Posts by Ken Carroll

The wrasse is a bony fish belonging to the Perciformes order and Labridae family. There are over 500 different species of wrasse, including at least 81 genera and 9 different tribes or groups. They are temperate and tropical ocean fish found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. They live among coral reefs and rocky…

Emperors are a marine species of fish belonging to the Lethrinidae family, often referred to as Lethrinids. About 40 different species inhabit the tropical to temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific region, with more than half of said species found in Australian waters. Their main habitat are coral reefs, but seagrass beds, sandy areas, lagoons and…

Hind are a species of grouper fish belonging to the family Serranidae and the genus Epinephelus. Their range covers mostly the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico along the North American coast. Red hind live along the Carolinas and stretch down to Brazil, while the rock hind from New England to the West Indies.…

Stonefish are a marine or brackish species of fish belonging to the Synanceiidae family. They are not to be confused with certain scorpionfish of the Scorpaenidae family that are also referred to as rockfish or stonefish. There are about five species total living in the coastal regions of the Indo-Pacific oceans, from Africa and the…

Flounder are any of numerous species of marine flatfish belonging to the families Achiropsettidae, Pleuronectidae, Paralichthyidae, and Bothidae. Flounder can be found in all major oceans with region differing by species. Many species like the Leopard flounder are widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific. They live in the shallow waters of bays, estuaries, coastal marine areas, rivers…

Flathead fish are a marine, sometimes brackish, fish belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes and the families Platycephalidae, Bembridae and Hoplichthyidae. Ones in the Platycephalidae family are commonly referred to as true flatheads, ones in the Bembridae family are deepwater flatheads, and ones in the Hoplichthydidae family are ghost flatheads. There are at least 18 genera…

Filefish are marine fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes and family Monacanthidae. They are close cousins to triggerfish and sometimes also listed under the same family of Balistidae. There are roughly 31 genera, including Aluterus, Amanses, Cantherhines, Chaetoderma, Monacanthus, Oxymonacanthus, Paraluteres, and Pervagor, and about 103 species of filefish. They live in warm seas all…

Rabbitfish are a saltwater species belonging to the family Siganidae and order Perciformes. There are least 29 different species of rabbitfish, many falling under the genus Siganus. Five of the Siganus species used to belong in the genus Lo. Rabbitfish get their namesake from their small, hare-like mouths, large dark eyes and peaceful temperament. Sometimes…

Mandarinfish are a marine fish referred to specifically by the genus species name, Synchiropus splendidus.  They belong to the dragonet family of Callionymidae, making them one of approximately 188 members.  These fish are from the tropical Indo-Pacific, like the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Ryukyu Islands, Australia and New Guinea.  They enjoy temperate ranges of…

Flying gurnards are marine fish belonging to the family Dactylopteridae within the order Scorpaeniformes.  The word “gurnard” comes from the French word for “grunt,” which is likely a reference to the flying gurnard’s ability to emit growling sounds through their swim bladder that sound like grunts.  They are sometimes referred to as batfish, flying fish,…

Trunkfish are saltwater fish belonging to the Ostraciidae family.  The family contains boxfish, cofferfish, cowfish and trunkfish.  Trunkfish are also called boxfish at times, making the names interchangeable.  There exists at least 23 different species worldwide, divided over 6 genera.  Trunkfish are most abundant in temperate and tropical seas and tend to stay in shallower…

Unicornfish are marine fish making up the Naso genus of the Acanthuridae family.  They are closely related to tangs and surgeonfish, both belonging to the same family as unicornfish.  Sometimes unicornfish are referred to as unicorn tangs.  There are at least 20 species of unicornfish, and they are named after the horn-like protrusion on their…

Tilefish are a marine species of fish belonging to the family Malacanthidae.  They are sometimes called blanquillo, and there exist at least 5 genera and 45 species of tilefish.  Tilefish can be separated further into two subfamilies: Malacanthinae and Latilinae.  Some taxonomists believe that the Latilinae subfamily is distinct enough to make up its own…

Goatfish belong to the family Mullidae of the order Perciformes.  Sometimes referred to as surmullets, there are at least 6 genera and 60 species of goatfish.  They are primarily marine fish, but can sometimes be found in brackish water.  They have a wide distribution in warm and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific…

Hamlets are marine fish specifically belonging to the Hypoplectrus genus of the Serranidae family.  They are found in the western central Atlantic throughout the Caribbean and up the coast to Florida.  At least 13 different species of Hamlet exist.  Hamlets are carnivorous and prefer to consume fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates smaller than themselves.  These…

Scorpionfish are ray-finned fish belonging to the Scorpaenidae family.  There are 10 subfamilies of scorpionfish and at least 388 known species.  Some species are also called stonefish or rockfish, and  lionfish belong to this same family as well.  True scorpionfish belong to the Scorpaena subfamily.  Lionfish come from the Pterois genus, and stonefish from the…

Jacks are fish belonging to the Carangidae family.  The Carangidae family also includes the pompano, lookdown and trevally fish.  With more than 150 identified species of jacks, these fish are found primarily in marine waters but occasionally inhabit both brackish and freshwater.  They live in both temperate and tropical portions of the Atlantic, Pacific and…

Hogfish are a species of marine fish belonging to the Labridae family.  They are actually a type of wrasse with some species closely related to parrotfish.  While one of the larger species of hogfish, Lachnolaimus maximus, is referred to solely as “hogfish,” there are several other smaller species of hogfish such as the Spanish hogfish,…

Coney are a species of fish belonging to the family Serranidae.  As a result, they are also part of the grouper family and strictly a marine fish.  They inhabit only the western Atlantic Ocean from South Carolina to Bermuda, as well as south to southern Brazil.  They are common to Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean.…

The dottyback fish species belongs to the order Perciformes and the family Pseudochromidae.  There are at least 4 subfamilies, 24 genera and 152 species of dottybacks.  Most of the popular dottybacks for humans belong to the Pseudochromis genus.  They are a marine species, but in rare cases have been found inhabiting brackish waters.  They can…

Cowfish are a marine fish that belong to the order Tetraodontiformes and the family Ostraciidae.  They are sometimes considered a type of boxfish, similarly to trunkfish.  Unlike trunkfish, cowfish have head spines that look like horns protruding from the front of their head.  Cowfish have two skeletons, including an exterior bony carapace and a reduced…

Dascyllus are a specific genus of damselfish within the family Pomacentriade.  Pomacentridae consists of both damselfish and clownfish, and the damselfish known as dascyllus rest within the subfamily Chrominae.  There are about 11 species of dascyllus, all of which are marine fish that inhabit the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific ocean.  This…