Head, throat, breast, lower back darker blue-gray back, bright sky blue wings and rump a cornflower blue; bright turquoise and tail, a blackish bill, and large, black eyes. shoulder patches and pale yellow lower Female and young are grayer. underparts. Bill and legs black. Lower neck Diet: Insects, spiders, and fruit. Also spotted with white; body with patches of black. occasionally eat flowers, leaves, and nectar. Sexes similar. Reproduction: Female incubates 2 eggs laid Diet: Variety of fruits as well as insects, often in open cup nest for 12–14 days; once eggs gleaned from twigs. Forages from ground to hatch, both parents feed young, which fledge treetops. in about 17 days. 226 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Remarks: The species is quite vocal and social. Reproduction: The female incubates 3–4 white Pairs or groups participate in noisy singing and eggs blotched with red in a ball nest formed in chattering, though the song is not particularly a cavity of a stump, bank or tree. musical. Remarks: These are highly social birds, moving As fruit-eaters, these birds play an important in mixed flocks of other birds. The mixed flocks role in seed dispersal for trees and shrubs in provide some defensive safety with different the tropics. levels of alertness to predators. Like many small tropical birds, they are preyed As specialists on mistletoe and some other upon by cats, both wild and domestic, snakes, toxic berries, Euphonias have weak, digestive and birds of prey. systems adapted to removing the flesh of the mistletoe berries without disturbing the toxic Saffron Finch viscin layer surrounding each seed. Within Sicalis flaveola (Thraupidae) ten minutes they can excrete the sticky strings Distribution: Common in the South American of seeds by vigorous rear end movements, tropics of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, scraping them onto twigs and branches where Brazil, and Argentina. the seeds have a chance to fall and germinate— Habitat: Open and semi-open forests and fields good for the bird and good for the seeds! from lowland areas to 1850 m. Prefer drier areas; generally reside outside the Amazon basin. Yellow-green Grosbeak Caryothraustes canadensis (Cardinalidae) Appearance: Forehead and crown bright orange. Yellow head, greenish-yellow mantle Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, and back, bright yellow underparts. Female Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela. duller above and lighter below. Bill brownish- Habitat: Tropical to subtropical moist lowland grey, legs pink. forest; also found on heavily degraded forest Diet: Forage in pairs or larger groups for seeds, lands as well as suburban and cultivated areas insects, and plant matter. up to 1000 m. Reproduction: Nest in tree hollows, though Appearance: Male: olive yellow with black face, use nesting boxes in captivity. Female lays 3–4 with the back less bright than crown and nape. white eggs; incubation, 12–14 days. Female Female: similar to male, except slightly duller; incubates the eggs, male guards the nest. After crown and nape are similar in color to the back. eggs hatch, both parents feed the young, and Diet: Mostly seed eaters, well equipped for fledging takes place in about 2 weeks. this diet by their heavy bills. Also eat insects Remarks: Saffron finches are a favorite caged and occasional vegetable matter. Forage from bird because of their handsome colors and medium heights to treetops, often in flocks. pleasant song. Remarks: Some birds commonly called “grosbeaks” and “tanagers,” such as the Violaceous Euphonia Yellow-green Grosbeak and the local Black- Euphonia violacea (Fringillidae) headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) Distribution: Trinidad and eastern Venezuela and Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) are south to Argentina. now classified as members of the Cardinal Habitat: Forests, including second growth and family. plantations. Banaquit Appearance: A very small, tit-sized bird. Males Coereba flaveola (Coerebidae) are glossy blue-black on head and back, with Bananaquits contrasting yellow forehead, breast and belly. Distribution: Widespread in Central and South Females are green above, yellow-green below. America, from southeast Mexico to northern Diet: Specialized small fruit and berry eaters, Argentina, and in the West Indies. and particularly feed on mistletoe berries which Habitat: Flourishes in different habitats that their digestive tracks can manage without provide vegetation and flowers for food: activating the toxins. They often move and eat canopy, forest edges, open second growth and in mixed flocks with other small fruit eaters. California Academy of Sciences 227 human inhabited areas. reach, thus thwarting the pollination strategy Description: Small, short-tailed and -legged of the flowers. bird, length about 10 cm, weight 4 grams. Both They communicate with sharp, piercing ‘tsip,’ male and female plumage on chest, belly and and have no melodious song. upper rump are bright yellow, back and head Their period of incubation and feeding young are dark gray accenting a striking wide, white are unique, as is the shape of their nest and eyebrow stripe and throat. Bill is black, short the building of adjacent “dormitory” nests, and slender, and slightly decurved. where they roost or sleep when not actively Diet: Primarily nectar feeders, bananaquits incubating. They also have an exceptionally seek small flowers for nectar and use sharp long breeding season, lasting all year except bill to pierce larger ones when its bill cannot from March to May, and often raise three otherwise reach the nectar. They also suck broods. juices of berries and ripe fruits and nibble Taxonomically, they have recently become on bananas. Feeds in pairs or solo, short the only remaining genus in their family, now strong legs and feet allow acrobatic postures considered unique, but that may change again, to probe or pierce flowers for nectar, even as som experts place them in the Thraupidae, feeding upside down. They also pick bark for the tanager family. small insects. They readily join mixed flocks of tanagers, honeycreepers and warblers at feeders. Reproduction and Development: Both CLASS MAMMALIA parents, but often primarily the male, build a (MAMMALS) brooding nest and also several roosting nests. Nest is a compact globe of leaves and plant ORDER CHIROPTERA fibre, lined with seed down, moss, and feathers. (BATS) The round entry doorway faces down (to Dog-faced Fruit Bat discourage snakes). Nest is usually 10 -50 feet Cynopterus brachyotis (Pteropodidae) up. Two eggs are brown-spotted white, which Fruit Bats the female incubates 12–13 days. Both parents feed young regurgitated food for 17–19 days. Distribution: Southeast Asia including Their period of incubation and feeding young Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are unique, as is the shape of their nest and southern Myanmar, Thailand, southern China, the building of adjacent “dormitory” nests, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Borneo. where they roost or sleep when not actively Habitat: Tropical forests and open country. incubating. They also have an exceptionally Roost in caves, deserted mines, under the eaves long breeding season, lasting all year except of buildings, occasionally in hollow trees. from March to May, and often raise three Appearance: Wingspan to ~45 cm; weight to broods. ~100 g. Pelage is dense and variable in color, Mortallity/Longevity: Like other small but typically olive-brown. Prominent, almost passerines, vulnerable to hawks, snakes. tubular nostrils. The upper lip is divided by a Remarks: Banaquits have adapted well to vertical groove. human impact on the environment. They are Diet: Fruits of many plants, including palms, highly sociable and common in inhabited figs, guavas, plantains, mangoes, chinaberries areas, mixing with other species at feeders and, occasionally, flowers. Subsist primarily on and in gardens and farm areas. People enjoy fruit juice, little pulp ingested. May travel more their acrobatic stances to get nectar. Unlike than 100 km in one night to feed. suspended hummingbirds, bananaquits Reproduction and Development: Gestation must get nectar as they grasp twigs. Like ~120 days. Mothers carry their single offspring some other small, sharp-billed birds such as during the early part of its life. honeycreepers, they pierce the base of large Mortality/Longevity: Sold in markets in flowers to get nectar their short bills cannot northern Thailand as “medicine.” Eaten in 228 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

some Asian cutltures “for strength.” Remarks: This is the only old world fruit bat known to build shelters; individuals occasionally bite off the center seed string in palm fruit clus- ters, resulting in a hollow from which to hang. Fruit-eating bats are important in seed dispersal and the pollination of many plant species. Like all Old World fruit bats, does not echolo- cate, depending instead on vision for orienta- tion–note large eyes–and acute sense of smell to find food. California Coast Main Tank 229229

CALIFORNIA ROCKY COAST - MAIN TANK

Bull kelp Club-tipped anemone Nereocystis luetkeana Corynactis californica

Giant plumose anemone Cloned plumose anemone Metridium giganteum Medtridium senile

Aggregating anemone Giant green sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima Anthopleura xanthogrammica

Painted Urticina Rose anemone Urticina crassicornis Urticina lofotensis 230 230 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

LloydLloyd GomezGomez E.E. EugeniaEugenia PattenPatten ©© CASCAS Fish-eating anemone Mossy chiton Urticina piscivora Mopalia muscosa

Marguerite Gregory © CAS GaryRon McDonald DeCloux Gumboot chiton Red abalone Cryptochiton stelleri Haliotis rufescens

Stephen LonhartGary McDonald / NOAA Stephen LonhartRon DeCloux/ NOAA Rough keyhole limpet California mussel Diodora aspera Mytilus californianusRon DeCloux

Sherry BallardRon DeCloux © CAS SherryJan HaagaBallard / ©NOAA CAS Giant rock scallop Red rock crab Crassedoma giganteum Cancer productus California Coast Main Tank 231231

Sherry Ballard © CAS Sherry Ballard © CAS Red sea urchin Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Sherry Ballard © CAS Giant acorn barnacle Gooseneck barnacle Balanus nubilus Pollicipes polymerus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Bat star Pink star Asterina miniata Pisaster brevispinus

Gary McDonald Ron DeCloux Giant sea star Ochre star Pisaster giganteum Pisaster ochraceus 232 232 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Leather star Blood star Dermasterias imbricata Henricia leviuscula

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Leopard shark Jacksmelt Triakis semifasciata Atherinopsis californiensis

NOAA Ron DeCloux Red Irish lord Brown rockfish Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus Sebastes auriculatus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Gopher rockfish Copper rockfish Sebastes carnatus Sebastes caurinus California Coast Main Tank 233233

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Black & yellow rockfish Starry rockfish Sebastes chrysomelas Sebastes constellatus

NOAA Ron DeCloux Quillback rockfish Black rockfish Sebastes maliger Sebastes melanops

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Vermillion rockfish Blue rockfish Sebastes miniatus Sebastes mystinus

Ron DeCloux China rockfish Tiger rockfish Sebastes nebulosus Sebastes nigrocinctus 234 234 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Bococcio rockfish Canary rockfish Sebastes paucispinis Sebastes pinniger

Ron DeCloux Rosy rockfish Flag rockfish Sebastes rosaceus Sebastes rubrivinctus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Olive rockfish Treefish Sebastes serranoides Sebastes serriceps

Peter Atjai Ron DeCloux California scorpionfish Cabezon Scorpaena guttata Scorpaenichthys marmoratus California Coast Main Tank 235235

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Kelp greenling (male) Kelp greenling (female) Hexagrammos decagrammus Hexagrammos decagrammus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Painted greenling Ocean whitefish Oxylebius pictus Caulolatilus princeps

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Redtail surfperch Pile perch Amphistichus rhodoterus Damalichthys vacca

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Black surfperch Striped surfperch Embiotoca jacksoni Embiotoca lateralis 236 236 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Walleye surfperch Rainbow surfperch Hyperprosopon argenteum Hypsurus caryi

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Rubberlip surfperch Wolf eel Rhacochilus toxotes Anarrhichthys ocellatus

Ron DeCloux C-O turbot Pleuronichthys coenosus California Coast Southern California Tank 237237

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TANK - CALIFORNIA COAST EXHIBIT

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Giant kelp (synthetic) Laminaria (synthetic) Macrocystis pyrifera Laminaria sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Red gorgonian Golden and brown gorgonians Lophogorgia chilensis Muricea spp.

Ron DeCloux Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Wavy turban snail Blood star Lithopoma undosum Henricia leviuscula

CAS Ron DeCloux Warty sea cucumber Swell shark Parastichopus parvimensis Cephaloscyllium ventriosum 238238 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux California scorpionfish (juvenile) Gopher rockfish Scorpaena guttata Sebastes carnatus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Treefish (juvenile) Kelp bass Sebastes serriceps Paralabrax clathratus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Opaleye Halfmoon Paralabrax clathratus Medialuna californiensis

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Blacksmith Garibaldi Chromis punctipinnis Hypsypops rubicundus California Coast Southern California Tank 239239

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Rock wrasse (initial stage) Rock wrasse (terminal male) Halichoeres semicinctus Halichoeres semicinctus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Senorita wrasse California Sheephead Oxyjulis californica Semicossyphus pulcher 240 240 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

DISCOVERY TIDEPOOL - CALIFORNIA COAST EXHIBIT

Red algae Encrusting and articulating coralline algae Coralllina sp.

Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Gary McDonald Iridescent seaweed Turkish towel Iridea sp. Mastocarpus papillatus

Gary McDonald NOAA Sea lettuce Rockweed Ulva sp. Fucus sp.

Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Ron DeClouz Sea sacs Feather boa kelp Halosaccion glandiforme Egregia menziesii Discovery Tidepool 241241

Ron DeClouz Giant kelp Oar weed Macrocystis pyrifera Laminaria sp.

Eugene Webber © CAS Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Orange cup coral Aggregating anemone Balanophyllia elegans Anthopleura elegantissima

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Cloned plumose anemone Giant green anemone Medtridium senile Anthopleura xanthogrammica

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Gumboot chiton Red abalone Cryptochiton stelleri Haliotis rufescens 242 242 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

NOAA Gary McDonald Owl limpet Rough keyhole limpet Lottia gigantea Megathura crenulata

L. & L. Langstroth Blue ring top snail Blue top snail Calliostoma annulatum Calliostoma ligatum

L. & L. Langstroth Steve Lonhart / NOAA Red top snail Black turban snails Lithopoma gibberosum Tegula spp.

Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Ron DeCloux California sea hare Opalescent nudibranch Aplysia california Hermissenda crassicornis Discovery Tidepool 243243

Steve Lonhart / NOAA P. D. Hershman California mussel Red octopus Mytilus californianus Octopus rubescens

Sherry Ballard © CAS CAS Red rock crab Green shore crab Cancer productus Hemigrapsus oregonensis

Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Peter Atjai Purple shore crab Decorator (or masking) crab Hemigraspus nudus Loxorhynchus crispatus

Ron DeCloux Gary McDonald Northern kelp crab Hermit crab Pugettia producta Pagurus spp. 244 244 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Sherry Ballard © CAS Charles Webber © CAS Striped shore crab Acorn barnacle Pachygraspus crassipes Balanus glandula

Sherry Ballard © CAS George W. Robinson © CAS Gooseneck barnacle Bat star Pollicipes polymerus Asterina miniata

Sherry Ballard © CAS Sherry Ballard © CAS Pink sea star Leather star Pisaster brevispinus Dermasterias imbricata

Gary McDonald Sherry Ballard © CAS Giant sea star Ochre star Pisaster giganteus Pisaster ochraceus Discovery Tidepool 245245

Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Gerald & Buff Corsi © CAS Blood star Brittle star Henricia leviuscula Family Ophiodermatidae

Sherry Ballard © CAS Sherry Ballard © CAS Red sea urchin Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Steve Lonhart / NOAA California sea cucumber Warty sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus Parastichopus parvimensis

John White Skate egg case Swell shark egg case Raja sp. Cephaloscyllium ventriosum 246 246 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Horn shark egg case Tidepool sculpin Heterodontus francisci Oligocottus spp.

CAS Dwarf surfperch Shiner surfperch Micrometrus minimus Cymatogaster aggregata

Ron Wolf Penpoint gunnel Apodichthys flavidus California Coast Giants Tank 247247

GIANTS TANK - CALIFORNIA COAST EXHIBIT

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Giant kelp (synthetic) Gorgonian Macrocystis pyrifera Muricea sp.

Ron DeCloux Sherry Ballard © CAS White-spotted rose anemone Sunflower sea star Urticina lofotensis Pycnopodia helianthoides Ron DeCloux

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux California horn shark California moray eel Heterodontus francisci Gymnothorax mordax

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Garibaldi Giant sea bass Hypsypops rubicundus Stereolepis gigas 248 248 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Kelp bass California halibut Paralabrax clathratus Paralichthys californicus

Ron DeCloux Lingcod Ophiodon elongatus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 249

PHILIPPINE CORAL REEF LAGOON AND MANGROVE POP-UP

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Blacktip reef shark Bowmouth guitarfish Carcharhinus melanopterus Rhina ancylostoma

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Javanese cownose ray Bluespotted stingray Rhinoptera javanica Dasyatis kuhlii

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Pacific tarpon Mono Megalops cyprinoids Monodactylus argenteus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Neon damselfish Moon wrasse Neoglyphidodon oxyodon Thalassoma lunare 250250250 250 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Canary wrasse Maori wrasse Halichoeres chrysus Cheilinus undulatus

Naso Red mangrove Naso sp. Rhizophora mangle

Barred mudskipper Periophthalmus argentilineatus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 251

SEAGRASS SHALLOWS - PHILIPPINE CORAL REEF

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Bryopsis algae Striped mushrooms Bryopsis sp. Discosoma sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Zooanthids Sarcophyton Zoanthus spp. Sarcophyton sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux

Cauliflower coral Acanthastrea Pocillopora damicornis Acamtastrea sp.

