French Angelfish Yellow Oval on Curved Tail 

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AGRRA: Fish Identification Course

Permission is granted to use this Powerpoint presentation for educational purposes with the AGRRA Program and, with attribution, for other valid educational purposes.

All other uses are strictly prohibited. Angelfishes

The angelfish family contains only a handful of species that are thin bodied and have rounded or oval profiles. Angelfishes can be distinguished from the closely related butterflyfishes by the presence of a rear-pointing spine extending from the lower part of the gill cover and their generally larger size compared to the butterflyfish. Two tiny species of angelfishes (genus Centropyge) are not included as they are uncommon species usually restricted to deeper reefs. Yellow tail 

Dark blue “crown” ringed in brilliant blue

Queen Angelfish Body bars curved 

Queen Angelfish (juvenile) Fins bordered in yellow 

Blue Angelfish Body bars straight 

Blue Angelfish (juvenile) Black with yellow rims on scales

Rounded tail  French Angelfish Yellow oval on curved tail 

French Angelfish (juvenile) Gray body with dark scales

Square-cut tail with light margin

Yellow inner face of pectoral 

Gray Angelfish Square-cut tail with light margin 

Gray Angelfish (juvenile) Black body 

Yellow forebody and tail

Rock Beauty Black spot ringed in brilliant blue 

Rock Beauty (juvenile) Butterflyfishes

Butterflyfishes, like the closely related angelfishes, are thin bodied fishes that have rounded or oval profiles but they are generally smaller and lack the spine on the gill cover. Butterflyfishes are often seen in pairs as they flit about the reef. Most species have a dark bar running through the eyes to conceal them. This is combined with false eye spots on the tail of most juveniles (and some adults) to further create the illusion that the fish is pointing the other way (to confuse predators). Two black midbody bands 

Banded Butterflyfish Black spot ringed in white 

Foureye Butterflyfish Black spot on edge of rear dorsal

All fins (except pectoral) bright yellow 

Spotfin Butterflyfish Broad dark area on rear body 

Reef Butterflyfish Yellow to black bar runs to eye but not below 

Long pointed snout

Longsnout Butterflyfish Surgeonfishes

A sharp scalpel-like spine on either side of the tail base gives this family its name. These herbivorous fishes are often seen as singles or in small groups but they also may form large schools which often use their numbers to overcome the defenses of damselfishes to feed upon their algal gardens. There are only three species in the Tropical Western Atlantic and they all have similar coloration but they can be identified by subtle but reliable distinguishing features. White to yellow spine 

Blue Tang Bright yellow overall 

Blue Tang (juvenile) Pectoral fin translucent, often yellowish 

Ocean Surgeonfish May show faint or bold body bars 

Dark area at base of pectoral fin Doctorfish Silvery (Miscellaneous)

Several families of silvery colored fishes are grouped here (jacks, barracudas, porgies and sea chubs). It is no surprise that the prey items of this diverse group of species covers a wide range. Barracudas and Jacks prey on fishes both up in the water column as well as down on the reef. Porgies feed on benthic invertebrates (including the Long-spined Urchin, Diadema antillarum). Chubs are herbivores feeding on benthic algae. There are actually four nearly identical species of chubs in the area but as they are functionally equivalent on the reef they are recorded generically as chubs rather than to species. Black and bright blue border on back and lower tail 

Bar Jack High back profile

Dark pectoral Orangish area 

Permit Long, cylindrical body often with scattered black blotches on side 

Underslung jaw with large teeth

Great Barracuda Small black spot on pectoral base

Slight overbite 

Sheepshead Porgy Bluish saucer-shaped line under eye

Bluish blotch on Corners of pectoral base  mouth yellow Saucereye Porgy Long sloping head

Large mouth with thick lips 

Jolthead Porgy Blue rectangular stripe behind eye 

Pluma Porgy Football-shaped body 

Chub (multiple species) Grunts

Grunts and snappers (next) are closely related families but grunts are generally smaller and tend to have more deeply notched tails. While they lack the sharp canine teeth of snappers, they do have pharyngeal teeth deep in their throats that when ground together make a grunting sound (amplified by the air-filled swim bladder). Grunts may aggregate in large schools (sometimes of mixed species) during the day resting in sheltered areas on the reef by day. They spread out over sand flats and seagrass beds to feed on benthic invertebrates at night. Diagonal yellow stripes below lateral line 

