Family: Rabbitfishes - Siganidae
Maximum Size: 53cm
Identification: Pale gray with numerous bluish white spots and wavy gray lines, yellowish head and dorsal and anal fins; large black blotch on tail.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Coastal reefs, occasionally in brackish water mangroves to 15m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Arabian Gulf to Vanuatu. S. Japan and Philippines to N.E. Australia.
Java Rabbitfish
Carlson's Damsel
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: Head and body charcoal gray with black scale outlines. Juveniles - Similar, but with thin blue streak along back.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Near entrances of caves and ledges; difficult to detect among shadows. Fringing reefs and lee side of platform reefs in 1-5m.
Location: Known only from Fiji.
Two-Spined Angelfish
Family: Angelfish - Pomacanthidae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Red-orange undercolor with narrow blue bars, head and fins deep blue to purple; two spines extend from lower gill cover.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups; shy, stay near shelter.
Hide-out: Lagoons and outer reef slopes in 5-45m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, Micronesia and French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to E. Australia.
Barhead Damsel
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Eastern Variation - Blue-gray; three brown bars on head with white between, dark spot on upper pectoral fin base.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Sheltered reef slopes and deeper lagoons in 15-45m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Papua New Guinea and Solomon Is.
Honeycomb Rabbitfish
Family: Rabbitfishes - Siganidae
Maximum Size: 35cm
Identification: Whitish undercolor with numerous close-set black polygonal spots forming honeycomb network; white edging on rear dorsal, anal and tail fins.
Favourite: In pairs.
Hide-out: Lagoon and seaward reefs to 30m.
Location: Indian Ocean - Red Sea and E. Africa to Andaman Sea and Bali in Indonesia.
Sebae Anemonefish
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 14cm
Identification: Varying amounts of black to dark brown and yellow-orange; white head bar and broad somewhat forward slanting mid-body bar; all or some yellow on tail.
Hide-out: Usually with Haddon's Anemone on sand bottoms in 2-25m.
Location: Indian Ocean - Arabian Sea to Sumatra and Java in Indonesia.
Brown-Banded Butterflyfish
Family: Butterflyfish - Chaetodontidae
Maximum Size: 17cm
Description: Silvery white with pair of broad brown body bars; ocellated spot on rear dorsal fin.
Hide-out: Deep water from 40-250m, usually below 110m.
Location: Asian Pacific - A narrow north/south range from S. Japan through Philippines, Malaysian Peninsula and Central Indonesia.
Cross's Damsel
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: Dark chocolate brown; golden iris.
Favourite: Solitary or loose groups.
Hide-out: Rocky shorelines and sheltered coral reefs of bays and lagoons in 2-12m.
Location: Komodo, Flores, Sulawesi, Molucca Is. and W. Irian Jaya in Indonesia.
Randall's Rabbitfish
Family: Rabbitfishes - Siganidae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: Brown with a covering of bluish spots; maze-like markings on tail and lower rear body.
Favourite: Form schools.
Hide-out: Rubble and sandy areas of coral lagoons and bays to 15m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Papua New Guinea to Solomon Is. Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and Guam in Micronesia.
Saddleback Anemonefish
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: Varying amounts of black to dark brown and yellow-orange; white head bar and broad somewhat forward slanting mid-body bar; white edging on black tail.
Hide-out: Usually with Haddon's Anemone on sandy bottoms in 2-35m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia and N. Australia to Solomon Is., north to S.W. Japan.
Pearl-Scaled Angelfish
Family: Angelfish - Pomacanthidae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: Pale gray head and forebody gradating to black on rear body and adjacent fins, tail black with fine blue margin.
Favourite: Solitary or loose groups.
Hide-out: Sheltered coastal reefs and outer slopes to 25m.
Location: West Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea to Marshall Is. and Vanuatu. S.W. Japan to E. Australia to Lord Howe I.
Javanese Damsel
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 14cm
Identification: Gray with black scale outlines and blackish fins. Similar Black Damsel has darker coloration.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Sheltered shoreline reefs, lagoons and reef flats to 4m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines and Ashmore Reef (Timor Sea).
Golden Rabbitfish
Family: Rabbitfishes - Siganidae
Maximum Size: 35cm
Identification: Pale gray with numerous orangish gold spots; large yellow spot below rear base of dorsal fin.
Favourite: Form small to large schools.
Hide-out: Lagoons, coastal reefs and mangroves to 25m.
Location: East Indo-Asian Pacific - Andaman Sea to Irian Jaya in E. Indonesia, north to S.W. Japan.
Threeband Anemonefish
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: Entirely black to dark brown or with variable amounts of yellow orange; three white or pale bluish bars.
Hide-out: Lagoons and outer reefs in 3-40m.
Location: Marshall Is. in Micronesia.
Blackup Butterflyfish
Family: Butterflyfish - Chaetodontidae
Maximum Size: 14cm
Description: Light brown with 'dirty' white head and diffuse central bar, black lip and ventral fins.
Favourite: Solitary to large aggregations.
Hide-out: Rocky reefs and coral-rich areas of lagoons, channels, outer reef slopes in 2-61m, usually below 10m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa and Maldives to Samoa and Hawaii. S.W. Japan to N.W. & E. Australia.
Black Damsel
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 15cm
Identification: Jet black; no distinctive markings. Similar Javanese Damsel has paler coloration.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Shoreline reefs, lagoons and outer slopes, usually in areas with abundant soft corals to 12m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Vanuatu. S.W. Japan to N. Australia.
Orangespine Unicornfish
Family: Surgeonfishes - Acanthuridae
Maximum Size: 30cm
Identification: Brownish gray, yellowish nape, orange tail spines and anal fin; yellow-edged black area from mouth to eye, broad black band on dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Lagoon and outer reefs to 70m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Hawaii, Pitcaim Is. S.W. Japan to S. Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.
Pink Anemonefish
Family: Damselfishes - Pomacentridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Pink to orange; narrow white head bar, and white dorsal stripe from between eyes to tail.
Hide-out: Live with 4 anemone species but most commonly with the Magnificent Anemone on reefs in 3-20m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia to Marshall Is. in E. Micronesia. S.W. Japan to N.W. Australia and New Caledonia.
Orangeband Surgeonfish
Family: Surgeonfishes - Acanthuridae
Maximum Size: 35cm
Identification: Light gray head and forebody, dark gray behind; blue-edged elliptical orange band behind upper gill cover.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Over sand bottoms near reefs in 3-45m.
Location: East Indo-Pacific - Coco-Keeling Is. to Indonesia, Philippines, Hawaii and Tuamotu Is. in French Polynesia. S.W. Japan to Lord Howe I.
Bignose Unicornfish
Family: Surgeonfishes - Acanthuridae
Maximum Size: 50cm
Identification: Head shades of brown, body brown to blue or gray; blue lips and a blue band in front of eye, blue vertical lines and spots on sides; can rapidly pale or darken colors and markings.
Favourite: Groups feed in mid-water.
Hide-out: Along outer reef slopes in 4-50m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to Micronesia, Polynesia and Galapagos. S.W. Japan to S. Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.
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