Ron DeCloux Meat coral Lobophyllia Acanthophyllia deshayesiana Lobophyllia sp. 252252252 252 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Open brain coral Corkscrew tentacle sea anemone Trachyphyllia geoffroyi Macrodactyla doreensis

Sandy Linder Sandy Linder Euphyllia coral Bubble coral Euphyllia sp. Plerogyra sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Magnificent sea anemone Bubbletip sea anemone Heteractis magnifica Entacmea quadricolor

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Tridacna clam Tridacna clam Tridacna derasa Tridacna gigas Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 253

Ron DeCloux Tridacna clam Tridacna clam Tridacna squamosa Tridacna maxima

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Long-spined sea urchin Jewel fairy basslet Diadema setosum Pseudanthias squamapinnis

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux False clown anemonefish Green chromis Amphiprion ocellaris Chromis viridis

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Yellowtail blue damselfish Banded goby Chrysiptera parasema Amblygobius phalaena 254254254 254 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Orangebanded surgeonfish Palette tang Acanthurus olivaceous Paracanthurus hepatus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 255

PHILIPPINE CORAL REEF MAIN TANK

Ron DeCloux Sarcophyton Sinularia Sarcophyton sp. Sinularia sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Lobophytum Pacific gorgonian Lobophytum sp. Rhumphella sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Pacific gorgonian Beaded mushroom Rhumphella sp. Discosoma sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Hairy mushroom Bullseye mushroom Rhodactis sp. Rhodactis inchoata 256256256 256 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Blue coral Cauliflower coral Heliopora coerulea Pocillopora damicornis

Ron DeCloux Cat’s paw coral Stylophora sp. Montipora capricornis

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Elkhorn coral Staghorn coral Acropora sp. Acropora sp.

Ron DeCloux Cactus coral Disk coral Pavona sp. Cycloseris or Fungia sp. Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 257

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Galaxy coral Acanthastrea Galaxea fascicularis Acanthastrea sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Acanthastrea Symphyllia Acanthastrea sp. Syphyllia sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Horn coral Horn coral Hydnophora grandis Hydnophora rigida

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Plating hydnophora Maze coral Hydnophora sp. Platygra sp. 258258258 258 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Maze coral Trumpet coral Platygra sp. Caulastrea sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Moon coral Moon coral Diploastrea helipora Favia sp.

Ron DeCloux Sandy Linder Closed brain coral Euphyllia coral Favites sp. Euphyllia sp.

Ron DeCloux Bubble coral Turbinaria cup coral Plerogyra sp. Turbinaria reniformes Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 259

Ron DeCloux Sandy Linder Bubbletip sea anemone Leathery sea anemone Entacmea quadricolor Heteractis crispa

Ron DeCloux Magnificent anemone Giant carpet anemone Heteractis magnifica Stichodactyla gigantea

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Giant clam Blue linckia sea star Tridacna sp. Linckia laevigata 260260260 260 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

NOAA

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Spotted garden eel Soldierfish Heteroconger hassi Myripristis sp.

Ron DeCloux Red-cheeked fairy basslet Squarespot anthias Pseudanthias huchti Pseudanthias pleurotaenia

Ron DeCloux Jewel fairy basslet (male) Jewel fairy basslet (male) Pseudanthias squamipinnis Pseudanthias squamipinnis

Ron DeCloux Jewel fairy basslet (female) Spotted cardinalfish Pseudanthias squamipinnis Apogon maculatus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 261

Gerald and Buff Corsi © CAS Seale’s cardinalfish Pajama cardinalfish Apogon sealei Sphaeramia nematoptera

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Yellow and blueback fusilier Bluestreak fusilier Caesio teres Pterocaesio tile

RonRon DeClouxDeCloux Ron DeCloux Striped large-eye bream Copperband butterflyfish Gnathodentex aurolineatus Chelmon rostratus

Ron DeCloux RonRon DeClouxDeCloux Longnose butterflyfish Pyramid butterflyfish Forcipiger longirostris Hemitaurichthys polylepis 262262262 262 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Bannerfish Lemonpeel angelfish Heniochus diphreutes Centropyge flavissimus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Flame angelfish Lamarck’s angelfish (male) Centropyge loricula Genicanthus lamarck

Ron DeCloux Lamarck’s angelfish (female) Blackspot angelfish (male) Genicanthus lamarck Genicanthus melanospilos

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Emperor angelfish Blue-girdled angelfish Pomacanthus imperator Pomacanthus navarchus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 263

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Clark’s anemonefish False clown anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii Amphiprion ocellaris

Ron DeCloux Ternate chromis Green chromis Chromis ternatensis Chromis viridis

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Yellowtail blue damselfish Southseas devil (female) Chrysiptera parasema Chrysiptera taupou

Ron DeCloux Blacktail damselfish Goldbelly damselfish Dascyllus melanurus Pomacentrus auriventris 264264264 264 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Spinecheek anemonefish Harlequin tuskfish Premnas biaculeatus Choerodon fasciatus

Ron DeCloux Longnose hawkfish Flame hawkfish Oxycirrhites typus Neocirrhites armatus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Exquisite fairy wrasse Yellowfin fairy wrasse Cirrhilabrus exquisitus Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Lubbock’s fairy wrasse Redeye fairy wrasse Cirrhilabrus lubbocki Cirrhilabrus solorensis Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 265

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Bird wrasse Canary wrasse Gomphosus varius Halichoeres chrysus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Pastel green wrasse Two-tone wrasse Halichoeres chloropterus Halichoeres prosopeion

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Striped cleaner wrasse Leopard wrasse Labroides dimidiatus Macropharyngodon meleagris

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Sixline wrasse Sixbar wrasse Pseudocheilinus hexataenia Thalassoma hardwicke 266266266 266 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Moon wrasse Bicolor blenny Thalassoma lunare Ecsenius bicolor

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Midas blenny Convict blenny (engineerfish) Ecsenius midas Pholidichthys leucotaenia

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Jeweled blenny Zebra goby Salarias fasciatus Ptereleotris zebra

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Bluestreak goby Blue spotted spinefoot Valenciennea strigata Siganus corallinus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 267

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Orange spotted spinefoot Masked spinefoot Siganus guttatus Siganus puellus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Gold spotted spinefoot Barhead spinefoot Siganus punctatus Siganus virgatus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Foxface rabbitfish Blotched foxface rabbitfish Siganus vulpinis Siganus unimaculatus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Achilles surgeonfish Ringtail surgeonfish Acanthurus achilles Acanthurus blochii 268268268 268 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Eyestripe surgeonfish Powder brown tang Acanthurus dussumieri Acanthurus japonicus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Lined surgeonfish Mata tang Acanthurus lineatus Acanthurus mata

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Bluelined surgeonfish Goldrim tang Acanthurus nigroris Acanthurus nigricans

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Orangeband surgeonfish Mimic surgeonfish Acanthurus olivaceous Acanthurus pyroferus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 269

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Convict tang Goldring bristletooth Acanthurus triostegus Ctenochaetus strigosus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Tomini tang Palette tang Ctenochaetus tominiensis Paracanthurus hepatus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Spotted unicornfish Orangespine unicornfish Naso brevinostris Naso lituratus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Bluespine unicornfish Bignose unicornfish Naso unicornis Naso vlamingii 270270270 270 A Docent Field Guide to Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Brown scopas tang Pacific sailfin tang Zebrasoma scopas Zebrasoma veliferum

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Clown triggerfish Black triggerfish Balistoides conspicillum Melichthys niger

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Pinktail triggerfish Redtooth triggerfish Melichthys vidua Odonus niger

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Blackbar triggerfish Gilded triggerfish (male) Rhinecanthus aculeatus Xanthichthys auromarginatus Philippine Coral Reef Main Tank 271

Ron DeCloux

Gilded triggerfish (female) Xanthichthys auromarginatus 272 272272 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

CARIBBEAN REEF TANK

Ron DeCloux Sandy Linder Encrusting gorgonian Sea plume Erythropodium caribaeorum Muriceopsis flavida

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Sea rod Slit-pore sea rod Plexaura sp. Plexaurella sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Sea rod Sea plume Pseudoplexaura sp. Pseudopterogorgia sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Purple frilly sea plume Zoanthid colony polyps Pseudopterogorgia elizabethae Protopalythoa grandis Caribbean Tank 273273

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Warty Corallimorpharian Condylactis anemone Discosoma sp. Condylactis sp.

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Ricordea mushroom Sun anemone Ricordea florida Stichodactyla helianthus

Eugene Webber © CAS Ron DeCloux Pencil sea urchin Cherubfish Eucidaris tribuloides Centropyge argi

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Queen angelfish (adolescent) Flame cardinalfish Holacanthus ciliaris Apogon maculatus 274 274274 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Reef butterflyfish Harlequin bass Chaetodon sedentarius Serranus tigrinus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Chalk bass Blue chromis Serranus tortugarum Chromis cyanea

SandyRon DeCloux Linder Ron DeCloux Beaugregory Spanish hogfish Stegastes leucostictus Bodianus rufus

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Yellowhead wrasse Royal gramma Halichoeres garnoti Gramma loreto Caribbean Tank 275275

Ron DeCloux Ron DeCloux Redspotted hawkfish Blue tang Amblycirrhitus pinos Acanthurus coeruleus 276 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

THE NEOTROPICAL FOREST

Black olive tree Brazilian beauty leaf Bucida buceras Calophyllum brasiliense

Water chestnut West Indies mahogany Pachira aquatica Swietenia mahagoni

Peach Palm Peach Palm Fruit Bactris gasipaes Bactris gasipaes

Water chestnut Pachira aquatica (left) Dutchman’s pipe Peach palm (upper right) Aristolochia labiata The Neotropical Forest 277

Pitcher plant Nepehthes sp.

(l. to rt.) Brazilian beauty leaf Black olive West Indies mahogany

All photographs of tress, flowers, birds and butterflies by Ron DeCloux 278 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

NEOTROPICAL RAINFOREST - BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES

Silver-beaked tanager Red-shouldered tanager (male) Ramphocelus carbo Tangara phoenicius

Red-shouldered tanager (female) Rufous-crowned tanager Tangara phoenicius Tangara cayana

Paradise tanager Turquoise tanager Tangara chilensis paradisea Tangara mexicana

Opal-rumped tanager Blue-gray tanager Tangara velia Thraupis episcopus The Neotropical Forest 279

Bananaquit Red-legged honeycreeper (male) Coereba flaveola Cyanerpes cyaneus

Red-legged honeycreeper (female) Saffron finch Cyanerpes cyaneus Sicalis flaveola

Violaceous euphonia (male) Violaceous euphonia (female) Euphonia violacea Euphonia violacea

Banded orange Banded orange (underwing) Dryadula phaetusa Dryadula phaetusa 280 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Giant owl Isabella’s longwing Caligo memnon Eueides isabella

Zebra longwing Zebra longwing (underwing) Heliconius charithonia Heliconius charithonia

Doris longwing (blue morph) Doris longwing (red morph) Heliconius doris Heliconius doris

Doris longwing (underwing) Postman Heliconius doris Heliconius melpomene The Neotropical Forest 281

Postman (underwing) Hecale longwing Heliconius melpomene Heliconius hecale

Sapho longwing Sara longwing Heliconius sapho Heliconius sara

Blue morpho Blue morpho (underwing) Morpho peleides Morpho peleides

Orange barred sulfur Malachite Phoebis philea Siproeta stelenes 282 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

FLOODED AMAZON ANACONDA TANK

Green anaconda Green iguana Eunectes murinus Iguana iguana

Silver tetra Banded leporinus Ctenobrycon spilurus Leporinus fasciatus

Flagtail prochilodus Common silver dollar Semaprochilodus insignis Mytennis sp.

All photographs of the Amazon Flooded Forest, except the pike cichld, are by Ron DeCloux Earth-eater cichlid Geophagus altifrons Amazon Flooded Forest 283

FLOODED AMAZON MAIN TANK

Pirarucu (Arapaima) Silver arawana Arapaima gigas Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

Atlantic tarpon Banded leporinus Megalops atlanticus Leporinus fasciatus

Sweepline Brycon Tambaqui (Black pacu) Brycon melanopterus Colossoma macropomum

Pirapitinga (Red-bellied pacu) Red-bellied piranha Piaractus brachypomus Pygocentrus nattereri 284 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

Ripsaw catfish Tiger shovelnose catfish Oxydoras niger Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum

Redtail catfish Peacock bass Phractocephalus hemioliopterus Cichla ocellaris

Pike cichlid Turquoise severum Crenicichla lepidota Heros severus

Arrau river turtle Podocnemis expansa Amazon Flooded Forest 285

FRESHWATER STINGRAYS

White-blotched river stingray Ocellated river stingray Potamotrygon leopoldi Potamotrygon motoro

Smooth back river stingray Potamotrygon orbignyi 286 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium STEINHART AQUARIUM SPECIES LIST 9.19.10 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name #

AFRICA HALL Malawi Cichlids Cichlids Many species AF02 African Hall Penguins African Penguins Spheniscus demersus AF08 Monitor Lizard Monitor Lizard - Off display Varanus albigularis AF18 Chameleons Jackson's Chameleon Chamaeleo jacksoni Malacochersus tornieri AF20 Tortoise and Lizard Pancake Tortoises & Plated Lizards Gerrhosaurus major

ISLANDS OF EVOLUTION Madagascar Spiny Desert Radiated tortoise Astrochelys radiata Spider tortoise Pyxis arachnoides Madagascar plated lizard Zonosaurus sp. Madagascar Diversity Hissing cockroaches Gromphadorhina portentosa Galapagos Fishes Zebra moray Gymnomuraena zebra " Klein's butterflyfish Chaetodon kleinii " King angelfish Holacanthus passer " Falco’s hawkfish Cirrhitichthys falco " Rainbow wrasse Thalassoma lucasanum " Goldrim tang Acanthurus nigricans " Panamic cushion sea star Pentaceraster cumingii

CALIFORNIA COAST EXHIBIT CCO1 Soft Coast Green sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica " Bat star Asterina miniata CCO3 Salt Marsh Pop-up Topsmelt Atherinops affinis " Bay pipefish Syngnathus leptorhynchus " Pacific staghorn sculpin Leptocottus armatus " Barred surfperch Amphistichus argenteus " Pile perch Damalichthys vacca " Dwarf surfperch Micrometrus minimus CC06 Rocky Coast Main Tank Bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana " Club-tipped anemone Corynactis californica " Giant plumose anemone Metridium giganteum " Cloned plumose anemone Medtridium senile " Aggregating anemone Anthopleura elegantissima " Giant green sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica " Painted urticina Urticina crassicornis " White-spotted rose anemone Urticina lofotensis " Fish-eating anemone Urticina piscivora " Mossy chiton Mopalia muscosa " Gumboot chiton Cryptochiton stelleri " Red abalone Haliotis rufescens " Rough keyhole limpet Diodora aspera " California mussel Mytilus californianus " Scallops (artifical on rock walls) Crassedoma giganteum " Red rock crab Cancer productus

9/19/10 Page 287 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Red sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus " Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus " Giant acorn barnacles (artificial) Balanus nubilus " Gooseneck barnacles (artificial) Pollicipes polymerus " Bat star Asterina miniata " Pink star Pisaster brevispinus " Giant seastar Pisaster giganteum " Ochre star Pisaster ochraceus " Leather star Dermasterias imbricata " Leviuscula sea star (Blood star) Henricia leviuscula " Leopard shark Triakis semifasciata " Jacksmelt Atherinopsis californiensis " Red Irish lord Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus " Brown rockfish Sebastes auriculatus " Gopher rockfish Sebastes carnatus " Copper rockfish Sebastes caurinus " Black & yellow rockfish Sebastes chrysomelas " Starry rockfish Sebastes constellatus " Quillback rockfish Sebastes maliger " Black rockfish Sebastes melanops " Vermillion rockfish Sebastes miniatus " Blue rockfish Sebastes mystinus " China rockfish Sebastes nebulosus " Tiger rockfish Sebastes nigrocinctus " Bocaccio Sebastes paucispinis " Canary rockfish Sebastes pinniger " Rosy rockfish Sebastes rosaceus " Flag rockfish Sebastes rubrivinctus " Olive rockfish Sebastes serranoides " Treefish Sebastes serriceps " California scorpionfish Scorpaena guttata " Cabezon Scorpaenichthys marmoratus " Kelp greenling Hexagrammos decagrammus " Rock greenling Hexagrammos superciliosus " Painted greenling Oxylebius pictus " Ocean whitefish Caulolatilus princeps " Redtail surfperch Amphistichus rhodoterus " Pile perch Damalichthys vacca " Black surfperch Embiotoca jacksoni " Striped surfperch Embiotoca lateralis " Walleye surfperch Hyperprosopon argenteum " Rainbow surfperch Hypsurus caryi " Rubberlip surfperch Rhacochilus toxotes " Wolf eel Anarrhichthys ocellatus " C-O turbot Pleuronichthys coenosus Rocky Reef Cluster Articulaing and encrusting coralline algae Corallina sp. " Red rock shrimp Lysmata californica " Ochre star Pisaster ochraceus " Red brotula Brosmophycis marginata

