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…

Boarfish are marine spiny-fined fish that belong to the order Perciformes.  Fish designated with this name actually occur in two different families: Caproidae and Pentacerotidae.  It should be noted that the majority of boarfish exist within the Caproidae family, while the family Pentacerotidae consists of fish mostly referred to as armorheads.  The Caproidae family contains…

Cardinalfish belong to the family Apogonidae.  There are over 200 different species of cardinalfish, with at least 66 nominal genera and 32 valid genera.  There are two major subfamilies.  The majority of cardinalfish are part of the Apologoninae subfamily, while the remaining few belong to the Pseudaminae family.  The fish may be freshwater, brackish or…

Dolphins are marine mammals belonging to the infraorder Cetacea.  These cetaceans are part of the family of toothed whales that also includes orcas and pilot whales.  Dolphins can be found worldwide in the shallow seas of continental shelves.  The oceanic dolphins belong to the Delphinidae family, but there are species of brackish and freshwater dolphins…

Dartfish are a species of fish belonging to the family Microdesmidae.  They are a saltwater species that share a strong resemblance with gobies and blennies.  Classification for dartfish species has changed over the years.  The fire dartfish, also known as a firefish, was originally classified as a blenny or goby prior to 1986.  Dartfish originate…

Chromis fish belong to the family Pomacentridae.  They are specifically a genus of damselfish.  Like all damselfish, chromis are strictly a saltwater species.  Chromis originated from the Indo-Pacific Ocean and can be found near places sure as the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and the Philippines.  Some species have also been observed in the…

Basslet fish belong to the family Grammatidae.  These saltwater fish are sometimes referred to as dottybacks, grammas or Anthias.  They are native to the western Atlantic Ocean, but they have also been spotted in other places like Indonesia.  This is a small species of fish that reaches no more than 4 inches at most in…