French Grunt Dark tail and Blue stripes with rear dorsal  black edges

Bluestriped Grunt 5 or 6 yellow stripes

Small cylindrical body 

Smallmouth Grunt All fins whitish Checkered pattern on body scales 

Yellow and blue stripes only on head

White Grunt Thin yellow stripes

Darkish rear fins 

Caesar Grunt Yellowish green back  Yellow saddle on tail base

Black stripes on upper body

Spanish Grunt Thick gold line at midbody and thinner line on back

Usually dark spot on tail base 

Tomtate Black stripe runs from snout to eye

Black diagonal stripe on back runs onto tail forming V 

Cottonwick Black spots on scales form diagonal bands

Gold ring around eye 

Sailors Choice High back profile 

Black patch behind pectoral

Black Margate High back profile 

Small eye with white iris White Margate High back profile 

Yellow fins

Yellow nape

Two black bands on head Porkfish Snappers

The common name of this family comes from their behavior of snapping their jaws when hooked. Snappers are generally larger than the similarly shaped grunts and have prominent canine teeth and a single, continuous dorsal fin that further helps to distinguish them from grunts. Like grunts, they are also nocturnal hunters feeding on benthic invertebrates as well as small fishes. During the day they may form small to large aggregations but are often solitary. The Yellowtail Snapper is much more streamline shaped with a lower body profile and a widely forked tail. This species is often found well above the reef in mid-water. Usually has midbody spot 

Blue line below eye Pointed anal fin

Mutton Snapper Largest snapper; often silvery gray with no markings but may have faint bars 

Thick lips with large teeth Cubera Snapper Pale triangular patch under eye  Dog Snapper Reddish margin on tail  Mahogany Snapper Usually dark blotch on back 

Narrow parallel yellow stripes on body

Lane Snapper Gray often with no markings

Occasionally dark band from lip through eye 

Gray Snapper Yellow midbody stripe merges into yellow tail 

Yellowtail Snapper Silvery to yellow body with all yellow fins May have faint bars on back (especially young) 

Schoolmaster Damselfishes

Damselfishes are a common inhabitant on most reef habitats and many species can be difficult to identify to species (especially as juveniles). Many damselfish species are planktivores—picking small specks out of the water columns. The only species of interest to AGRRA are the two species that create and tend algal gardens (often killing areas of coral in the process). Yellow crescent over eye Spots on tail base and pectoral fin base 

Threespot Damselfish Dark body with a few bright blue spots 

Yellow tail

Yellowtail Damselfish Clear tail  Blue body with brilliant blue spots

Yellowtail Damselfish (juvenile) Groupers/Sea Basses

Groupers are the best known members of the sea bass family and the only part of that family of interest to AGRRA. The large groupers in the genera Epinephelus and Mycteroperca are often some of the first species to disappear from over-fished reefs. Often, only the smaller grouper species in the genus Epinephelus and those in the genus Cephalopholis may be left in any abundance on reefs receiving fishing pressure. On reefs with severely degraded fish populations these too may be absent. Most groupers tend to remain relatively hidden during the day lurking in the shadows of ledges or wrecks and blending in with their surroundings with colors and markings that provide camouflage. All large groupers should be counted but only common species are shown here. Diagonal bands on head Black saddle spot on tail base

Dark bars on body 

Nassau Grouper Rectangular markings on back

Pale edge on pectoral 

Black Grouper Oval markings on back

Dark margin on tail 

Yellow to pale outer edge of pectoral Yellowfin Grouper Pectoral margins pale  Yellow around corners of mouth Yellowmouth Grouper Diagonal “tiger-stripe” bars on back 

Tiger Grouper 3 to 5 dark spots along base of dorsal fin

Tail more rounded than similar species  Graysby Tail and rear fins have dark margin with thin white edge 

Red Hind Dark blotches along back 

Black saddle on tail base

Rock Hind Two black spots Two black spots on lower lip on tail base

Reddish-brown color phase  Coney Bicolor phase 

Coney Golden variation (rare) 

Coney Parrotfishes

Parrotfishes have teeth fused into parrot-like beaks and strong jaws. These adaptations serve them well as they feed by scraping algae from areas of dead coral. Occasionally, they will also bite live coral—in some cases leaving bright white scars to mark the boundaries of their territory. Like the closely related wrasses, parrotfishes have several life stages marked with, often drastically different, colors and markings which can make identification difficult. These phases include the Juvenile Phase (JP), Initial Phase (IP), and Terminal Phase (TP). JP contains both males and females, IP contains sexually mature females (and sometimes immature and mature males), and TP are always sexually mature males. All blue body 

Blue Parrotfish Dark “midnight” blue body

Lighter blue markings on face 

Midnight Parrotfish Orange head, forebody and tail

Green rear body 

Rainbow Parrotfish Blue-green markings (“Moustache”) around mouth

Pale bar along pectoral 

Queen Parrotfish (TP) Gray to black body and tail 

White stripe from pectoral to tail

Queen Parrotfish (IP) Yellow spot at corner of gill cover

Yellow area at tail base and crescent on tail 

Stoplight Parrotfish (TP) Scattered large white scales with dark outlines 

Red belly and tail

Stoplight Parrotfish (IP) 3 rows of small white spots on body

White bar on tail 

Stoplight Parrotfish (JP) Two green lines pass by eye 

Pink borders on tail

Yellow wash on side

Princess Parrotfish (TP) Dark borders on tail 

No gold wash on nose

Princess Parrotfish (JP/IP) Short pink bars between scales 

Blue borders on tail

Yellow spot or stripe above pectoral base

Striped Parrotfish (TP) No dark borders on tail 

Gold wash on nose

Striped Parrotfish (IP) Yellow blotch and small black spots on upper forebody

Red anal fin  Red band under eye

Redband Parrotfish (TP) White saddle spot 

Redband Parrotfish (IP) White to pink saddle spot

2 white body stripes 

Redband Parrotfish (JP) Blue streak behind pectoral

Red tail crescent

Black blotch at pectoral base 

Redtail Parrotfish (TP) White blotch on tail base

Pale to pinkish body color can Black blotch at be difficult to distinguish from pectoral base Yellowtail Parrotfish  Redtail Parrotfish (IP) Yellow crescent on tail

