Scientific name : Paracanthurus hepatus

 

Family : Acanthuridae
Size : Up to 20 cm
Distribution : Indo-Pacific

 

Biology : It is called “palette” because its livery is reminiscent of a painter’s palette.
Like all surgeon fish, it has a spine at the base of its tail. This is similar to the scalpel used by surgeons, hence the name. This spine is an effective means of defence.

 

Scientific name : Plectorhinchus vittatus

 

Family : Haemulidae
Size : Up to 90 cm
Distribution : West and Central Tropical Indo-Pacific

 

Biology : It is nicknamed the “growler” fish because it is able to produce sounds with its teeth, which are amplified by the swim bladder.
As a juvenile, it is brown with creamy yellow spots. It feeds on benthic invertebrates.

 

Scientific name : Zanclus cornutus

 

Family : Zanclidae
Size : Up to 20 cm
Distribution : Tropical Indo-Pacific

 

Biology : The Latin “cornutus”, meaning “which has horns”, refers to the appendages above the eyes in adults.
At night, the colours change slightly and are more uniform. The black areas lighten while the white and yellow areas darken to grey-brown.

 

Scientific name : Scarus quoyi

 

Family : Scaridae
Size : Up to 25 cm
Distribution : Indian Ocean, West Pacific

 

Biology : It mainly eats seaweeds that it founds on rocks thanks to its beak. The pulled rock fragments are crushed in a bag that looks like a gizzard. It is called parrotfish due to its colour and its bound teeth shaped like a beak that allows it to crush coral skeletons, and so to create coral sand. During the night, the parrotfish hides in a shelter, and sometimes, surrounds itself with a transparent mucus cocoon to protect itself from predators.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Acanthurus lineatus

 

Family : Acanthuridae
Size : Up to 38 cm
Distribution : West Indo-Pacific

 

Biology : Generally a herbivore, it won’t turn down a few crustaceans from time to time. Its lifespan is about forty years!
Like all surgeon fish, it has a spine at the base of its tail. This is similar to the scalpel used by surgeons, hence the name. This spine is an effective means of defence.

 

Scientific name : Naso unicornis

 

Family : Acanthuridae
Size : Up to 70 cm
Distribution : Indo-Pacific

 

Biology : The horn usually starts to grow when the specimen reaches 10 to 20 cm in length (depending on the species).
It mainly eats algae and helps to limit the proliferation of algae that could have a negative impact on the development of corals.

 

Scientific name : Pterapogon kauderni

 

Family : Apogonidae
Size : Up to 7 cm
Distribution : Indonesia sea between Banggai island and Sulawesi island

 

Biology : During reproduction, it is the female that courts the male by swimming around him. The male fertilises the egg and then holds the eggs in his mouth for 25 days. During the incubation period, the male stops feeding.
To protect itself, it lives between the long spines of sea urchins.

 

Scientific name : Cassiopea xamachana

 

Family : Cassiopeidae (cassiopean jellyfish, 10 species)
Size : Up to 15 cm in diameter
Distribution : Caribbean and Brazilian coasts

 

Biology : The cassiopeid is a very unusual jellyfish, living turned over and resting on the sandy seabed. It feeds without too much effort by capturing the particles that fall between its arms.
Like corals, it harbours symbiotic algae to obtain energy from the sun.
It is capable of emitting “grenades”, clusters of stinging cells that burn predators from a distance.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Bodianus rufus

 

Family : Labridae (wrasses, napoleons… 559 species)
Size : Up to 40 cm
Distribution : Caribbean and Brazilian coasts

 

Biology : The spanish hogfish is a fairly active fish. Its powerful jaws enable it to feed on crabs, sea urchins and molluscs, while its young feed on various invertebrates, including parasites on the skin of larger fish.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Gramma loreto

 

Family : Grammatidae (the grammas, 18 species)
Size : Up to 8 cm
Distribution : Caribbean

 

Biology : A very discreet fish that lives under rocky overhangs, remaining permanently close to the rocks in search of protection.
During reproduction, the male builds a sort of nest by creating a cavity that he lines with sea grass and dead leaves.

 

IUCN status : Least concern