Vva~K~K.~," Quench C Uelebeak
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VVa~k~k.~,"quench C uelebeak The Waikiki Aquarium Is part of the University of Hawaii. Monoa. ond is operated in partnership with the Friends of the Waikiki Aquarium. Your tax dollars and donation ~ our programs ond exhibits. The Aquarium haS been IOCated in Kapiotani Park since 1004. Our major goal Is to provide enjoyable educallonai experiences about Hawaiian and South PacNc marine fffe for Hawaii residents and visitors of all ages, Thisguidsrbcx> was designed lo make your visit more enjoyable and informative, We hope lf wffi be of use to you at the Aquarium and that you will enjoy reading It offe yOu leave us. Labels above live exhibits identity disp+red anlmatS; this bOOk prOvldeS addfflonat Information about the exhlbffs. Numbers on labels refer to page numberS: if you wauld like tO know more about an animal you see, refer to the page numberkr this book. Thisguidebook ls an experknenfat edfficn and focuseson Gallery 3, Diversityand Adaptatton:and Gailery 4, South Pacific Marine Life. We have not enumerated specific fishes in Gallery 4 in this book. But In a future edition, we hope to do this as welf as to add Information about Gallery 1. Hawaiian Waters anci Man; and Gallery 2, Hawaiian Marine Habffats. We wouldappreciate your thoughtson this book. Thankstor coming and happy fish watchingi Lelghlon Taylor, Ph,D. Director +ollery 3 RSITY AND ADA ATION Nearly 5X species of fishes and an even greater number of invertebrates inhabit ncaa,hore Hawaiian waters. They have evolved various physical and behavioral adaptatlons for finding shelter. capturing prey, avoiding predation, and for reproducing. This gallery fe~s masters of carrouflage, nocturnal prowlers. specialized plankton feeders, rare and endemic Hawaiian fishes, fishes displaying anti-predator defensive adaptlons, and fishes that undergo sex reversal. f a«legal«hvf nQH«« 'leOCPcm ElleII dl/ol foal««70 ThcFI clio ~ cl 0 Qflgkl Ipec~ cyRect Aster«pleal ««nero thon on«leo ar a «e QX RP/ERSAL CAMOUFLAGE Many reef fishchange sexduring their The key to survival in the ocean Is to get lifetime, Sex reversal occsxs in species of food and to keep from becoming food. angeNsh,damsels, basslets,wrasses, An effective way to avoid enemies is to and parroNsh. blend in with the surroundings also making it easier to sneak up on prey. The pattern ol sex change varies with Thistrick is called camouflage. each specise. Long-finned basslets and flame wrasselive In small gapa of Tunas,sharks, and other open-water lish clat 3 to 5 adults, With only one mole make use of countershadlng, Their dark fishIn each group, It farms0 kind of fish upper surfaces and lighter-colored "harem." N the mate Is removed, the bodies make it difficult for predators to dCsyslnantfemale in the harem see these animals they merge with the tranSfarrnSinta a male; her Ovaries dark water when seen from above, and atraphy, testesdevelop, and the they merge with the light from the resulting tv~as cause a color surface when viewed from below, change, Thenew maksnow leads and breedsthe harem,The change Is not Animals also conceal themselves by reve rslbks. Imitating their environment. Octopus, anglerfish. and flatfish can change their skin color ond pattern to look remarkably like their surroundings,This form of camouflage is called blending, Camouflage can take the form of disruptive coloration, Bars. strlpes. spats, and blotches of color break up the distinctive shape of an anlrnaVs body so it can go unseen whether it is hunter or hunted, Some animals are able to look like other organisms.Animals that are preyed upon use this strategy to mimic their less tasty neighbors. Some predators mimic harmless marine life in order to get closer to food sources "wolf in sheep's clothing" approach, HOCTURNAL FISHES After sunset,fishes such as squirrelfish. cardinaifish, and bigeye come out of caves and crevices in the reef to feed. Nocturnalodaptatlons equip them to find prey and escape predators in the dim-light environment. Adaptations include a keen sense of smell and very large eyes which collect as much available light as possible. Many of thesefishes are deep reddish in color.a camouflagefor dim light theirbodies reflect very little light and seemto blendwith dark surroundings. EHDEfifiISM CALQIFICATIO Hawoi '" 'oundno he Limestone. chalk, ond marble are solid forms of calcium carbonate CaCO>! ss called -en~ The world's oceans are filled with this blologIsts.The sadd@ dissolved mineral. Many marine organismscan remove CaCO, from sea ~te~iyflsh ~ water tO make SOlid Skeletons ExornpleS endern!c How< ll are shells. coral skeletons. and sea star and sea urchin spines.Organisms like Hawaii's isolationin the pacific may diatoms produce limestone skeietons account forthe high percentage of known as diatom~ earth which endemic forms.For example. ancestors we use in aquarium ond swimming pool af saddte-back wrasse and Potters filters, The white cliffs of Dover In angelfish may have