9/19/10 Page 288 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # CC10 Abalone Red abalone Haliotis rufescens " Green sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica " Turban snails Tegula spp. " Decorator crab Loxorhynchus crispatus " Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus CC11 Nudibranchs Sea lemon nudibranch Peltodoris nobilis " White dorid Doris odhneri " Red algae Rhodophyta spp. " Club-tipped anemone Corynactis californica " Barnacles feeding (sometimes) Balanus sp. " Vermillion sea star Mediaster aequalis " Blood star Henricia leviuscula " Northern ronquil Ronquilus jordani CC12 Chitons Mossy chiton Mopalia muscosa " Lined chiton Tonicella lineata " Articulating coralline algae Coralllina spp. CC13 Sculpins/Kelpfish Orange cup coral Balanophyllia elegans " Brown cup coral Paracyathus sternsi " Creeping petal sea cucumber Psolus chitonoides " Scalyhead sculpin (male) Artedius harringtoni " Grunt sculpin Rhamphocottus richardsoni " Decorated warbonnet Chirolophis decoratus " Spotfin sculpin Icelinus tenuis " Crevice kelpfish Gibbonsia sp. CC14 Southern California Giant kelp (synthetic) Macrocystis pyrifera " Laminaria (synthetic) Laminaria sp. " Red gorgonian Lophogorgia chilensis " Golden gorgonian Muricea californica " Brown gorgonian Muricea fruticosa " Wavy turban snails Lithopoma undosum " Blood star Henricia leviuscula " Warty sea cucumber Parastichopus parvimensis " Swell shark (often hiding) Cephaloscyllium ventriosum " California scorpionfish (juvenile) Scorpaena guttata " Gopher rockfish (juvenile) Sebastes carnatus " Kelp bass Paralabrax clathratus " Opaleye Girella nigricans " Halfmoon Medialuna californiensis " Blacksmith Chromis punctipinnis " Garibaldi Hypsypops rubicundus " Rock wrasse Halichoeres semicinctus " Senorita wrasse Oxyjulis californica " California sheephead Semicossyphus pulcher " Blue-banded goby Lythrypnus dalli CC15 Discovery Tidepool Likely species as available " Red algae Phylum Rhodophyta " Articulaing coralline algae Corallina sp. " Encrusting coralline algae Corallina sp. " Iridescent seaweed Iridea sp.

9/19/10 Page 289 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Turkish towel Mastocarpus papillatus " Sea lettuce Ulva spp. " Fucus Fucus sp. " Sea sacs Halosaccion glandiforme " Feather boa kelp Egregia menziesii " Oar Weed Laminaria sp. " Giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera " Orange cup coral Balanophyllia elegans " Aggregating anemone Anthopleura elegantissima " Cloned plumose anemone Medtridium senile " Green sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica " Gumboot chiton Cryptochiton stelleri " Red abalone Haliotis rufescens " Owl limpet Lottia gigantea " Rough keyhole limpet Megathura crenulata " Shield limpet Collisella pelta " Owl limpet Lottia gigantea " Blue ring top snail Calliostoma annulatum " Blue top snail Calliostoma ligatum " Red top snail Lithopoma gibberosum " Brown turban snail Tegula brunnea " Black turban snail Tegula funebralis " California sea hare Aplysia california " Opalescent nudibranch Hermissenda crassicornis " California mussel Mytilus californianus " Red octopus Octopus rubescens " Red rock crab Cancer productus " Pacific mole crab (in small tank) Emerita analoga " Green shore crab Hemigrapsus oregonensis " Purple shore crab Hemigraspus nudus " Decorator (or Masking) crab Loxorhynchus crispatus " Northern kelp crab Pugettia producta " Hermit crab Pagurus spp. " Black-eyed hermit crab Pagurus armatus " Striped shore crab Pachygraspus crassipes " Acorn barnacle Balanus glandula " Gooseneck barnacle Pollicipes polymerus " Bat star Asterina miniata " Pink sea star Pisaster brevispinus " Leather star Dermasterias imbricata " Giant sea star Pisaster giganteus " Ochre star Pisaster ochraceus " Blood star Henricia leviuscula " Brittle star(s) Family Ophiodermatidae " Red sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus " Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus " California sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus " Warty sea cucumber Parastichopus parvimensis " Skate egg cases Raja sp.

9/19/10 Page 290 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Swell shark egg cases Cephaloscyllium ventriosum " Horn shark egg cases Heterodontus francisci " Northern clingfish Gobiesox maeandricus " Tidepool sculpin Oligocottus maculosis " Dwarf surfperch Micrometrus minimus " Shiner surfperch Cymatogaster aggregata " Penpoint gunnel " Rockweed gunnel Apodichthys fucorum CC16 Sand Dollars Sand dollars Dendraster excentricus " Big skate Raja binoculata " Blackeye goby Coryphopterus nicholsii CC17 Sea Pen Giant sea pen Ptilosarcus gurneyi " Northern spearnose poacher Agonopsis vulsa " Vermillion rockfish (juvenile) Sebastes miniatus " Flag rockfish (juvenile) Sebastes rubrivinctus " Yelloweye rockfish (juvenile) Sebastes ruberrimus " Other rockfish juveniles as available CC18 Flatfish Tube anemone Pachycerianthus fimbriatus " Speckled sanddab Citharichthys stigmaeus " English sole Pleurinectes vetulus " Pacific sanddab Citharichthys sordidus CC19 Giants Giant kelp (synthetic) Macrocystis pyrifera " White-spotted rose anemone Urticina lofotensis " Sunflower seastar Pycnopodia helianthoides " California horn shark Heterodontus francisci " California moray eels Gymnothorax mordax " Garibaldi Hypsypops rubicundus " Giant sea bass Stereolepis gigas " Kelp bass Paralabrax clathratus " California halibut Paralichthys californicus CC20 Giant Octopus Giant Pacific octopus Enteroctopus doffleini " Giant plumose anemone Metridium giganteum " Painted urticina (anemone) Urticina crassicornis " White-spotted rose amemone Urticina lofotensis " Leather star Dermasterias imbricata " Black rockfish (juvenile) Sebastes melanops " Blue rockfish (juvenile) Sebastes mystinus " Various (changing) juvenile rockfishes CC23 Jewel Cave Wave Crash Tank Club-tipped anemone Corynactis californica " Green sea anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica " Black turban snail Tegula funebralis " Bat star Asterina miniata " Ochre star Pisaster ochraceus " Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus " Shiner surfperch Cymatogaster aggregata " Black surfperch Embiotoca jacksoni " Rainbow surfperch Hypsurus caryi " Monkey-faced prickleback (blenny) Cebidichthys violaceus CC24 Plankton/Sea Drifters Sea nettle Chrysaora fuscescens

9/19/10 Page 291 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name #

PHILIPPINE CORAL REEF PRO2 Lagoon Blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus " Bowmouth guitarfish Rhina ancylostoma " Javanese cownose ray Rhinoptera javanica " Blue-spotted ray Dasyatis kuhlii " Pacific tarpon Megalops cyprinoides " Mono Monodactylus argenteus " Neon damselfish Neoglyphidodon oxyodon " Moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare " Humphead wrasse aka Maori wrasse Cheilinus undulatus " Canary wrasse Halichoeres chrysus " Naso Naso sp. PR03 Mangrove Pop-up Red mangrove Rhizophora mangle " Barred mudskipper Periophthalmus argentilineatus PR03a Sea Grass Shallows Bryopsis algae Bryopsis sp. " Striped mushroom Discosoma sp. " Zoanthid Zoanthus sp. " Sarcophyton Sarcophyton spp. " Sinularia leather coral Sinularia sp. " Cauliflower coral Pocillopora damicornis " Acanthastrea Acanthastrea sp. " Meat coral Acanthophyllia deshayesiana " Lobed brain coral Lobophyllia sp. " Open brain coral Trachyphyllia geoffroyi " Euphyllia coral Euphyllia sp. " Corkscrew tentacle sea anemone Macrodactyla doreensis " Bubble coral Plergyra sp. " Bubbletip sea anemone Entacmea quadricolor " Magnificent sea anemone Heteractis magnifica " Tridacna clam Tridacna derasa " Tridacna clam Tridacna gigas " Tridacna clam Tridacna squamosa " Tridacna clam Tridacna maxima " Long-spined sea urchin Diadema setosum " Jewel fairy basslet Pseudanthias squamapinnis " False clown anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris " Green chromis Chromis viridis " Yellowtail blue damselfish Chrysiptera parasema " Banded goby Amblygobius phalaena " Orangebanded surgeonfish Acanthurus olivaceous " Palette tang Paracanthurus hepatus " Various other "visitors" from the deep reef Paracanthurus hepatus PRO4 Main Coral Reef Tank Lobophytum Lobophytum spp. " Sarcophyton Sarcophyton spp. " Sinularia Sinularia spp. " Pacific gorgonian Rumphella sp. " Zoanthid Zoanthid spp. " Beaded mushroom Discosoma spp.

9/19/10 Page 292 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Hairy mushroom Rhodactis spp. " Bullseye mushroom Rhodactis inchoata " Blue coral Heliopora coerulea " Cauliflower coral Pocillopora damicornis " Bird's nest coral Seriatopora sp " Club finger coral (Cat's paw coral) Stylophora sp. " Montipora coral Montipora capricornis " Acropora coral Acropora spp. " Pavona coral Pavona sp. " Disk coral Fungia or Cycloseris sp. " Slipper coral Polyphyllia sp. " Galaxy coral Galaxea fascicularis " Chalice coral Oxypora sp. " Acanthastrea coral Acanthastrea sp. " Symphyliia coral Symphyllia " Echinopora coral Echinopora lamellosa " Horn coral coral Hydnophora grandis " Horn coral Hydnophora rigida " Plating hydnophora coral Hydnophora sp. " Maze brain coral Platygrya sp. " Trumpet coral Caulestrea sp. " Moon coral Diploastrea helipora " Moon coral Favia sp. " Closed brain coral Favites sp. " Euphyllia coral Euphyllia spp. " Small bubble coral Plerogyra sp. " Turbinaria cup coral Turbinaria reniformis " Bubbletip anemone Entacmea quadricolor " Leathery sea anemone Heteractis crispa " Magnificent anemone Heteractis magnifica " Giant carpet anemone Stichodactyla gigantea " Giant clam (all Tridacnas as available) Tridacna gigas " Giant clam Tridacna crocea " Giant clam Tridacna derasa " Giant clam Tridacna maxima " Giant clam Tridacna squamosa " Blue linckia seastar Linckia laevigata " Spotted garden eel Heteroconger hassi " Soldierfish Myripristis sp. " Red-cheeked fairy basslet Pseudanthias huchti " Squarespot fairy basslet Pseudanthias pleurotaenia " Jewel fairy basslet (Lyretail anthias) Pseudanthias squamipinnis " Spotted cardinalfish Apogon maculatus " Seale's cardinalfish Apogon sealei " Pajama cardinalfish Sphaeramia nematoptera " Yellow and blueback fusilier Caesio teres " Bluestreak fusilier Pterocaesio tile " Striped large-eye bream Gnathodentex aurolineatus " Paradiise whiptail Pentapodus paradiseus

9/19/10 Page 293 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Copperbanded butterflyfish Chelmon rostratus " Longnose butterflyfish Forcipiger longirostris " Pyramid butterflyfish Hemitaurichthys polylepis " Bannerfish Heniochus diphreutes " Lemonpeel angelfish Centropyge flavissima " Flame angelfish Centropyge loricula " Lamarck's angelfish Genicanthus lamarck " Blackspot angelfish Genicanthus melanospilos " Emperor angelfish Pomacanthus imperator " Bluegirdled angelfish Pomacanthus navarchus " Clark's anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii " False clown anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris " Ternate chromis Chromis ternatensis " Green chromis Chromis viridis " Yellowtail blue damselfish Chrysiptera parasema " Southseas devil Chrysiptera taupou " Blacktail damselfish Dascyllus melanurus " Goldbelly damselfish Pomacentrus auriventris " Spinecheek anemonefish Premnas biaculeatus " Harlequin tuskfish Choerodon fasciatus " Longnose hawkfish Oxycirrhites typus " Flame hawkfish Neocirrhites armatus " Exquisite fairy wrasse Cirrhilabrus exquisitus " Yellowfin fairy wrasse Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis " Lubbock's wrasse Cirrhilabrus lubbocki " Redeye fairy wrasse Cirrhilabrus solorensis " Bird wrasse Gomphosus varius " Canary wrasse Halichoeres chrysus " Pastel green wrasse Halichoeres chloropterus " Two-tone wrasse Halichoeres prosopeion " Striped cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus " Leopard wrasse Macropharyngodon meleagris " Six-line wrasse Pseudocheilinus hexataenia " Sixbar wrasse Thalassoma hardwicke " Moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare " Bicolor blenny Ecsenius bicolor " Midas blenny Ecsenius midas " Convict blenny (engineerfish) Pholidichthys leucotaenia " Jeweled blenny (eyelash) Salarias fasciatus " Zebra goby Ptereleotris zebra " Bluestreak goby Valenciennea strigata " Blue-spotted spinefoot Siganus corallinus (tetrazonus) " Orange-spotted spinefoot Siganus guttatus " Masked spinefoot Siganus puellus " Gold-spotted spinefoot Siganus punctatus " Barhead spinefoot Siganus virgatus " Foxface rabbitfish Siganus vulpinus " Blotched foxface rabbitfish Siganus unimaculatus " Achilles surgeonfish Acanthurus achilles

9/19/10 Page 294 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Ringtail surgeonfish Acanthurus blochii " Eyestripe surgeonfish Acanthurus dussumieri " Powder brown tang Acanthurus japonicus " Lined surgeonfish Acanthurus lineatus " Mata tang Acanthurus mata " Bluelined surgeonfish Acanthurus nigroris " Goldrim tang Acanthurus nigricans " Orangebanded surgeonfish Acanthurus olivaceous " Mimic surgeonfish Acanthurus pyroferus " Convict tang Acanthurus triostegus " Goldring bristletooth Ctenochaetus strigosus " Orangetip bristletooth Ctenochaetus tominiensis " Palette tang Paracanthurus hepatus " Spotted unicornfish Naso brevirostris " Orangespine unicornfish Naso lituratus " Bluespine unicornfish Naso unicornis " Bignose unicornfish (Bumphead naso) Naso vlamingii " Brown scopas tang Zebrasoma scopas " Sailfin tang Zebrasoma veliferum " Clown triggerfish Balistoides conspicillum " Black triggerfish Melichthys niger " Pinktail triggerfish Melichthys vidua " Redtooth triggerfish Odonus niger " Picassofish (Blackbar triggerfish) Rhinecanthus aculeatus " Bluechin triggerfish Xanthichthys auromarginatus Color Cluster PRO5 Ribbon eels Black ribbon eels Rhinomuraena quaesita " Blue ribbon eels Rhinomuraena quaesita " Sinularia leather coral Sinularia sp. " Zoanthids Parazoanthus sp. " Striped mushroom Discosoma sp. " Mushroom corallimorph Ricordea sp. " Mycedium coral Mycedium sp. " Brittlestar spp. Family Ophiodermatidae PR06 Hector's Goby Hector's goby Amblygobius hectori PR07 Hiding the Eye Pajama cardinalfish Sphaeramia nematoptera " Coral beauty Centropyge bispinosus " Raccoon butterflyfish Chaetodon lunula " Mystery wrasse Pseudocheilinus ocellatus " Moorish idol Zanclus cornutus " Papuan toby Canthigaster papua (solandri)? " Fire urchin Astropyga radiata " Green-spined salmacis (urchin) Salmacis sphaeroides PR08 Alligator Pipefish Alligator pipefish Syngnathoides biaculeatus " Chocolate chip seastar Protoeaster nodosus PRO9 Sea Apple Sea apple Pseudocolochirus violaceus " Yellow sea cucumber Colochirus robustus " Zoanthids Zoanthus sp. " Orange sun coral Tubastrea sp.

