Flying Gurnard Species

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,…

Read More

Trunkfish Species

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…

Read More

Sweetlips Information

Sweetlips are a genus of grunts, thus they belong to the Haemulidae family.  The specified subfamily is Plectorhinchinae and the actual genus name is Plectorhinchus.  There exists at least 29 different species of sweetlips.  These are largely a marine fish, but some species like the harlequin sweetlips can be found in brackish waters.  They inhabit…

Read More

Unicornfish Information

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…

Read More

Tilefish Information

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…

Read More

Goatfish Information

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…

Read More

Hamlet Information

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…

Read More

Scorpionfish Information

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…

Read More

Jack Information

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…

Read More

Hogfish Information

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,…

Read More