coionlzeclnewly England aie made up of frllNOnsOf created shores when few fish lived here, these skeletons. Free from competition with other species. they evolved into the unique Hawaii's white sand beaches are forms we see today. compceed largely of limestone produced by reef animals and plants. ln contrast with endemic species, Many marine algae plants! make HCrwaiI's reefs are alsO horne tO flShes limestone: coralline red algae. that are widespread: lonp-ncoed Important in cemeniing our reefs twtterflyfish occur from the Red Sea togefher. build up our coral reefs as throughout the tropical Indian and much as corals animals! do. Halimeda. pacific Oceans. even reaching Mexk:o, a gteen olga cornrnon cn shallow reefs, produces o limestone matrix that contributes significantly fo beach sand. DEf EN SIVE ADAPTATIONS Some of the reef fish In this gallery have PIAI4KTON FEEOERS evolved unusual adaptations for avoiding predaticn. The puffer or "Plankton" comes from o Greek word balloonfish can inflate itself when meaning wanderer. The name fits these thixsatened; and If if Is somehow eaten. tiny. often microscopic plants ond iltS internal argus are tOXIC. animals that are carried by currents. Many plankton spend their entire lives A close relative of the puffer, the adrift; others. like many fish ond porcupinefish is covered with hundreds crustaceans. are wanderers only during of modified scales that look like long, their larval stage. sharp spines. These stand erect when the fish is inflated, Plankton are the foundation of the marine food web. Plant plankton The boxfish has scales modified info [phytoplankfon] and the animal ~y armor and can excrete o toxin counterpart, zooplankton. are the I'ood when alarmed, This can have disastrous sources for numerous an/mats from results ln an aQuarium, olher plankton to fish io great baleen whales and filter-feeding sharks. The cowfish is closely related to the boxfish but bearsiong, formidablehorns Large, open ocean plankton feeders over its eyes strain their food through elaborate. oral sieves catching food much like a net pushed through water. Small plankton feeders can snatch individual plonkters. xavier but terflyfish and oval damselfish dart about the reef. picking ot seemingly invisible items in the waker ANQKLFIStt55 Pomacanthidae Angelfishesand butferftyfishesare so similar that they were once considered members of the same fornily. The angelfish con be distinguished by a long spineat the corner of its gill cover. Six species of angelfish live in HawaII, Smaller oneseat algae and organic debrlS. larger OneSfeed OnSpOngeS. one species eats zooplankton. Like butterflyflshes,graceful angeNshes are highly prizedby aquarlsts, Petter'~ artgefflshCentnvpy~ fetteri Thiscommon endemic filshgrows to about 5 inches and Is important to Hawaii's gquarium fish trade, Qusset and deep blue verticle bars characterize the Potter'sangelfish, named after Frederick Pofter, first director ot the Waikiki Aauarium, Ffartseangelfish gen~tr lorlculus For some firne. this species was not thoughtto occurhere. approaching only as closely as Johnston island; but in recent years. It has been found in Hawaiianwaters. It Isa Small,bright red fish with Irregular, dark. vertical barS ond commiondshigh prices in aquarium stores. FKtOFtStfi5 Anlennariidae Commerson'sfrogflsh Antennarlus cornrnersonii ThiStISh haS grawn itSOwn fiShing pale ond balt from the first ray of its dorsal fin. tt uses this to lure small fish which it gulps down whole. The rest of the frogrlsh'sbody iscamouf loped: Its mottled COIOrcmd tumpy Skinblend perfeolly with the COral baffcm. Here the frcgflsh"walks" on pelvic anclpectoral finsthol resemble legs. 4IQ EYESPriac anfhrdae 'aweoweo Pfiacanfhus cruenlatus Bigeye are fOund in trcproai waterS round Ihe world. The species Is o valuable food fish. and grows lo about a foot, Ifs large mouth slants upward and like mony rechmaI fish, It Is reddish !n cOIOr and big-eyed, it feedS rnOlnly on larvae of tish and crustaceans. In old Hawaii, large schoofs of bigeyes swimming Inshore were believed to herald the death Of O Chief. TRQHKFISHESOstraclonildae rnoa. rnakukana The boxtish or trunkfish is eosEy IdentIAed. The bony "box" which encloses Its body is made up of slx- sided plates that are fused together,This restricts Its swimming to sculling its tins and tail. Its slow movements seem to make it easy prey, but many boxtlshes secrete lethal toxlns. When feeding. It often stands on Its head and squirts water InfO the SCxid to expOse animals and plants which are sucked Into its mouth. in Hawaii, no species grows longer then 9 inches. 4UTTERFLYFISHESChaefodontidae klkakapu, lau-hau Exotic rect dwellers. butterflyfishes come in blue. yellow, orange. red. white. and black. but no green varieties live here. Their boclies are high and thin. They flit in and out of the reef where some dine on coral polyps and others on worms. zooplankton, and algoe. These fish are of tittle value to fishermen. but they command high prices in the aauartum business.