Identify this Months Mystery Ocean Critter!!

[denise]

Our Ocean Life Forum (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24) has a series of different articles (with photos) describing different types of ocean animals, e.g. Angelfish, Eels, Sharks, Rays, Dolphins, Whales.....the list is endless!!!

This section has photos of unidentified "mystery" fish, taken by our students and friends while scuba diving....We will post the photos so people can guess what they are, and at the end of the month, the mystery fishes name will be revealed, and a new article about that mystery critter posted in the Ocean Life Forum (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24)

This months mystery fish was snapped by Bob Rosell in West Palm Beach.........

http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/SandDiver.jpg

[raptorzs]

My first instinct is to call this thing a Goby for that is what he closly resembles in the aquarium world however... Judgeing from its large head relative to its smaller body and that big looking mouth I know it has I would have to put my money down on a jawfish of some kind :)

Cheers
Michael Hoefnagel

[denise]

Close Micheal, this little guy resembles a jawfish (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=1420#post1420), with the large head and enlarged jaws, but is actually a Sand Diver.

Sand divers (members of the Lizardfish family) have long cigar shaped bodies, of varying color (red through brown), that they can lighten and darken to match its background. They can be identified from other similar species by a dark spot on the upper end of the gill cover, and diamond shaped markings on their sides of their body. They also usually have a thin yellow/gold and blue lines that run the length of their body.

Read more about Sand Divers (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=1422#post1422)

[denise]

This little guy was photographed recently by Bob Rosell in West Palm Beach.

Any ideas what he is?

http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/bob222.jpg

[Jim Whited]

I think this is a pycnogonid - sea spider.

[denise]

Very good Jim, thats exactly what this little critter is, a Sea Spider.

Sea Spiders, classified as Pycnogonids, from a Greek word meaning 'thick knee', are small marine animals that look similar to very skinny land spiders. The 1,300 species are found worldwide in all oceans, and range in size from a millimeter to more than six feet across! Sea spiders are not actual spiders, and not even related to them, they are more closely related to insects. There have not been many scientific studies of sea spiders, so we do not know a lot about them.

Read more about what we do know about them..... (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=1383#post1383)

[denise]

This little guy is hiding out in an anemones tentacles

http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/3/mysteryfish_1.jpg

Any idea what he is?

[Kevin]

Jackknife!

[Jim Whited]

I think the horizontal stripes means it's a high-hat.

[denise]

Very good Jim,
This months mystery critter was a Highhat, Kevin you were not too far wrong, both the highhats and jackknifes are both members of the Drum (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=1741#post1741) family.

Drums are characterized by long streaming dorsal fins, and vivid black and white markings. The position and pattern of their stripes (and spots sometimes) is the key to identifying different species of drums. As Jim said, highhats can be distinguished from jackknives as they have horizontal markings, jackknifes generally have vertical markings.

Read more about Drums, and the efforts being made in Florida at the moment to replenish dwindling stocks of red drum on the West coast....... (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=1741#post1741)

[denise]

This guy was spotted on Molasses Reef in Key Largo last summer

http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/permitfishbob_1.jpg

Any idea what he is?

Photo courtesy of Bob Rosell

[Arctic Mike]

Looks like a Permit Fish

[denise]

Very good Mike, this ocean critter is indeed a Permit (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=2081#post2081)...they usually travel in pairs or groups, but this guy was spotted alone. They are not very common along Florida's shores, and unfortunately are much sought after as a game fish.

Click here for some more info about these guys...... (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=2081#post2081)

[denise]

http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/8/mysterybob18.jpg

This little guy was photographed on the Spiegel Grove shipwreck in Key Largo by Bob Rosell (aka Techdiver (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/member.php?u=8)) last summer.

Any idea what he/she is?

[Arctic Mike]

It's hard to tell where the animal begins and ends and there isn't much to guage size by. It is camouflaged rather well in the algae. I can only guess that it is some sort of an aquatic millipede.

[Robert]

Would it be a brissle worm?