9/19/10 Page 295 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # PR10 Harlequin Shrimp Harlequin shrimp Hymenocera picta " Lobophytum leather coral Lobophytum sp. " Striped mushroom Discosoma sp. " Zoanthids Parazoanthus sp. " Spotted dragonet Synchiropus picturatus PR11 Coral Rubble Candy shrimp (cleaner) Rhynchocinetes durbanensis " Chaetodon vagabundus Chaetodon vagabundus PR12 Frogfish Frogfish Antennarius sp. " Lobophytum Lobophytum spp. " Pulsing xenia Xenia sp. " Mushroom corallimorph Discosoma sp. " Mushroom corallimorph Ricordea sp. " Zoanthid Parazoanthus sp. " Chalice coral Echinophyllia sp. " Oxpora Mycedium sp. " Symphyllia coral Symphyllia sp. " Brittlestar spp. Family Ophiodermatidae " Fire urchin Astropyga radiata Life in the Dark PR21 Flashlight Fishes Flashlightfish Photoblepharon palpbratum " Splitfin flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron PR22 Moray Eel Honeycomb (Laced) moray eel Gymnothorax favagineus " Whitemouth moray Gymnothroax meleagris " Snowflake moray Echidna nebulosa " Zebra moray Gymnomuraena zebra " Cleaner shrimp Lysmata amboinensis PR 23 Chambered Nautilus Chambered nautilus Nautilus pompilius " Sea fan Species unknown Venoms Cluster PR 24 Fire Coral Fire coral (branching) Millepora sp. " Yellowstriped cardinalfish Apogon cyanosoma " Pink and yellow scorpionfish Sebastapistes cyanostigma " Canary blenny Meiacanthus oualanensis " Sinularia Sinularia sp. " Waving hand coral Anthelia sp. " Zoanthid Palythoa sp. " Miniature carpet anemone Stichodactyla tapetum " Pocillopora coral Pocillopora sp. " Acropora coral Acropora spp. " Montipora coral Montipora spp. inc. capricornis " Chalice coral Mycedium sp. " Miniature carpet anemone Stichodactyla tapetum " Brittlestar spp. Family Ophiodermatidae PR25 Stonefish Stonefish Synanceia verrucosa PR26 Cone Snail Cone snail Conus marmoreus " Bullseye mushroom Rhodactis sp. " Striped mushroom Discosoma spp. PR27 Lionfish Lionfish Pterois volitans " Various artifical corals

9/19/10 Page 296 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # Reef Partners Cluster PR29 Shrimp Goby/Pistol Shrimp Shrimp goby Amblyeleotris sp. " Pistol shrimp Alpheus sp. PR30 Decorator crab Hermit crab wearing anemones Dardanus pedunculatus " Symbiotic anemone Calliactis sp. PR31 Shrimpfish Spotted shrimpfish Aeoliscus strigatus " Copperbanded butterflyfish Chelmon rostratus " Randall's prawn-goby Amblyeleotris randalli " Tomini tang Ctenochaetus tominiensis " Encrusting gorgonian Erythropodium sp. " Pacific gorgonian Rhumphella sp. " Green star polyp Briareum sp. " Hydnophora coral Hydnophora rigida PR32 Commensal Shrimp on Corals Sexy anemone shrimp Thor amboinensis " Cleaner shrimp Periclimenes sp. " Coral hermit crab Paguritta sp. " Diploastrea coral Diploastrea sp. " Branching frogspawn coral Euphyllia paradivisia " Frogspawn coral Euphyllia divisa " Anchor coral Euphyllia parancora " Fox coral Nemenzophyllia sp. " Redspot cardinalfish Apogon parvulus PR33 Small Giant Clams Tridacna clams (species as available) T.maxima,squamosa,crocea,dersa " Royal dottyback Pseudochromis paccagnellae " Dog-toothed cardinalfish Cheilodipterus isostigmus " Pinsptriped wrasse (immature) Halichoeres melanurus " Tree coral Capnella sp. " Zoanthid (button polyps) Protopalythoa sp. " Chalice coral Mycedium sp. PR34 Clownfish and Anemones Pink clownfish Amphiprion perideraion " Bicolor chromis Chromis margaritifer " Beaded and striped mushroom Discosoma spp. " Magnificent anemone Heteractis magnifica PR35 Upside-down Jellyfish Upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda " Sand-eating seastar Archaster typicus " Banded goby Amblygobius phalaena PR36 Caribbean Reef Encrusting gorgonian Erythropodium caribaeorum " Sea plume Muriceopsis flavida " Sea rod Plexaura sp. " Silt-pore sea rod Plexaurella sp. " Porous sea rod Pseudoplexaura sp. " Purple frilly sea plume Pseudopterogorgia elizabethi " Sea plume Pseudopterogorgia sp. " Zoanthid Protopalythoa grandis " Discosoma Discosoma sanctithomae " Ricordea mushroom coral Ricordea florida " Condylactis sea anemone Condylactis gigantea " Sun anemone Stichodactyla helianthus " Pencil sea urchin Eucidaris tribuloides

9/19/10 Page 297 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Cherubfish Centropyge argi " Queen angelfish (adolescent) Holacanthus ciliaris " Flame cardinalfish Apogon maculatus " Reef butterflyfish aka painted butterflyfish Chaetodon sedentarius " Harlequin bass Serranus tigrinus " Chalk bass Serranus tortugarum " Blue chromis Chromis cyanea " Beaugregory Stegastes leucostictus " Spanish hogfish Bodianus rufus " Yellowhead wrasse Halichoeres garnoti " Royal gramma Gramma loreto " Redspotted hawkfish Amblycirrhitus pinos " Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus

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WATER PLANET Centerpiece Exhbits H2O Dependence/Independence WP01 Independent of Standing Water Black-headed python Aspidites melanocephalus " Woma (python) Aspidites ramsayi " Centralian python Morelia bredli WP03 Moist Environment Vietnamese mossy frog Theloderma corticale WP04 Total Immersion Leafy seadragon Phycodorus eques " Potbelly seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis H2O Chemistry /Salinity WP09 Open Water Marine Moon jellies Aurelia aurita H2O Temperature WP10 Cold (Perch under Ice) Yellow perch Perca flavescens Concept Clusters In and Out of Water Cluster WP12 Air breather in low-oxygen conditions Australian lungfish Neoceratodus fosteri WP13 Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens WP14 Arid-adapted breeding cycle Redtail killifish Nothobranchius guentheri Reproduction Cluster WP15 " Butterfly splitfin (Buttefly goodeid) Ameca splendens WP16 Weedy seadragons Weedy seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus WP17 Lined Seahorse Lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus " Longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi " Janss' pipefish Doryrhamphus janssi " Banded pipefish Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus " Saddled Butterflyfiish Chaetodon ephippium " Sponge unknown species " Striped mushroom Discosoma sp. " Hairy mushroom Rhodactis sp. " Pulsing xenia Xenia sp. WP18 Livebearers Endler’s livebearer Poecilia wingei " Black bee shrimp Caridina cantonensis WP19 Retailed flasher wrasse Retailed flasher wrasse Paracheilnus rubricaudalis " Redspot cardinalfish Apogon parvulus " Bank butterflyfish Prognathodes aya " Lobophytum Lobophytum sp. " Sarcophyton Sarcophyton sp. " Sinularia Sinularia sp. " Beaded and striped mushrooms Discosoma spp. " Bullseye mushroom Rhodactis inchoata " Hairy mushroom Rhodactis sp. WP21 Dive Station Tank Banggai cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni " Bubble coral Plerogyra sinuosa " Long-spined sea urchin Diadema setosum Locomotion Cluster WP22 Vampire Crabs Vampire crab Geosesarma sp WP23 Precision movement (pectoral/dorsal) Shaw's boxfish Aracana aurita " Ornate boxfish Arcana ornate

9/19/10 Page 299 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # WP24 Adhesion Pacific spiny lumpsucker Eumicrotremus orbis " Grunt sculpin Rhamphocottus richardsoni " Coralline algae Corallina sp. " Club-tipped anemone Corynactis californica " Cloned plumose anemone Medtridium senile " Turban snail Tegula sp. " Giant acorn barnacles (shells) Balanus nubilis WP25 Pignose Turtle Pignose turtle Carettochelys insculpta WP26 Seastars (tube feet) Brittle stars Iohiura incrassata & 2 others " Euphyllia coral Euphyllia divisa WP27 Swimming Crab Blue crab Callinectes sapidus " Encrusting gorgonian Erythropodium sp. " Bullseye mushroom Rhodactis inchoata Feeding Cluster WP28 Diving Beetle Sunburst diving beetle Thermonectus marmoratus WP29 Aquatic Insect Being updated WP30 Fishing Spider Fishing spider Dolomedes okefinokensis WP31 Various Feeding Strategies Paddlefish Polyodon spathula " Spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus " Longnose gar Lepisosteus osseus " Pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus " Shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus " Smallmouth buffalofish Ictiobus bubalus " Longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis " Black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus WP32 Fishing snake Burmese vine snakes Ahaetulla fronticincta Defenses Cluster WP33 Venom, Camouflage Scorpionfish - off exhibit Rhinopias frondosa " Organ pipe coral Tubipora musica " Sinularia leather coral Sinularia sp. " Sarcophyton leather coral Sarcophyton sp. " Pulse coral Xenia sp. " Cauliflower coral Pocillopora sp. " Bird's nest coral Seriatopora sp. " Montipora coral Montipora capricornis " Montipora coral Monitpora digitata " Encrusting montipora Montipora spp. " Acropora coral Acropora tenius " Acropora coral Acropora spp. " Chalice coral Echinophyllia sp. " Button coral Scolymia sp. " Acanthastrea (stony coral) Acanthastrea sp. " Meat coral Australomussa sp. " Blastomussa coral Blastomussa wellsi " Trumpet coral Caulastrea sp. " Maze coral Platygrya sp. " Goniastrea coral Goniastrea sp. " Diploastrea coral Diploastrea sp. WP34 Behavior Upsidedown catfish Synodontis nigriventris

9/19/10 Page 300 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # WP35 Camouflage by transparency Glass catfish Kryptopterus minor " Glassfish Parambassis ranga WP36 Camoulfage - color change Dwarf cuttleflish Sepia bandensis " Lobophytum leather coral Lobophytum sp. " Sarcophyton leather coral Sarcophyton sp. " Meat coral Acanthophyllia deshayesiana " Chocolate chip seastar Protoeaster spp. WP37 Behavior Feather duster worm Sabellastarte sp. " Coco worm Protula sp. " Flambuoyant cuttlefish Metasepia pfefferi WP38 Protective shell Queen conch Strombus gigas " Spaghetti algae Chaetomorpha " Pulsing xenia Xenia sp. Senses Cluster WP39 Sight Peacock mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus " Lobophytum leather coral Lobophytum sp. " Sinularia Sinularia sp. " Beaded mushrooms Discosoma spp. " Hairy mushroom Rhodactis sp. " Zoanthids Zoanthus sp. " Green star polyp Briareum sp. " Caulastrea coral Caulastrea sp. WP40 Sound Humming toadfish Porichthys notatus Coralline algae Corallina spp. " Green anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica WP41 Lack of Sight Blind cave fish Astyanax fasciatus WP42 Electric Signals Elephantnose Gnathonemus petersi Desert Cluster WP43 Beaded Lizard Mexican Beaded lizard Heloderma horridum WP44 Desert hairy scorpion Desert hairy scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis WP45 Desert Pupfish Desert pupfish Cyprinodon macularius

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RAINFORESTS OF THE WORLD Neotropical Rainforest " Black olive tree Bucida buceras " Brazilian beauty leaf Calophyllum brasiliense " Peach palm Bactris gasipaes " Water chestnut aka Saba nut Pachira aquatica " West Indian mahogany Swietenia mahogani Birds Silver-beaked tanager Ramphocelus carbo " Red-shouldered tanager Tachyphonus phoeniceus " Rufous-crowned tanager Tangara cayana " Paradise tanager Tangara chilensis " Turquoise tanager Tangara mexicana " Opal-rumped tanager Tangara velia " Blue-gray tanager Thraupis epicopus " Bananaquit Coereba flaveola " Red-legged honeycreeper Cyanerpes cyaneus " Saffron finch Sicalis flaveola " Violaceous euphonia Euphonia violacea " Yellow-green grosbeak Caryothraustes canadensis Macaws Blue and yellow macaw Ara ararauna " Scarlet macaw Ara macao Buttterflies Species commonly on display: " Banded orange heliconian Dryadula phaetusa " Giant owl butterfly Caligo sp. " Julia Dryas julia " Isabella tiger Eueides isabella " Zebra longwing Heliconius charithonia " Doris longwing Heliconius doris " Small Postman Heliconius erato " Hecale longwing aka Tiger longwing Heliconius hecale " Postman Heliconius melpomene " Sapho longwing Heliconius sapho " Sara longwing Heliconius sara " Blue morpho Morpho peleides " Orange barred sulfur Phoebis philea " Malachite Siproeta stelenes Borneo B002 Cave Cluster Dog-faced fruit bat Cynopterus brachyotis B003 " Cave rat snake Elaphe taeniura ridleyi B004 Scolopendra Centipede Scolopendra centipede Scolopendra subspinipes B005 Wagler's Pit Viper Wagler's pit viper Tropidolaemus wagleri " Asian horned frog Megophrys nasuta B006 Plant Models Rafflesia and pitcher plants Rafflesia arnoldi/Nepthenes sp. B008 Cobalt Blue Tarantula Cobalt blue tarantula Haplopelma lividum B009 Freshwater Fishes of Borneo Celestial pearl danio Celestichthys margaritatus " Red tailed black shark Epalzeorhynchus bicolor " Cherry barb Puntius titteya " Red-striped rasbora Rasbora pauciperforata

9/19/10 Page 302 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Harlequin rasbora Trigonostigma heteromorpha " Dwarf loach Botia sidthimunki " Siamese algae eater Crossocheilus siamensis " Striped betta Betta taeniata " Pearl gourami Trichogaster leeri " Moonlight gourami Trichogaster microlepis " Blue gourami Trichogaster trichopterus " Wood shrimp Atyopsis moluccensis B010 Lowland Forest Herps Mangrove snake (off exhibit) Boiga dendrophila " Red-tailed green rat snake Gonyosoma oxycephela " Borneo river toad Phrynoidis juxtaspera B011 Borneo Gliding Herps Kuhl's flying gecko Ptychozoon kuhlii " Borneo eared frog Polypedates otilophus " Harlequin flying frog Rhacophorus pardalis BO12 Pitcher Plants/Orchids Many species on wall Nepenthes spp. and Orchid spp. BO13 Flying Snake Paradise flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi Forest Floor BO14 Leafcutter Ants Leafcutter ants Atta cephalotes Madagascar MAO2 Insects Ghost praying mantis Phyllocrania paradoxa MA03 Tomato Frog Sambava tomato frog Dyscophus guineti " Sakalava's velvet gecko Blaesodactylus sakalava MA04 Cichlids of Mad Saroy Ptychochromis grandidieri " Tarantsy Ptychochromis sp. Tatantsy " Marakely Paratilapia polleni " Katria Katria katria MAO5 Rainbowfish of Mad Madagascar rainbowfish Bedotia geayi " Patriciae killifish Pachypanchax patriciae Herps of Mad Cluster MA06 Madagascar tree boa Madagascar tree boa Sanzinia madagascariensis " Painted mantella frog Mantella baroni MAO7 Geckos 1 Standing's day gecko Phelsuma standingi " Henkel's leaf-tail gecko Uroplatus henkeli MA08 Geckos 2 Madagascar giant day gecko Phelsuma grandis " Lined leaf-tail gecko Uroplatus lineatus MA13 Mantellas/Orb-weaving Spider Orb weaving spiders Nephila madagascariensis " Golden mantella Mantella aurantiaca MAO9 Chameleons 1 Panther chameleon Furcifer pardalis MA10 Chameleons 2 Panther chameleon Furcifer pardalis MA12 Geckos 3 Klemmer's yellow-headed day gecko Phelsuma klemmeri " Green mantella Mantella viridis " Madagascar reed frog Heterixalus madagascariensis MA14 Madagascar leaf-nosed snake Madagascar leaf-nosed snake Langaha madagascariensis " Madagascar reed frog tadpoles Heterixalus madagascariensis Costa Rica CR02 Green Basilisk Green basilisk lizard Basiliscus plumifrons " Green and black poison dart frog Dendrobates auratus CRO3 Poison Dart Frog Striped poison dart frog Phyllobates sp. CRO4 Cockroach Giant cockroach Blaberus giganteus