Black blotch at pectoral base 

Yellowtail Parrotfish (TP) Yellow tail

Pale body; ventral fin often pinkish  Yellowtail Parrotfish (IP) TP: Faint green blotch above pectoral

Yellow-gold to red iris

IP: Red overall 

Greenblotch Parrotfish (TP & IP) Wrasses (Hogfishes)

Wrasses are closely related to the parrotfishes and share similar difficulties in species identification due to having multiple growth phases (JP, IP & TP). Unlike the parrotfishes, wrasses eat benthic invertebrates and do not scrape algae so their mouths have noticeable small pointy teeth instead of parrot-like “beaks” of fused teeth. Most wrasses are elongate and slender bodied but a group of wrasses known as hogfishes have higher back profiles and elongated snout-like mouths that they use to root around in rocks and rubble to find their invertebrate prey (including the Long-spined Urchin, Diadema antillarum). First 3 dorsal spines IP: Black blotch on unusually long base of rear dorsal 

Hogfish Purple upper forebody

Yellow belly and tail 

Spanish Hogfish Green margin on tail IP: White spots along back 

Puddingwife (IP) Dark blue spot on mid-dorsal and tail base 

Puddingwife (JP) Wavy lines behind eyes 

Dark mid-body bar

Yellow head

Yellowhead Wrasse (TP) Thin blue lines on tail 

Wavy lines behind eyes

Yellowhead Wrasse (IP) Brilliant blue mid-body stripe 

Yellowhead Wrasse (JP) Green and yellow bicolor spot above pectoral

Triangular markings on tail corners 

Slippery Dick (TP) White with dark mid-body stripe 

Slippery Dick (JP) Pufferfishes/Porcupinefishes/Boxfishes

A few members of the pufferfish, porcupinefish, and boxfish families are included in the AGRRA fish protocol since they are known to prey upon small Long-spined Urchin, Diadema antillarum. Pufferfishes and porcupinefishes (closely related families) are capable of inflating their bodies by drawing in water as a means of defense. Boxfishes, instead, protect themselves with a triangular, bony box of armor which also makes their bodies inflexible so they are relatively slow and clumsy swimmers. Two dark bands on tail

Row of spots along mid-body 

Bandtail Puffer Black spots on all fins 

Porcupinefish Long spines No spots on head on fins 

Balloonfish Black spots on white body

Spines in front of anal fin  Spotted Trunkfish Triggerfishes & Filefishes

Triggerfishes and filefishes are closely related families with subtle differences. They are part of the superfamily known as leatherjackets due to the rough texture of their skin. Both families have an elongate first dorsal spine that may be raised or lowered. Triggerfishes have a second smaller ridged spine “the trigger” behind the first which may be used to lock this larger spine into place. The dorsal spine of filefishes tent to be longer and thicker than those of triggerfishes. Black lines radiate out from eye

2 blue lines on face  Queen Triggerfish Uniformly gray; black blotch at base of pectoral  Ocean Triggerfish Blackish body; pale blue lines along dorsal and anal fin bases 

Black Durgon Small orange spots on body 

White saddle spot on tail base

Orangespotted Filefish Usually has pale white spots

Orange spines Extended belly on tail base appendage  Whitespotted Filefish May be unspotted orange with pale mid-body area 

Orange spines on tail base

Whitespotted Filefish Morays

Morays include some of the largest eels encountered on the reef. They have no pectoral or ventral fins and their dorsal, tail, and anal fins are merged into a single continuous fin that extends from behind the head around the tail and midway up the lower part of the body. Since morays lack external gill covers they constantly open and close their mouths to force water over their gills. This is often interpreted as aggression when it is only respiration. Though they are not aggressive, they can inflict a serious bite so they are best left unmolested. Uniformly green with no markings 

Green Moray Dark border along dorsal 

Covered with dark speckling

Spotted Moray Golden ring around pupil 

Brown with fine yellow spots; golden tail tip not often seen

Goldentail Moray Lionfish

A member of the scorpionfish family, lionfish are not native to the Tropical Western Atlantic. This very distinctive exotic species from the Indo-Pacific has become naturalized in our waters due to escaped individuals kept in aquariums which were able to find mates and begin breeding in the wild. In just a few years lionfish have spread throughout the region and lacking predators have attained problematic densities on many reefs resulting in a loss of biodiversity and biomass to these hungry predators. The venomous spines of the dorsal and the ventral and anal fins can inflict a painful wound so care should be taken around lionfish. Featherlike dorsal and pectorals

Reddish brown body bands  Lionfish