[Jim Whited]

I think Bob photoshopped this one. :icon_lol:

[denise]

Well spotted Robert, this guy is a type of bristleworm, technically he is a bearded fireworm (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=2426#post2426) (the colour didnt come out so well as he was photographed at depth), read more in our Ocean life forum about these little critters!

[denise]

http://www.dayo.com/fishid/shyhamletrob_6.jpg

This little critter was photographed by Robert Palmer (aka Robert (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/member.php?u=451)) in West Palm Beach recently.

Any ideas what he is?

[denise]

This months mystery ocean critter was a Shy Hamlet, a beautifully colored fish, that lives amongst coral reefs. They usually travel in pairs, and live on or near the bottom.

Read more about this and other members of the family in our new Hamlet (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=2618#post2618) article, in the Ocean Life Forum

[denise]

This little guy was spotted hiding amongst an anemones tentacles recently in West Palm Beach.....

http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/shrimp_22.jpg

Any ideas what he is?

Photo by Robert Palmer

[Scubastud16]

Cleaner shrimp?

[SPLzero]

looks like a coral banded shrimp. ive never seen a blue one like that.

[Jim Whited]

I think he's an Anemone Shrimp.

[DixieDolphin]

I'd say that is a Caribbean Spotted Cleaner Shrimp, Periclimenes yucatanicus.

Here's one I found on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drsteve/2433098736/

[denise]

Very good Laurel, this months mystery ocean critter was a spotted cleaner shrimp, Periclimenes yucatanicus. This particular species is quite common around the Caribbean.

The other guys were on the right track as well though.......this species is a cleaner shrimp (they obtain their food by "cleaning" dead skin, algae and parasites off fish), and most live within the protective cover of anemones tentacles. They use their bright attractive coloring to advertise their cleaning services to fish, and set up "cleaning stations" along the reef in and around anemones.

Read more about this and other species of shrimp (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?t=947) in our Ocean Life Section (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24).

[denise]

This little guy was photographed by Robert Palmer on a recent dive at Boynton Beach.....

http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/gastropod_11.jpg

Any idea what he is?

[DixieDolphin]

Looks like a Flamingo Tongue snail, Cyphoma gibbosum. :sport24_diver:

[Scubastud16]

Looks like a Flamingo Tongue snail, Cyphoma gibbosum. :sport24_diver:

+1!

[denise]

Very good Laurel and Danny, this months mystery ocean critter was a flamingo tongue, Cyphoma gibbosum. This particular critter is actually a snail, and quite common around Florida.

This species feeds on coral, particularly sea fans at depths of up to 60 feet.

Read more about this and other species of sea snails (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=3323#post3323) in our Ocean Life Section (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24).

[denise]

This months ocean critter was photographed on a recent dive in Jupiter Beach

http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/1/mysteryoceancritter_1.jpg

Any idea what they are?

[SPLzero]

feather dusters?

[denise]

Very good Josh, this months mystery ocean critter was a colony of feather duster worms (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=3721#post3721).

Feather duster worms are tiny tube dwelling worms, that construct their own little tube using calcium, that they use for hiding in. They spend all their life in this tube, and even manage to feed without leaving it!

There are many different species of feather dusters (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?p=3721#post3721) found on reefs and wrecks around Florida, read more about them in our Ocean Life Forum....

[TommyB]

You Should make a topic for each month instead of running them all under 1 topic :)

[denise]

This little guy was photographed on a recent dive in Boynton By by Robert Palmer.

http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/3/mysteryoceancritter_2.jpg

Any ideas what he is?

[denise]

This months mystery ocean critter was a jawfish (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?t=598), correctly identified by TJ.

An unusual fact about jawfish: they are "mouthbrooders", the males incubate and hatch the eggs in his mouth!! He holds them here until they grow big enough to swim and fend for themselves.

Read more about jawfish (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/showthread.php?t=598) in our Ocean Life (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24) Section.

[denise]

Here is a little guy photographed recently by Robert Palmer (http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/member.php?u=451) at Boynton Beach:

http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/3/mysterycritterrob_1.jpg

Any ideas what he is?

[Robert]

Denis is the expert so I will believe what she says. However when I took the picture I thought it was a jaw-fish. It might just be that the picture wasn't real good.