9/19/10 Page 303 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # CR05 Poison Dart Frogs Strawberry poison dart frog Oophaga (Dendrobates) pumilio " Green and black poison dart frog Dendrobates auratus CRO6 Red-eye treefrog Red-eye treefrog Agalychnis callidryas Flooded Amazon AM02 Matamata Matamata turtle Chelus fimbriatus " Emerald tree boa Corallus caninus AMO3 Anaconda Green anaconda Eunectes murinus " Green iguana Iguana iguana " Banded leporinus Leporinus fasciatus " Silver tetra Ctenobrycon spilurus " Suckermouth catfish Hypostomus sp. " Flagtail prochilodus Semaprochilodus insignis " Silver dollar Metynnis sp. " Earth-eater cichlid Geophagus altifrons AM05 Altum Angelish Orinoco angelfish Pterophyllum altum AMO6 Electric eel Electric eel Electrophorus electricus AMO8 Piranha Red-bellied piranha Pygocentrus nattereri " Bucktooth tetra Exodon paradoxus " Dwarf cichlid Apistogramma macmasteri AM10 Surinam Toad Surinam toad Pipa pipa AM11 Amazon Flooded Tunnel Pirarucu (Arapaima) Arapaima gigas " Silver arowana Osteoglossum bicirrhosum " Atlantic tarpon Megalops atlanticus " Banded leporinus Leporinus fasciatus " Sweepline brycon Brycon melanopterus " Tambaqui (Black pacu) Colossoma macropomum " Pirapitinga (Red-bellied pacu) Piaractus brachypomus " Ripsaw catfish Oxydoras niger " Tiger shovelnose catfish Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum " Redtail catfish Phractocephalus hemioliopterus " Perruno catfish Perrunichthys perruno " Peacock bass Cichla ocellaris " Pike ciclid Crenicichla johanna " Ringtail pike cichlid Crencichla saxatilis " Turquoise Severum Heros appendiculatus " Chocolate cichlid Hypselecara temporalis " Arrau river turtle Podocnemis expansa AM12 Freshwater Stingrays Ocellate river stingray Potamotrygon motoro " White-blotched river stingray Potamotrygon leopoldi " Smooth back river stingray Potamotrygon orbignyi " Sailfin plecostomus Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps " Rummy nose tetra Hemigrammus bleheri " Rummy nose tetra Hemigrammus rhodostomus AM14 Cardinal Tetras Cardinal tetras Paracheirodon axelrodi " Amazon pufferfish Colomesus asellus " Orange neon corydoras no species name (undescribed) " Golden pencilfish Nannostomus beckfordi " Midget sucker Otocinclus affinis

9/19/10 Page 304 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name #

SWAMP SW02 Alligator Tank American alligator Alligator mississippiensis " Alligator snapping turtle Macroclemys temminckii " Spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus " Common carp Cyprinus carpio " Koi carp Cyprinus carpio " Suckermouth catfish Hypostomus plecostomus " Sailfin plecostomus Pterygoplichthys spp. " Walking catfish Clarias batrachus " Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus " Red oscar Astronotus ocellatus " Midas cichlid Amphilophus citrinellus " Umbee cichlid Cichlasoma umbriferum " Jaguar cichlid Nandopsis managuensis " Hornet tilapia Tilapia buttikofferi " Black belt cichlid Vieja maculicauda " Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides " Redbreast sunfish Lepomis auritus " Longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis " Black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus SW03 Eastern Diamondback Eastern diamondback snake Crotalus adamanteus " Everglades rat snake Elaphe obsoleta SW04 Lesser Siren Lesser siren Siren intermedia " Golden topminnow Fundulus chrysotus SWO5 Pygmy Sunfish Pygmy sunfish Elassoma evergladei SWO6 Spider Black Widow Latrodectus mactans SW07 Treefrogs & pitcher plants Green treefrog Hyla cinerea SW08 Alligator Gars Alligator gar Atractosteus spatula " Texas cichlid Herichthys cyanoguttatus " Redbreast sunfish Lepomis auritus

STAFF PICKS SP01 Nicole Chaney Blue poison dart frog Dendrobates azureus " Electric-blue day gecko Lygodactylus williamsi SP02 Brooke Weinstein Whiteseam betta Betta albimarginata SP03 Ken Howell South American leaf fish Monocirrhus polyacanthus SP04 Bart Shepherd Engineerfish Pholidichthyes leucotaenia " Threadfin cardinalfish Zoramia leptacantha " Pacific sailfin tang Zebrasoma veliferum SP05 Tom Tucker Fluffy sculpin Oligocottus snyderi SP06 Pam Schaller Tiger shark stomach contents Galeocerdo cuvier SP07 Rich Ross Orange spotted file fish Oxymonacanthus longirostris " Orchid dottyback Pseudochromis fridmani " Striped fangblenny Meiacanthus grammistes " Organ pipe coral Tubipora musica " Sarcophyton leather coral Sarcophyton sp. " Sinularia Sinularia sp.

9/19/10 Page 305 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Tree coral Nephthea sp. " Pulse coral Xenia sp. " Zoanthids Palythoa sp. " Bullseye mushroom Rhodactis inchoata " Ricordea yuma mushroom coral Ricordea yuma " Lettuce coral Agaricia sp. " Montipora (stony coral) Montipora capricornis " Green star polyps Briareum sp. " Chalice coral Echinophyllia sp. " Trumpet coral Caulastrea sp. " Echinopora (stony coral) Echinopora sp. " Maze coral Platygyra sp. " Frogspawn coral Euphyllia divisa " Whiskers coral Duncanopsammia axifuga SP08 Frank Glennon Common kribensis Pelvicachromis pulcher SP09 Tanganyikan Fishes Mtoto zebra Lamprologus brevis zebra " Black calvus and white color morph Altolamprologus calvus SP10 " Brazilian salmon-pink birdeater Lasiodora parahybana SP11 Alison Rusch Waxy monkey tree frog Phyllomedusa sauvagii SP12 Jim Evans Dwarf African frogs Hymenochirus boettgeri SP13 Kristen Natoli Butterworts and sundews Pinguicula and Drosera spp. SP14 Matt Wandell - Coral Reef Fishes Peach fairy basslet Pseudanthias dispar " Lori's anthias Pseudanthias lori " Yellowstriped fairy basslet Pseudanthias tuka " Fathead anthias Serranocirrhitus latus " Indian butterflyfish Chaetodon mitratus " Purple tilefish Hoplolatilus purpureus " Firefish goby (Helfrich's dartfish) Nemateleotris helfrichi " Sea rod Diodogorgia nodulifera " Orange sun coral Tubastrea sp. SP15 Chris Andrews 2 -Coral Fuoresence Actinodiscus (striped mushroom) Actinodiscus sp.(Discosoma) " Chalice coral Echinophyllia sp. " Favia coral Favia sp. " Bubble coral Plerogyra sinuosa " Banggai cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni SP16 Seth Wolters Pacific gopher snake (two-headed) Pituophis catenifer catenifer SP17 Jim Evans Crystal red shrimp Caridina cantonensis " Moss ball Aegagropila linnaei " White cloud minnow Tanichthys albonubes SP18 Bart Shepherd 2 Coelacanth (CAS preserved) Latimeria chalumnae

Academy Cafe AC01 Asian River Fishes (mostly) Tricolor sharkminnow Balantiocheilos melanopterus " Black ruby barb Rasbora borapetensis " Clown loach Botia macracanthus

9/19/10 Page 306 Tank/ Exhibit Focus Area and Theme Common Name Scientific Name # " Redtail loach Botia modesta " Longfin tetra Brycinus longipinnis " Redtail brycon Brycon rubricauda " African glass catfish Pareutropius debauwi " Suckermouth catfish Hypostomus plecostomus " Vampire pleco Leporacanthicus galaxias " Splendid rainbowfish Melanotaenia splendid " Banded rainbowfish Melanotaenia trifasciata " Freshwater angelfish Pterophyllum scalare " Lionhead cichlid Steatocranus casuarius " Golden tilapia Tilapia brevimanus " Flagtail prochilodus Semaprochilodus taeniurus " Morgunda morgunda Morgunda morgunda

Moss Room MRO1 Barbs (mostly) Java barb Barbonymus gonionotus " Tinfoil barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii " Hampala barb Hampala macrolepidota " T-barb Puntius lateristriga " Red devil cichlid Amphilophus labiatus

Display Birds " Swainson's hawk Buteo swainsoni " Barn owl Tyton alba " Turkey vulture Cathartes aura

9/19/10 Page 307 308 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium

GLOSSARY

abyssal pertaining to the great depths of the ocean bilateral symmetry a shape in which the left and right sides of a longitudinal plane that runs through an or- advanced character state see derived character state ganism’s body are approximately mirror images of allele one of the variant forms of a gene at a particular each other locus, or location, on a chromosome brackish pertaining to water less salty than sea water allelopathic the inhibition of grown in one species of because of the mixing of fresh and salt water (e.g., in plant or animal by chemicals produced by another an estuary) species budding a form of asexual reproduction, especially by alternation of generations life cycle in which haploid pinching off a small part of the parent and diploid generations alternate with each other; calcareous consisting of or containing calcium carbon- common in ferns and some algae ate or calcium amplexus the mating clasp of the male frog or toad: he calyx the cuplike structure of a colonial coral from clings to the back of the female and fertilizes her eggs which the individual polyp protrudes and into which as she ejects them into the water it can usually be withdrawn anadromous moving from the ocean to fresh water to camouflage avoidance or reduction of detection by spawn (e.g., salmon) means of blending with the environment anal fin median, unpaired, ventrally located fin that carapace a chitinous or bony case or shell covering the lies behind the anus; most often provides stability back or part of the back of an animal, such as a crab aposematic serving as a warning, with reference par- or turtle ticularly to colors and structures that signal posses- carnivore an animal that feeds on other animals sion of defensive devices cartilage a translucent elastic tissue that composes the asexual reproduction a type of reproduction involv- skeleton of the embryos and very young of vertebrates; ing only one parent that usually produces genetically for the most part is converted to bone in higher verte- identical offspring, a clone. Asexual reproduction oc- brates, a notable exception being sharks and rays curs without meiosis or syngamy, and may happen though budding, by the division of a single cell, or catadromous moving from fresh water to the ocean to the breakup of an entire organism into two or more spawn (e.g., American eel) parts. caudal relating to or being a tail; situated toward the asymmetrical not symmetrical; one side is not the hind part of the body mirror image of the other (e.g. most sponges) caudal fin the tail fin, which, for most fish, functions to barbel fleshy projection near the mouth, chin or snout provide thrust and acceleration as in catfish, generally used for locating food caudal peduncle slender part of a fish’s body just batch spawner a fish that sheds eggs more than once ahead of the caudal fin. during a spawning season character heritable trait possessed by an organism benthic pertaining to the sea bottom and the organ- cephalization an evolutionary tendency toward con- isms that inhabit the bottom of a body of water centration of sensory and neural organs in the ante- rior head Glossary 309 chitin the tough, resistant organic substance that is detritivore organisms that live on dead organic matter, the major component of arthropod exoskeletons usually in small particles chordate member of an animal phylum whose mem- detritus fine, particulate debris, mostly derived from bers possess a notochord, a dorsal nerve cord, gill the decomposition of plant and animal remains; often slits, and a tail, at least at some stage of development an important source of nutrients in a food web cilia hairlike structures that serve, especially in free deuterostome an animal in whose embryonic develop- unicellular organisms, to produce movement or, in ment the anus forms first and the mouth forms sec- higher forms, a current of fluid (e.g., sponges) ondarily. Deuterostomes are also characterized by radial cleavage and by formation of the coelom from cirri (singular cirrus) short bristlelike projections from outpocketings of the gut. Echinoderms and chordates the epidermis of certain invertebrates and fishes are deuterostomes clade a group of organisms that includes a common DNA “deoxyribonucleic acid;” the nucleic acid which ancestor and all of that ancestor’s descendants carries the genetic code of an organism; DNA is the cladogram a branching diagram indicating a hypothe- primary component of chromosomes sized sequence of evolutionary changes using cladis- dichotomous dividing into two parts; branching; tic methodology paired clone an organism derived from a founding individual dichromatic members of a species having different col- by asexual means that is genetically identical to the oration; usually related to sexual or growth differences founding individual dinoflagellate dominant planktonic algal form coelom a body cavity in which the digestive tract and other internal organs are suspended diploid referring to cells having two sets of chromo- somes (2n): in animals, twice the number character- commensalism relationship between species that is ben- istic of gametes; in plants, the chromosome number eficial to one, but neutral or of no benefit to the other characteristic of the sporophyte generation; in con- compressed flattened from side to side trast to haploid (1n) congeneric belonging to the same genus diurnal active during the day conspecific belonging to the same species; individuals dominant 1) referring to an allele that is almost al- or populations of the same species ways expressed, even if only one copy is present; 2) used to describe a male fish which is the chief spawn- consumer an organism that obtains nutrients and en- er and which endeavors to exclude other males from ergy by eating other organisms the spawning act convergence or convergent evolution the evolution dorsal pertaining to the back or upper side of the of similar characters in genetically unrelated species, body mostly because they have been subjected to similar environmental selective pressures dorsal fin unpaired fin on the dorsal surface of fishes; most often used for stabilization to prevent pitch and countershading said of the coloration of an animal roll. A few fish species (e.g., bowfin, moray eel, and whose ventral surface is lighter than its dorsal sur- seahorse) use the dorsal fin for movement face, thus helping the animal blend into its back- ground when viewed from above or below ectotherm an organism that regulates its body temper- ature by taking in heat from the environment or giv- demersal sinking to or lying on the bottom; living on or ing it off to the environment; “cold-blooded” near the bottom and feeding on benthic organisms ecosystem a major interacting system that includes denticle literally, “small tooth;” usually refers to modi- both organisms and their physical environment fied scales on some fishes, especially sharks and rays ectoparasite a parasite that lives on the outside of its deposit feeder an animal which takes in masses of host; opposite of endoparasite sediments and processes them through its digestive tract to extract organic material endosymbiont a symbiotic organism that lives within the body of an individual of an associated species. derived character state inferred to be a modified ver- sion of the primitive condition of that character, and endotherm an organism that uses metabolic energy to to have arisen later in the evolution of the clade regulate body temperature independent of the envi- ronment desiccation removal of water; the process of drying 310 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium epipodal on or near the edge of the foot realized expression of the genes estivation dormancy of animals through a drought or habitat the area in which an organism lives and finds warm season the essentials it needs to survive evolution descent with modification; changes in the halophyte a plant adapted to living in a saline envi- genetic makeup of a population over time that pro- ronment duce cumulative changes in the characteristics of the haploid pertaining to cells that have only one copy population of each chromosome; typically are sex cells (sperm or extinction the total disappearance of a species or high- egg) produced through meiosis er taxon herbivore an animal that feeds on plants or plantlike extracellular outside of the cell organisms fertilization the union of sperm and egg hermaphrodite an animal which has the sex organs of both male and female. May be sequential or synchro- filter feeder an animal that feeds by filtering out and in- nous (See protandrous and protogynous) gesting small particles of food suspended in the water heterocercal describes a caudal fin in which the spinal fin ray one of the bony or horny rods that support the column extends into the larger upper lobe fins of rayfin fishes; may be soft or spiny holotype the single physical example (or illustration) foliaceous a growth form of corals exhibiting leaflike of an organism, known to have been used when the sheets and plates species (or lower-ranked taxon) was initially and for- food chain movement of energy and nutrients from mally described one feeding group of organisms to another in a series homocercal describes a caudal fin that is nearly or that begins with plants and ends with carnivores, de- completely symmetrical and that is supported by a trital feeders, and decomposers complex internal V-shaped bony plate; characteristic food pyramid a graphic representation showing all the of teleosts energy and biomass contained in each trophic level hydrostatic skeleton a skeleton in which the body’s of an ecosystem at any given time, moving from pro- shape and/or function is maintained by an incom- ducers (autotrophs) up the food web to top-level con- pressible fluid such as blood or hemolymph sumers (heterotrophs) intracellular within the cell food web the food relationships within a community; a diagram of who eats what or whom laminar arranged in, consisting of, or resembling plates or scales founder effect genetic drift observed in a population founded by a small non-representative sample of a larva the early form of any animal that changes struc- larger population turally when it becomes an adult fusiform spindle-shaped; tapered at both ends lateral line a series of sensory pores along the head and sides of fish and some amphibians by which water cur- gamete an egg cell or sperm cell; a mature reproduc- rents, vibrations, and pressure changes are detected tive cell with a haploid set of chromosomes longitudinal fission asexual reproduction by a length- gametophyte a haploid (1n) plant or plant part that wise division of the cell or body into two or more can produce gametes parts of roughly equal size gene flow the movement of genes from one population mandible lower part of the jaw; the “jawbone” to another by way of interbreeding of individuals in the two populations mantle layer of tissue over a mollusk body that se- cretes the shell, if present genetic code the DNA sequence of a gene; the genet- ic code determines the sequence of amino acids in a maxilla in vertebrates, the upper jaw protein or enzyme, and thus the functions of a living medusa the free-swimming, bell- or umbrella-shaped organism stage in the life cycle of many cnidarians genetic drift random variation in gene frequency from meiosis a special type of cell division that occurs when one generation to another mature eggs and sperm are formed. Through the pro- genotype the total set of genes present in the cells of an cess of meiosis the number of chromosomes present organism, as contrasted with phenotype, which is the Glossary 311

in a cell is decreased by half. Unlike what occurs in pectoral fins paired fins, located either low on the mitosis, the daughter cells produced in meiosis are body in some species or on the side just behind the not identical to each other operculum in many others; used by most fishes for fine control of movements. Provide lift for many metamorphosis the change of an immature animal into sharks; used for propulsion by rays an adult. More generally, change in the form of an or- gan or structure pedicellariae pincerlike structures that occur around the base of spines of sea stars, sea urchins, and sand mimic a species, or individual, that closely imitates dollars, apparently used to catch and crush small another animals that try to settle on surface of these echino- mitosis the process of nuclear division in cells that derms produces daughter cells genetically identical to each pelagic living and feeding in the open sea, not in asso- other and to the parent cell ciation with the bottom model the species, or individual, imitated by a mimic pelvic fins paired fins, located ventrally; used most of- mutation any heritable change in DNA sequence; can ten for breaking and steering occur randomly (naturally) or can be deliberately pharynx part of the throat into which the gill slits caused in the laboratory open; part of the alimentary canal between mouth mutualism the living together of two or more organ- and esophagus isms in a symbiotic association from which both phenotype the realized expression of the genotype; members benefit the physical appearance or functional expression of nauplius free-swimming larval form characteristic of a genetic trait crustaceans pheromone chemical substance released by one organ- natural selection the process recognized by Charles ism that influences the behavior or functioning of an- Darwin as the primary mechanism of evolution. The other organism of the same species; often serve as sex differential reproduction of genotypes, caused by fac- attractants, trail markers or alarm signals tors in the environment photic zone lighted water column of lake or ocean nematocyst a specialized stinging cell characteristic where photosynthesis can take place of cnidarians (e.g., anemones and corals) that con- photosynthesis a complex process used by many tains a barbed, threadlike tube that delivers a para- plants and other organisms, such as algae, to build lyzing sting; the term also often refers to the barbed carbohydrates from carbon dioxide, inorganic sub- structure itself stances, and water, using energy derived from light. notochord in lower chordates and in the embryos of Oxygen is released as a by-product. higher vertebrates, a flexible supportive rod running pinnate having leaflets arranged in opposite rows longitudinally through the back, ventral to the nerve along an axis, like a feather cord pinnule leaflets of a pinnately-compound leaf; a side ocellus an eyelike, pigmented spot branch structure on the tentacles of many soft corals, omnivore an organism that eats both plant and ani- giving them a feathery appearance mals piscivore an organism that feeds exclusively or prefer- operculum 1) the gill cover of bony fish; 2) a plate ably on fish that many gastropod mollusks produce and pull into plankton free-floating, usually minute, organisms of place as a “door” to resist desiccation and intruders the sea organ a part of the body composed of several differ- planula larval form characteristic of cnidarians ent tissues that form a structural unit and function together; e.g., heart, stomach polyp one of the two principal body forms of cnidarians, typically sessile with the base attached to a substrate oviparous egg-laying; the eggs develop into embryos after being laid by the female population a group of individuals belonging to the same species, occupying the same area at the same ovoviviparous relating to animals that retain eggs time and sharing the same gene pool within the body of the female in a brood chamber in which the development of the embryo takes place; preopercle the bone between the cheek and the gill the young hatch inside the mother and are usually cover born shortly afterwards 312 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium primitive character state present in the common an- symbiosis the living together of two dissimilar organ- cestor of a clade; a primitive character state is inferred isms in close association; includes parasitism, com- to be the original condition of that character within mensalism, and mutualism the clade under consideration synchronous hermaphrodite organism that possesses producers in an ecosystem, organisms, such as plants, both active male and active female reproductive or- that are able to produce their own food from inorgan- gans at the same time ic substances syngamy the union of a sperm cell and an egg cell to protandrous referring to a sequential hermaphrodite form a zygote; fertilization in which the fish functions first as a male and then taxon (pl. taxa) a named group of organisms, not nec- changes to a female essarily a clade; a group of organisms of any taxo- protogynous refers to animals that are sequential her- nomic rank, such as a given phylum, order, family, maphrodites, where the animal functions first biolog- genus, species ically as a female, having only female sexual organs, terminal phase male the dominant breeding male of then changes to be biologically male certain fish families, such as wrasses and parrotfish- radial symmetry a type of symmetry in which an or- es. Usually has a distinctive color phase and may be ganism can be divided into equal halves by passing a transformed initial phase males or transformed fe- plane through the central axis in any direction males. radula rasping tongue found in most mollusks thallus a plant body without true stems or roots or leaves or vascular system; the body of a seaweed recessive refers to an allele that causes a phenotype (visible or detectable characteristic) that is only seen tissue a group of cells organized into a structural or in an organism that has two copies of the same allele functional unit scavenger an organism that obtains nutrients from trochophore the larval form characteristic of marine dead animals or other dead organic material annelids and most groups of mollusks as well as sev- eral other phyla selection pressure in a population, the force for genet- ic change resulting from natural selection variation the differences that occur in the offspring of a particular population or species sessile permanently attached or stationary veliger the larval form common to most bivalves and sexual reproduction reproduction that involves male gastropods; develops from the trochophore larva and female gametes, usually produced by different parents. The central event is fertilization (the joining ventral pertaining to the undersurface of egg and sperm) viviparous producing live young from within the species (1) a group of organisms that have a unique body of the female set of characteristics (like body shape and behavior) zoochlorellae symbiotic unicellular green algae that distinguishes them from other organisms. If they reproduce, individuals within the same species can zoospore a motile flagellated asexual spore, as of cer- produce fertile offspring. (2) the basic unit of biologi- tain algae and fungi; typically produces a gameto- cal classification phyte spore a reproductive cell, usually unicellular, capable zooxanthellae symbiotic dinoflagellate algae of developing into an adult without fusion with an- zygote the cell formed by the union of a sperm cell and other cell an egg cell sporophyte the spore-producing, diploid (2n) stage in the life cycle of a plant having alternation of genera- tions Index 313

INDEX

A Abalone, Red 53, 241 Alligator, American Leathery Sea 49, 259 Acanthaster planci 86 208 Magnificent Sea 49, 259 Acanthastrea spp. 39 Alligator mississippiensis 208 Miniature Carpet 50 Acanthogobius flavimanus 179 Alpheus randalli 68 Painted 48, 229 Acanthophyllia deshayesiana 39, Alveopora sp. 36 Rose 229, 247 251 Amazon Leaf Fish 153 Sun 49, 273 Acanthuridae 12, 184–190 Amblycirrhitus pinos 153 Tube 45 Acanthurus Amblyeleotris randalli 179 White-spotted Rose 48 achilles 184 Amblyeleotris sp 179 Anemonefish blochii 184 Amblygobius Clark’s 163, 263 coeruleus 184 hectori 180 False clown 263 dussumieri 185 phalaena 180 False Clown 253 japonicus 185 Ameca splendens 121 Pink 164 lineatus 185 Amphibians 196 Spinecheek 167, 264 mata 185 Amphilophus labiatus 154 Anemonefishes 10 nigricans 186 Amphiprion Anemones 46 nigroris 186 clarkii 163 Angelfish olivaceus 186 ocellaris 163 Altum 159 pyroferus 186 percula 164 Blackspot 151, 262 triostegus 187 perideraion 164 Blackstriped 151 Acropora 35 Amphistichus Bluegirdled 153 Acropora spp. 35 argenteus 160 Emperor 152, 262 Actiniaria 46 rhodoterus 161 Flame 150, 262 Actinopterygii 96 Anaconda 216, 282 Freshwater 159 Aegagropila linnaeim 19 Anarrhichthys ocellatus 176 King 152 Aeoliscus strigatus 123 Anchovy, Northern 104 Lamarck’s 262 Agalychnis callidryas 200 Andrias davidianus 196 Lamarck’s 151 Agaricia sp. 36 Anemone Lemonpeel 151 Agonopsis vulsa 137 Aggregating 46, 229, 241 Orinoco 159 Ahaetulla fronticincta 221 Bubbletip Sea 48, 252, 259 Queen 152, 273 Alcyonacea 26 Cloned Plumose 46, 229, 241 Swallowtail 151 Algae Club-tipped 32, 229 Angelfishes 8, 150–153 Articulating Coralline 21, 240 Condylactis Sea 47, 273 Angiosperms 22 Brown 20 Corkscrew Tentacle Sea 48, 252 Annelids 51 Bryopsis 251 Fish-eating 49, 230 Anomalops katoptron 122 Encrusting Coralline 21, 240 Giant Carpet 49, 259 Antennarius commerson 118 Green 19 Giant Green 47, 229 Anthelia spp. 28 Red 240 Giant Plumose 46, 229 Anthias 314 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Fathead 140 Atyopsis moluccensis 68 Striped 190 Lri’s 139 Aurelia aurita 50 taeniata 190 Lyretail 140 Whiteseam 189 Purple 140 B Bicolor Squarespot 139 Bactris gasipaes 25 Chromis 165 Anthias, Squarespot 260 Balanophyllia elegans 44 Birds 221–225 Anthopleura Balantiocheilos melanopterus 104 Bivalves 58 elegantissima 46 Balanus Blaberus giganteus 77 xanthogrammica 47 glandula 76 Black Crappie 143 Anthozoans 26–35 nubilus 77 Black Olive Tree 24, 276 Ant, Leafcutter 82 Balistidae 12 Blacksmith 165, 238 Aplysia californica 57 Balistoides conspicillum 193 Blaesodactylus sakalava 212 Apodichthys Bananaquit 279 Blastomussa merleti 39 flavidus 175 Banaquit 226 Blastomussa wellsi 40 fucorum 176 Bannerfish 150, 262 Blennies 11, 176–177 Apogon Barb Blenniidae 11 cyanosoma 144 Black Ruby 108 Blenny leptacanthus 144 Cherry 106 Bicolor 177, 266 maculatus 144 Hampala 107 Canary 178 parvulus 144 Java 104 Convict 266 sealei 144 T- 108 Eyelash 178 Apogonidae 8 Tinfoil 105 Jeweled 178, 266 Ara Barbonymus Midas 177, 266 ararauna 222 gonionotus 104 Striped Poison-fang 177 macao 223 schwanenfeldii 105 Blind Cave Fish 110 Aracana Barnacle Boa ornate 195 Acorn 76, 244 constrictor 216 Aracana aurita 194 Giant Acorn 77, 231 Constrictor 216 Aracana ornate 194, 195 Gooseneck 77, 231, 244 Emerald Tree 216 Aracanaornate 195 Barnacles 76 Madagascar Tree 217 Arapaima 99, 283 Basiliscus plumifrons 210 Redtail 216 Arapaima gigas 99 Bass Bocaccio 130 Arawana, Silver 100, 283 Chalk 141, 274 Boiga dendrophila 219 Archaster typicus 84 Giant Sea 137, 247 Bonytongues 99 Archocentrus nigrofasciatus 155 Harlequin 140, 274 Botia Aristolochia labiata 276 Kelp 138, 238 macracanthus 108 Artedius harrington 135 Largemouth 143 Botia sidthimunki 108 Arthropoda 63–71 basslet Boxfish Aspidites Red-cheeked Fairy 260 Shaw’s 194 melanocephalus 217 Basslet Boxfishes 13 ramsayi 218 Jewel Fairy 140, 253. 260 Brachyistius frenatus 161 Asteroidea 84 Pacific Candy 138 Brazilian Beauty Leaf 24, 276 Astrochelys radiata 207 Peach Fairy 139 Bream Astronotus ocellatus 155 Red-cheeked Fairy 139 Striped Large-eye 261 Astropyga radiata 88 Squarespot Fairy 139. 260 Bristletooth Astyanax mexicanus 110 Yellowstriped Fairy 140 Goldring 187, 269 Atherinops Basslets 7 Brosmophycis marginata 118 affinis 120 Bat, Dog-faced Fruit 227 Brotula, Red 118 Atherinopsis Bedotia madagascariensis 119 Brown algae 20 californiensis 120 Betta Feather Boa Kelp 20 Atractosteus spatula 98 albimarginata 189 Giant Kelp 20 Atta cephalotes 82 splendens 189 Macrocystis 20 Index 315

Oar Weed 20 Pajama 145, 261 Cheilinus undulates 168 Rockweeds 20 Redspot 144 Cheilodipterus isostigmus 145 Brycon melanopterus 110 Seale’s 144, 261 Chelicerates 63–64 Brycon, Redtail 283 Spotted 260 Chelmonops curiosus 149 Bryopsis gae 251 Threadfin 144 Chelmon rostratus 149 Bucida buceras 24 Yellowstriped 144 Chelus fimbriatus 205 Buffalofish, Smallmouth 109 Cardinalfishes 8 Cherubfish 273 Bufo quercicus 198 Carettochelys insculpta 205 Chirolophis Bullseye Mushroom 33 Caridina cf. Cantonensis 68 decoratus 175 Butterflies 79–82 Cartilaginous Fishes 92 nugator 175 Butterfly Caryothraustes canadensis Chiton Banded Orange 79, 279 226–228 Gumboot 53, 230, 241 Giant Owl 79, 280 Cassiopea andromeda 50 Lined 52 Orange Barred Sulfur 82, 281 Catalaphyllia jardinei 43 Mossy 52, 230 Postman 280 Catfish Chitons 52 Butterflyfish Armored 115 Chlamys hastata 60 Bank 147 Channel 113 Chlorophyta Copperband 149, 261 Glass 114 Ulva spp. 19 Klein’s 148 Perruno 115 Choerodon fasciatus 168 Longnose 149, 261 Redtail 115, 284 Chordata 92 Pyramid 150, 261 Ripsaw 115 Chromis 10 Raccoon 148 Suckermouth 116 Bicolor 164 Reef 148 Tiger Shovelnose 116, 284 Blue 164, 274 Saddle 148 Upsidedown 115 Blue Green 165 Vagabond 149 Walking 114 cyanea 164 Butterflyfishes 8, 147 Catfishes 113–116 dimidiata 164 Butterfly Goodeid 121 Caulastrea sp. 41 Green 165, 253, 263 Butterfly Splitfin 121 Caulolatilus princeps 145 margaritifer 165 Button Coral 40 Cebidichthys violaceus 175 punctipinnis 165 Celestichthys margaritatus 105 Ternate 263 C Centipede, Scolopendra 84 ternatensis 165 Cabezon 136, 234 Centropyge viridis 165 Caesio teres 146 argi 150 Chrysaora fuscescens 51 Caligo memnon 79 bispinosus 150 Chrysiptera Callinectes sapidus 71 flavissima 151 cyanea 165 Calliostoma loricula 150 parasema 166 annulatum 55 Cephalopods 60–61 taupou 166 ligatum 55 Cephaloscyllium ventriosum 93 Chrysopelea paradisi 220 Calloplesiops altivelis 102 Ceriantharia 45 Cichla Calophyllum brasiliense 24 Chaetodon ocellaris 155 Cancer aya 147 temensis 156 magister 71 ephippium 148 Cichlid productus 72 kleinii 148 Black Belt 160 Canthigaster papua 195 lunula 148 Chocolate 157 Capnella 28 senentarius 148 Convict 155 Carcharhinus melanopterus 94, Chaetodontidae 8 Earth-eater 156, 282 249 Chaetodon vagabundus 149 Jaguar 158 Carcharinidae 5 Chamaeleo jacksonii 211 Katria 157 Cardinalfish Chameleon Lionhead 159 Banggai 145 Jackson’s 211 Peacock Bass 155, 284 Dog-toothed 145 Panther 211 Pike 156, 284 Flame 144 Characiformes 109–113 Red Devil 154 316 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Ringtail Pike 156 Button 40 Corallina Speckled Pavon 156 Cactus 36, 256 chilensis 21 Texas 156 Cauliflower 34, 251 officinalis 21 Cichlidae 9, 154–158 Cladiella 26 vancouveriensis 21 Cichlids 9 Closed Brain 40, 258 Corallus Cirrhilabrus Daisy 36 caninus 216 exquisitus 168 Diploastrea 41 Cordgrass 22 flavidorsalis 169 Disk 256 Corynactis californica 32 lubbocki 169 Echinophyllia 38 Coryphopterus nicholsii 180 solorensis 169 Echinopora 42 Cottidae 134, 135 Cirrhitidae 10, 153 Elegance 43 Cowfish, Cirripedia 76 Elkhorn 35, 256 Ornate 195 Citharichthys Euphyllia 252, 258 Cowfish, Ornate 194 sordidus 191 Favia 42 Crab stigmaeus 192 Flat Leather 27 Black-eyed Hermit 75 Clam Flowerpot 36 Blue 71 Crocea Giant 58 Fox 44 Common Hermit 74 Giant 58, 59, 259 Frogspawn 43 Decorator 73, 243 Maxima 59 Galaxy 38, 257 Dungeness 71 Squamosa 59 Goniastrea 42 Fiddler 74 Clams 58 Green Star Polyp 28 Graceful Decorator 73 Claravis pretiosa 222 Horn 40, 257 Green Shore 72, 243 Clarias batrachus 114 Knobby Leather 27 Hairy Hermit 76 Clingfish 119 Lettuce 36 Hermit 75, 243 Clownfish Lobed Brain 40 Masking 73 Common 164 Lobophyllia 251 Naked Mole 75 False 163, 263 Lobophytum 27, 255 Northern Kelp 74, 243 Clupea harengus pallasi 103 Maze 42, 257 Orange Fiddler 74 Cnidarians 25 Meat 39, 251 Purple Shore 72, 243 Cockroach Montipora 35 Red Rock 72, 230, 243 Giant 77 Moon 258 Striped Shore 73, 244 Madagascar Hissing 78 Mushroom 37 Vampire 76 Coelacanth 195 Mycedium 38 Crangon franciscorum 69 Coereba flaveola 226 Open Brain 43 Crassedoma giganteum 60 Coius microlepis 146 Orange Cup 44, 45, 241 Crenicichla Collisella pelta 54 Pineapple 39 saxatilis 156 Colochirus robustus 91 Plating Hydnophora 40, 257 Crenicichla lepidota 156 Colomesus asellus 195 Porites 36 Crossocheilus siamensis 105 Colossoma macropomum 111 Sarcophyton 27, 255 Crotalus adamanteus 218 Commensal Shrimp 70 Sinularia 27, 255 Crustaceans 67–75 Conch, Queen 56 Slimy Leather 27 Cryptobranchidae 196 Condylactis sp. 47 Slipper 37 Cryptochiton stelleri 53 Conus marmoreus 56 Staghorn 35, 256 Ctenobrycon spilurus 111 Coral Stylophora 35 Ctenochaetus Acanthastrea 39, 251, 257 Symphyllia 257 strigosus 187 Anchor 43 Tree 28 tominiensis 187 Bird’s Nest 34 Trumpet 41, 258 Cuttlefish Blastomussa 40 Turbinaria cup 45 Dwarf 62 Blue 26 Turbinaria Cup 258 Flambuoyant 61 Brain 41 Whisker 45 Cyanerpes cyaneus 224 Brown Cup 44 Coral Beauty 150 Cymatogaster aggregata 161 Bubble 44, 252, 258 Corallimorpharia 32–33 Cynarina lacrymalis 40 Index 317

Cynopterus brachyotis 227 E Lubbock’s 169, 264 Cyprinidae 6, 104–107 Redeye 169, 264 Cypriniformes 104 East Coast Saroy 159 Yellowfin 169, 264 Cyprinodon macularius 122 Echidna nebulosa 101 Favia sp. 258 Cyprinodontidae 122 Echinodermata 84–91 Favia spp. 42 Cyprinus carpio 105 Echinoidea 88 Feather Boa Kelp 240 Echinophyllia sp. 38 Featherduster Worms 51 D Echinopora lamellosa 42 Filefish, Orange-spotted 194 Ecsenius Damselfish Finch, Saffron 226, 279 bicolor 177 279 Blacktail 166, 263 midas 177 Goldbelly 167, 263 Flagtail Prochilodus 109 Eel Flashlight Fish 123 Neon 167, 249 Electric 117 Yellowtail Blue 166, 253, 263 Splitfin 122 Spotted Garden 103, 260 Flatfishes 191–192 Damselfishes 10, 163 Wolf 176, 236 Danio Flounders 191–192 Eels 101–103 Flowering Plants 22 Celestial Pearl 105 Egg Case Zebra 106 Forcipiger longirostris 149 Horn Shark 246 Frog Danio rerio 106 Skate 245 Dardanus pedunculatus 74 Blue Poison Dart 199 Swell Shark 245 Borneo File-eared 203 Dascyllus melanurus 166 Egregia menziesii 20 Dasyatis kuhlii 95, 249 Dwarf African 197 Elaphe obsoleta rosalleni 220 Green and Black Poison Dart Datnioides microlepis 146 Elasmobranchii 92 Decapoda 68–74 199 Elassoma evergladei 123 Harlequin Tree 204 Dendraster excentricus 90 Electrophorus electricus 117 Dendrobates Madagascar Reed 203 Elephantnose 100 Madagascar Tomato 204 auratus 199 Embiotoca azureus 199 Strawberry Poison Dart 199 jacksoni 161 Striped Poison Dart 200 pumillio 199 lateralis 162 Dermasterias imbricata 87 Vietnamese Mossy 204 Embiotocidae 9, 160–163 Waxy Monkey Tree 201 Diadema setosum 89 Emerita analoga 75 Diodogorgia nodulifera 29 Frogfish 118 Encrusting Hydrocoral 25 Fromia monilis 85 Diodora aspera 54 Endler’s Livebearer 122 Diploastrea heliopora 41 Fucus spp. 20 Engineerfish 176, 266 Fundulus chrysotus 121 Diploastrea helipora 258 Engraulis mordax 104 Diploria sp. 41 Fungia sp. 37 Entacmaea quadricolor 48 Furcifer Discosoma 32 Enteroctopus dofleini 62 Distichlis spicata 22 pardalis 211 Epalzeorhynchos bicolor 106 Fusilier Diving Beetle Erythropodium caribaeorum 29 Sunburst 79 Bluestreak 146, 261 Eucidaris tribuloides 88 Yellow and Blueback 146, 261 Doris odhneri 56 Eueides isabella 80 Doryrhamphus janssi 124 Eumicrotremus orbis 137 G Dottyback Eunectes murinus 216 Orchid 141 Eunicea mammosa 29 Galaxea fascicularis 38 Royal 141 Euphonia violacea 226 Gar Dove, Blue Ground 222 Euphonia, Violaceous 226, 279 Alligator 98 Dragonet. Spotted 178 Euphyllia 43 Longnose 99 Dryadula phaetusa 79 Exodon paradoxus 111 Spotted 99 Dryas julia 80 Garibaldi 166, 238, 247 Duncanopsammia axifuga 45 F Gastropods 53–57 Dutchman’s Pipe 276 Gecko Dyscophus antongilli 204 Fairy Wrasse Electric Blue Day 212 Exquisite 168, 264 Henkel’s Leaf-tailed 214 318 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Klemmer’s Yellow-headed Day Green-spined Salmacis 89 Herichthys cyanoguttatus 156 213 Gromphadorhina portentosa 78 Heros severus 157 Kuhl’s Flying 213 Grosbeak, Yellow-green 226 Herring, Pacific 103 Madagascar Giant Day 212 Guitarfish, Bowmouth 94, 249 Heteractis Sakalava Velvet 212 Gunnel crispa 49 Standing’s Day 213 Penpoint 175 magnifica 49 Genicanthus Rockweed 176 Heterixalus madagascariensis 203 lamarck 151 Gymnomuraena zebra 101 Heteroconger hassi 103 melanospilos 151 Gymnothorax Heterodontus francisci 92 Geophagus altifrons 156 favagineus 102 Hexacorallia 32–40 Geosesarma sp.’vampire” 76 meleagris 102 Hexacorals 32 Gerrhosaurus major 214 mordax 102 Hexagrammidae 133 Giant Kelp 241 Hexagrammos Gibbonsia montereyensis 177 H decagrammus 133 Gigartina spp. 22 Hadrurus arizonensis 64 lagocephalus 133 Girella nigricans 147 Halfmoon 147, 238 Hippocampus Gnathonemus petersi 100 Halibut, California 192, 248 abdominalis 124 Gobies 11, 179–180 Halichoeres erectus 125 Gobiidae 11, 179–180 chloropterus 170 kuda 125 Goby chrysus 170 reidi 126 Banded 180, 253 garnoti 170 Hippocampus spp. 124 Blackeye 180 prosopeion 171 Hogfish Bluestreak 181, 266 semicinctus 171 Spanish 274 Firefish 181 Haliichthys taeniophorus 124 Holacanthus Hector’s 180 Haliotis rufescens 53 passer 152 Randall’s Prawn 179 Halosaccion glandiforme 22 Holacanthus ciliaris 152 Shrimp 179 Hamlet, Indigo 138 Holothuoidea 91 Yellowfin 179 Hampala macrolepidota 107 Honeycreeper Zebra 182, 266 Haplopelma lividum 64 Red-legged 279 Golden Topminnow 121 Hawkfish Honeycreeper, Red-legged 224 Gomphosus varius 170 Flame 154, 264 Hoplolatilus purpureus 146 Goniastrea sp. 42 Longnose 154, 264 Horn Shark, California 92, 247 Gonyosoma oxycephala 220 Redspotted 153, 275 Humuhumu nukunuku a pua’a Goodeids 121 Hawkfishes 10, 153 193 Gorgonian Heliconius Hydnophora Brown 30, 237 charithonia 80 grandis 257 Encrusting 29, 272 doris 80 Plating 257 Golden 30, 237 melpomene 81 rigida 41, 257 Pacific 31, 255 sapho 81 spp. 40 Red 30, 237 sara 81 Hydrozoans 25 Gorgonians 26 Heliopora coerulea 26 Hyla Gourami Heloderma horridum 215 cinerea 201 Blue 191 Hemigrammus versicolor 201 Moonlight 191 bleheri 111 Hymenocera picta 70 Pearl 190 rhodostomus 112 Hymenochirus boettgeri 197 Gramma loreto 141 Hemigrapsus Hyperprosopon argenteum 162 Green Algae nudus 72 Hypoplectrus indigo 138 Sea Lettuce 19 oregonensis 72 Hypostomus plecostomus 116 Greenling Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus 134 Hypselecara temporalis 157 Kelp 133, 235 Hemitaurichthys polylepis 150 Hypsurus caryi 162 Painted 134, 235 Heniochus diphreutes 150 Hypsypops rubicundus 166 Rock 133 Henricia leviuscula 86 I Index 319

Icelinus tenuis 135 Owl 54, 242 172 Ictalurus punctatus 113 Rough Keyhole 54, 230, 242 Macrotocinclus affinis 116 Ictiobus bubalus 109 Shield 54 Malachite 82, 281 Idol, False Moorish 150 Linckia Mandarinfish, Green 178 Iguana, Green 210, 282 laevigata 85 Mangrove, Red 23, 250 Iguana iguana 210 multiflora 85 Mantella Insects 77–82 Lingcod 134, 248 aurantiaca 202 Iridaea spp. 22 Lionfish, Red 131 baroni 202 Liopropoma swales 138 Golden 202 J Lithopoma Green 203 Jacksmelt 120, 232 gibberosum 55 Painted 202 Jellyfish undosum 55 viridis 203 Moon 50 Lizard Marakely 157 Sea Nettle 51 Great Plated 214 Matamata 205 Upside-down 50 Green Basilisk 210 Medialuna californiensis 147 Jellyfishes 50 Madagascar Plated 215 Mediaster aequalis 85 Mexican Beaded 215 Megalops K Saharan Spiny-tailed 210 atlanticus 100 Lizards and Snakes 210 cyprinoids 101, 249 Katria katria 157 Loach Megophrys nasuta 198 Kelp Clown 108 Meiacanthus Bull 229 Dwarf 108 grammistes 177 Feather Boa 20, 240 Redtail 109 oualanensis 178 Giant 20, 237, 241 Lobe-finned fishes 195 Melanotaenia trifasciata 119 Kelpfish, Crevice 177 Lobophyllia sp. 40 Melichthys vidua 193 Killifish Lobophytum 27 Mespilia globulus 89 Patriciae 120 Longwing Metasepia pfefferi 61 Redtail 120 Doris 80, 280 Metridium Koi 105 Hecale 281 giganteum 46 Kryptopterus minor 114 Isabella’s 80, 280 senile 46 Julia 80 Metynnis argenteus 112 L Sapho 81, 281 Mexican Beaded Lizard 215 Labridae 10 Sara 81, 281 Micrometrus minimus Labroides dimidiatus 171 Zebra 80, 280 162 Laminaria spp. 20, 237 Lottia gigantea 54 Micropterus salmoides 143 Lamprologus brevis zebra 158 Loxorhynchus crispatus 73 Midget Sucker 116 Langaha madagascariensis 221 Lumpsucker, Pacific Spiny 137 Millepora 25 Lasiodora parahybana 64 Lungfish, Australian 196 Minnow Latimeria chalumnae 195 Lygodactylus williamsi 212 White Cloud 107 Latrodectus mactans 65 Lysmata Mollusks 52–56 Leiurus quinquestriatus 63 amboinensis 69 Mono 147, 249 Lepisosteus californica 69 Monocirrhus polyacanthus 153 oculatus 99 debelius 70 Monodactylus argenteus 147, 249 osseus 99 Montipora spp. 35 Lepomis M Moorish Idol 184 auritus 142 Macaw Mopalia muscosa 52 megalotis 142 Blue and Gold 222 Moray Leporinus, Banded 110, 283 Scarlet 223 California 102, 247 Leporinus fasciatus 110 Macrochelys temminckii 206 Honeycomb 102 Leptogorgia chilensis 30 Macrocystis pyrifera 20 Snowflake 101 Leptoseris Coral 37 Macrodactyla doreensis 48 Whitemouth 102 Limpet Macropharyngodon meleagris Zebra 101 320 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Moray Eels 6 Octocorallia 26–30 californicus 92 Morelia bredli 218 Octocorals 26 parvimensis 92 Morpho, Blue 82, 281 Octopus Paratilapia polleni 157 Morpho peleides 82 Giant Pacific 62 Patiria miniata 86 Moss Ball 19 Red 63, 243 Pavona spp. 36 Mtoto Zebra 158 Octopus rubescens 63 Peach Palm 25, 276 Mudskipper, Barred 181, 250 Odontodactylus scyllarus 67 Peacock Bass 284 Muraenidae 6 Odonus niger 193 Peltodoris nobilis 57 Muricea Oligocottus maculosus 135 Pelvicachromis pulcher 158 californica 30 Opaleye 147, 238 Pencilfish, Golden 110 fruticosa 30 Ophiodon elongatus 134 Penguin, African 221 Muriceopsis flavida 30 Opisthobranchia 56 Pennatulacea 31 Mushroom Oregonia gracilis 73 Pentaceraster cumingi 85 Striped 251 Oscar, Red 155 Perca flavescens 143 Mushroom Leather Coral 27 Osteoglossids 99, 99–100 Perch, Yellow 143 Mushrooms 251 Osteoglossum bicirrhosum 100 Perciformes 137 Mussel, California 58, 230, 243 Ostraciidae 13 Periclimenes venustus 69 Mycedium elephantotus 38 Oxycirrhites typus 154 Periophthalmus argentilineatus Myleus Oxyjulis californica 172 181, 250 rubripinnis 112 Oxylebius pictus 134 Perrunichthys perruno 115 Myripristis amaena 123 Oxymonacanthus longirostris 194 Phaeophyta 20 Mytilus californianus 58 Oxypora sp. 38 Phelsuma grandis 212 N P klemmeri 213 Nannostomus beckfordi 110 Pachira aquatica 23 standingi 213 Naso 250 Pachycerianthus fimbriatus 45 Phoebis philea 82 brevirostris 187 Pachyclavularia 28 Pholidichthys leucotaenia 176 lituratus 188 Pachygrapsus crassipes 73 Photoblepharon palpebratus 123 unicornis 188 Pachypanchax Phractocephalus hemiliopterus vlamingii 188 patriciae 120 115 Naso, Bumphead 188 Pacific Cordgrass 22 Phrynoidis juxtaspera 199 Nautichthys oculofasciatus 136 Pacu Phycodurus eques 126 Nautilus, Chambered 60 Black 111, 283 Phyllobates sp. 200 Nautilus pompilius 60 Red-bellied 112, 283 Phyllocrania paradoxa 78 Nemenzophyllia turbida 44 Paddlefish, Mississippi 97 Phyllomedusa sauvagii 201 Nemo 163 Pagurus Phyllopteryx taeniolatus 127 Neoceratodus forsteri 196 armatus 75 Piaractus brachypomus 112 Neocirrhites armatus 154 hirsutiusculus 76 Picassofish 193 Neoglyphidodon oxyodon 167 Pagurus spp. 75 Pimelodidae 115 Nepehthes sp. 277 Palythoa spp. 32 Pipa pipa 197 Nephila Paracanthurus hepatus 188 Pipefish clavipes 66 Paracheilinus Alligator 127 madagascariensis 66 rubricaudalis 172 Bay 127 Newts and Salamanders 196–199 Paracheirodon axelrodi 112 Janss’ 124 Notemigonus crysoleucas 108 Parachromis (Nandopsis) mana- Ribboned 124 Nothobranchius guentheri 120 guensis 158 Pipefishes 6 Nudibranch Paracyathus sternsi 44 Pipidae 197 Sea Lemon 57 Paralabrax clathratus 138 Piranha, Red-bellied 113, 283 White Dorid 56 Paralichthys californicus 192 Pirapitinga 112, 283 Parambassis ranga 137 Pirarucu 99, 283 O Paraplesiops meleagris 142 Pisaster brevispinus 87 Oar Weed 241 Parastichopus Index 321

giganteus 87 paccagnellae 141 pauciperforata 107 ochraceus 87 Pseudocolochirus violaceus 91 Redstripe 107 Pitcher Plant 277 Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum 116 Rattlesnake, Eastern Diamond- Plainfin Midshipman 117 Pseudoplexaura spp. 30 back 218 Platygra sp. 257 Pseudopterogorgia Ray Platygrya sp. 42 bipinnata 30 Blue-spotted 249 Plecostomus, Sailfin 116 elizabethi 31 Javanese Cownose 95, 249 Plerogyra sinuosa 44 Pseudopterogorgia spp. 30 Ray-finned fishes 96 Pleuronichthys coenosus 192 Psolus chitinoides 91 Rays 92 Plexaura spp. 29 Pterapogon kauderni 145 Red Algae 21 Plexaurella nutans 29 Ptereleotris zebra 182 Coralline Algae, Articulating 21 Poacher, Northern Spearnose 137 Pterocaesio tile 146 Coralline Algae, Encrusting 21 Pocillopora damicornis 34 Pterois volitans 131 Iridescent Red Algae 22 Pollicipes polymerus 77 Pterophyllum Sea Sacs 22 Polyodon spathula 97 altum 159 Turkish Towel 22 Polypedates otilophus 203 scalare 159 Red Irish Lord 134, 232 Polyphyllia sp. 37 Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps 116 Redtail Black Shark 106 Polyplacophora 52–53 Pterygoplichthys sp. 117 Reptiles 205–217 Pomacanthidae 8, 150–153 Ptilosarcus gurneyi 31 Requiem Sharks 5 Pomacanthus Ptychochromis grandidieri 159 Rhacochilus imperator 152 Ptychozoon kuhlii 213 toxotes 162 navarchus 153 Pufferfish, Amazon 195 vacca 163 Pomacentridae 10, 163–167 Puffer, Spotted Sharpnose 195 Rhacophorus Pomacentrus auriventris 167 Pugettia producta 74 pardalis 204 Pomoxis nigromaculatus 143 Puntius Rhamphocottus richardsoni 134 Porichthys notatus 117 lateristriga 108 Rhina ancylostoma 94, 249 Porites sp. 36 nigrofasciatus 108 Rhinecanthus aculeatus 193 Postman 81, 280 Puntius titteya 106 Rhinomuraena quaesita 102 Potamotrygon Pupfish, Desert 122 Rhinopias eschmeyeri 132 leopoldi 96 Pycnopodia helianthoides 88 Rhinoptera javanica 95, 249 motoro 96 Pygocentrus nattereri 113 Rhizophora mangle 23, 250 orbignyi 96 Python Rhodactis 33 Praying Mantis Black-headed 217 Rhodactis inchoata 33 Ghost 78 Centralian 218 Rhodophyta 21 Premnas biaculeatus 167 Python, Ball 218 Rhynchocinetes durbanensis 71 Prickleback, Monkeyface 175 Python regius 218 Ribbon Eel 102 Protopalythoa 32 Pyxis arachnoides 208 Ricordea Protoreaster florida 33, 273 nodosus 85 R yuma 34 Protula sp. 51 Rabbitfish Ricordea Mushroom 34 Pseudanthias Blotched Foxface 183, 267 Ricordea spp. 33 dispar 139 Foxface 184, 267 Rockfish huchtii 139 Scribbled 182 Black 129, 233 lori 139 Varigate 183 Black & Yellow 233 pleurotaenia 139 Rabbitfishes 12, 182–183 Blue 129, 233 squamipinnis 140 Rainbowfish Brown 232 tuka 140 Banded 119 Canary 234 Pseudocheilinus Madagascar 119 China 129, 233 hexataenia 173 Raja binoculata 94 Copper 128, 232 ocellatus 173 Ramphocelus carbo 224–228 Flag 131, 234 Pseudochromis Rasbora Gopher 232, 238 fridmani 141 Harlequin 107 Rosy 130, 234 322 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Splitnose 129 Scorpions 63–64 Crown of Thorns 86 Starry 129, 233 Sculpin Elegant 85 Tiger 130, 233 Grunt 134 Giant 87, 231, 244 Tree 234 Sailfin 136 Leather 87, 232, 244 Vermillion 233 Scalyhead 135 Ochre 87, 231, 244 Yelloweye 131 Spotfin 135 Pacific 87 Rockfishes 128–131 Tidepool 135, 246 Panamic Cushion 85 Rockweed 240 Sculpins 134 Pink 87, 231, 244 Royal Gramma 141 Scyphozoa 50–51 Red Linckia 85 Rumphella sp. 31 Sea Anemones 46 Sand-eating 84 Sea Apple, Philippine 91 Sunflower 88, 247 S Sea Basses 7 Vermillion 85 Sabellastarte sp. 51 Sea Cucumber Sea Stars 84–88 Salamander, Chinese Giant 196 California 92, 245 Sea Urchin Salamanders and Newts 196–199 Creeping Pedal 91 Long-spined 89, 253 Salarias fasciatus 178 Warty 92, 237, 245 Pencil 88, 273 Salmacis sphaeooides 89 Yellow 91 Purple 90, 231, 245 Salminus affinis 282 Sea Cucumbers 91 Red 89, 231, 245 Saltgrass 22 Seadragon Sea Urchins 88–90 Sanddab Leafy 126 Seaweed, Iridescent 240 Pacific 191 Weedy 127 Sebastapistes cyanostigma 132 Speckled 192 Seadragons 6 Sebastes 128 Sand Dollar Sea Fan caurinus 128 Eccentric 90 Finger 29 constellatus 129 Western 90 Sea Hare diploproa 129 Sanzinia madagascariensis 217 California 242 maliger 233 Sapphire Devil 165 Sea Hare, California 57 melanops 129 Sarcophyton 27 Seahorse mystinus 129 Sarcopterygians 195 Lined 125 nebulosus 129 Sardine, Pacific 104 Longsnout 126 nigrocinctus 130 Sardinops sagax 104 Potbelly 124 paucispinis 130 Saroy, East Coast 159 Spotted 125 rosaceus 130 Scallop Seahorses 6, 124 ruberrimus 131 Chlamys 60 Sea Lettuce 240 rubrivinctus 131 Giant Rock 60, 230 Sea Nettle 51 serriceps 131 Scaphirhynchus Sea Pen, Giant 31 Sebastes \ albus 96 Sea Plume 30–31, 272 chrysomelas 233 platorynchus 97 Bipinnate 30 constellatus 233 Scleractinia 34–37 Purple Frilly 31, 272 Semaprochilodus insignis 109 Scolopendra subspinipes 84 Rough 30 Semicossyphus pulcher 173 Scolymia sp. 40 Sea Rod Sepia bandensis 62 Scorpaena guttata 132 Porous 30 Seriatopora histrix 34 Scorpaenichthys marmoratus 136 Slit-pore 29, 272 Serranidae 7, 138–141 Scorpaenidae 7, 128–133 Warty 29 Serranocirrhitus latus 140 Scorpion Sea Rods 29 Serranus Desert Hairy 64 Sea Sacs 240 tigrinus 140 Scorpion, Death Stalker 63 Sea Slugs 56–57 tortugarum 141 Scorpionfish Sea Star Shark California 132, 234, 238 Bat 86, 231, 244 Blacktip Reef 94, 249 Eschmeyer’s 132 Blood 86, 232, 237, 245 California Horn 92, 247 Pink and Yellow 132 Blue Linckia 85, 259 Leopard 93, 232 Scorpionfishes 128 Chocolate Chip 85 Swell 93, 237 Index 323

Sharkminnow, Tricolor 104 Madagascar Leaf-nosed 221 Sturgeons 96–97 Sharks 92 Mangrove 219 Stylophora 256 Sheephead 173 Paradise Flying 220 Stylophora sp. 35 Shiner, Golden 108 Red-tailed Green Rat 220 Sunfish Shrimp 68–71 Snakes 216 Everglades Pygmy 123 Anemone 69 Soft Corals 26–30 Longear 142 Banded Coral 71 Soldierfish 260 Redbreast 142 Black Bee 68 Southern Blue Devil 142 Surfperch California Bay 69 Southseas Devil 166, 263 Barred 160 Candy 71 Spartina foliosa 22 Black 161, 235 Fire 70 Sphaeramia nematoptera 145 Dwarf 162, 246 Harlequin 70 Spheniscus demersus 221 Kelp 161 Humpback Cleaner 69 Spider Pile 163, 235 Peacock Mantis 67 Black Widow 65 Rainbow 162, 236 Pistol 68 Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird Redtail 161, 235 Red Rock 69 Eater 64 Rubberlip 162, 236 Sexy 70 Golden Orb Weaving 66 Shiner 161, 246 Shrimpfish, Spotted 123 Madagascar Golden Orb 66 Striped 162, 235 Siamese Algae-eater 105 Spiders 64–65 Walleye 162, 236 Siamese Fighting Fish 189 Spinefoot Surfperches 9, 160 Siamese Tigerfish 146 Barhead 183, 267 Surgeonfish Sicalis flaveola 226 Barred 182 Achilles 184, 267 Siganidae 12 Blue Spotted 182, 266 Bluelined 186, 268 Siganus Gold Spotted 183, 267 Convict 187 corallinus 182 Masked 183, 267 Eyestripe 185, 268 doliatus 182 Orange Spotted 183, 267 Flagtail 188 guttatus 183 Spinefoots 12 Lined 185, 268 puellus 183 Star, brittle 245 Mimic 186, 268 punctatus 183 Steatocranus casuarius 159 Orangeband 186, 268 unimaculatus 183 Stegastes sp. 167 Orange-banded 254 virgatus 183 Stenopus hispidus 71 Ringtail 184, 267 vulpinus 184 Stereolepis gigas 137 Spotted 187 Silver Dollar Stichodactyla Whitecheek 186 Common 282 gigantea 49 Surgeonfishes 12, 184–187 Redhook 112 helianthus 49 Sweepline Brycon 110 Siproeta stelenes 82 tapetum 50 Swietenia mahogani 24 Siren intermedia 197 Stingray Symphyllia spp. 40 Siren, Lesser 197 Bluespotted 95, 249 Synanceia verrucosa 133 Skate Ocellated Freshwater 96 Synchiropus Big 94 Ocellated River 285 picturatus 178 Snail Smooth Back River 96, 285 splendidus 178 Black Turban 55, 242 White-blotched River 96, 285 Syngnathidae 6, 124–127 Blue Ring Top 55, 242 Stingrays, River 96 Syngnathoides biaculeatus 127 Blue Top 55, 242 Stonefish, Deadly 133 Syngnathus leptorhynchus 127 Brown Turban 55 Stony Corals 34–38 Synodontis nigriventris 115 Marble Cone 56 Strombus gigas 56 Red Top 55, 242 Strongylocentrotus T Wavy Turban 55 franciscanus 89 Tachyphonus phoenicius 224 Snails and Slugs 53–56 purpuratus 90 Tambaqui 111, 283 Snake Sturgeon Tanager Burmese Vine 221 Pallid 96 Blue-gray 225, 278 Everglades Rat 220 Shovelnose 97 Opal-rumped 225, 278 324 A Docent & Guide View of the Steinhart Aquarium Species

Paradise 225, 278 146 Turtles and Tortoises 205–207 Red-shouldered 224, 278 Toad Tuskfish, Harlequin 168, 264 Rufous-crowned 224, 278 Asian Horn 198 Silver-beaked 224, 278 Borneo River 199 U Turquoise 225, 278 Oak 198 Uca annulipes 74 Tang Surinam 197 Unicornfish Achilles 184 Toadfish, Humming 117 Bignose 188, 269 Blue 184, 275 Toads and Frogs 197–201 Bluespine 188, 269 Brown Scopas 188, 270 Toby, Papuan 195 Orangespine 188, 269 Convict 187, 269 Tonicella lineata 52 Spotted 187, 269 Goldrim 186, 268 Topminnow, Golden 121 Unicornfishes 187, 188 Hepatus 188 Topsmelt 120 Urchin Mata 185, 268 Tortoise Pincushion Tuxedo 89 Orange Shoulder 186 Radiated 207 Uromastyx geyri 210 Pacific Sailfin 189, 270 Spider 208 Uroplatus henkeli 214 Palette 254, 269 Trachyphyllia geoffroyi 43, 252 Urticina Powder Brown 185, 268 Treefish 131, 238 crassicornis 48 Tomini 187 Treefrog lofotensis 48 Tangara Green 201 Painted 48 cayana 224 Grey 201 piscivora 49 chilensis paradisea 225 Red-eyed 200 mexicana 225 Triakis semifasciata 93 V velia 225 Trichogaster Tanichthys albonubes 107 microlepis 191 Valenciennea strigata 181 Tarantula, Cobalt Blue trichopterus 191 Vertebrata 92 Cobalt Blue 64 Trichogaster leeri 190 Vieja maculicauda 160 Tarpon Tridacna Viper, Wagler’s Pit 219 Atlantic 100, 283 crocea 58 Pacific 101, 249 derasa 58, 252 W Tegula gigas 59, 252 Warbonnet brunnea 55 maxima 59, 253 Decorated 175 funebralis 55 squamosa 59, 253 Mosshead 175 Tetra Triggerfish Water Chestnut 23, 276 Bucktooth 111 Black 193, 270 Waving Hands Polyps 28 Cardinal 112 Blackbar 193, 270 Western Talma 149 Neon 112 Bluechin 194 West Indies Mahogany 24, 276 Silver 111, 282 Clown 193, 270 Whitefish, Ocean 145, 235 Tetra, Rummy-nose 111 Gilded 194, 270 Woma 218 Thalassoma Pinktail 193, 270 Wood Shrimp 68 hardwicke 173 Redtooth 193, 270 Wrasse lucasanum 174 Triggerfishes 12, 193–194 Bird 170, 265 lunare 174 Trigonostigma heteromorpha 107 California Sheephead 173, 239 Theloderma corticale 204 Tropidolaemus wagleri 219 Canary 170 Thermonectus marmoratus 79 Tubastrea sp 45 Humphead 168 Thor amboinensis 70 Turbinaria sp 45 Leopard 172, 265 Thraupis episcopus 225 Turbot, C-O 192, 236 Maori 168, 250 Tilapia Turkish Towel 240 Moon 174, 249, 266 brevimanus 159 Turquoise Severum 157, 284 Mystery 173 buttikoferi 160 Turtle Pastel Green 170, 265 Golden 159 Alligator Snapping 206 Rainbow 174 Hornet 160 Arrau River 206 Red-tailed Flasher 172 Tilefish, Purple Sand Pig-nosed 205 Rock 171, 239 Index 325

Senorita 172, 239 Sixbar 173, 265 Sixline 173, 265 Striped Cleaner 171, 265 Two-tone 171, 265 Yellow 170 Yellowhead 170, 274 Wrasses 10, 168–174

X Xanthichthys auromarginatus 194 Xenia, Pulsing 28 Xenia spp. 28 Y Yasuhikotakia modesta 109 Z Zanclus cornutus 184 Zebrasoma scopas 188 veliferum 189 Zoantharia 32 Zoanthids 32, 272 Zoanthus 32 Zonosaurus sp. 215 A FEW TIPS FOR NAVIGATING THE STEINHART FIELD GUIDE in Adobe Reader 9

• If you’re new to Adobe Reader, set up your navigation bar as shown above: Pull down the View Menu and select “Toolbars,” then be sure File, Find, Page Display, Page Navigation, and Select Zoom are checked. Your navigation bar should then look like the one above, though in a single line. Now just experiment and discover. Select the cursor/pointer icon and then hold the pointer on any of the icons for a few moments and that icon’s function will appear.

• The Bookmarks to the left of the document window are “live”. Click on one and you will move to the beginning of the bookmarked section. (If the Bookmarks are not visible, click on the “Bookmark” tab on the right.

• Use the Search Tool. Click on the Binoculars to open the search window, which appears to the right of the document. In the search box, insert the word(s) you wish to find. All references will appear below.

• Use the Index, which you can easily access via the Bookmark. When the Arrow (accessed by clicking on the “T” or Text Tool)** or Hand Tool (you’ve got it! click on the Hand) changes shape and points to the desired page number (NOT the text item), click to go to that page.

• If something goes wrong, close the file and then reopen. The original set up will be restored. So just mess around a bit and don’t worry.