Category Archives: Fishes

Painted frogfish

January 15, 2019Fishes, Macro, Marine Life, PhotographyAtlantis Dive Resort, Dumaguete, Ikelite housing, Nikon D500, Philippines, UnderwaterPhotograpyJon Buchheim

Painted Frogfish – Antennarius pictus – Has a lure which is about twice as long as the second dorsal spine. Nearly always 3 light-edged spots on tail fin. A. pictus shows a lot of different colors and changes them quite often.

I was disappointed that I could not capture a photo of the little lure waving about. When I put my camera in the housing I did not get the strobe hot shoe clicked completely in place. This was lighted by holding my dive light from above and I couldn’t produce enough light for a fast enough shutter speed to catch the waving.

Etymology
Antennarius: From Latin, antenna, antemna = ‘sensory organ’
pictus: From Latin = ‘painted’

Smile….Ouch

January 11, 2019Fishes, Marine LifeAtlantis Dive Resort, Dumaguete, Ikelite housing, Nikon D500, PhilippinesJon Buchheim

Lance Blenny – Aspidontus dussumieri
These are what is known as a false cleanerfish. They are noted for their cunning mimicry of cleaner wrasses: by imitating the latter’s color, form, and behavior, these blennies are able to trick other fish (or even divers) into letting down their guard, long enough for the blennies to nip a quick mouthful of skin or scale.

Etymology:
Aspidontus: Greek, aspis, -idos = shield + Latin, dens, dentis = teeth
The specific name honors the French explorer and trader Jean-Jacques Dussumier. He is known as a collector of zoological species from southern Asia and regions around the Indian Ocean between 1816 and 1840. Dussumier’s name was lent to numerous species, and an entire genus of herrings is called Dussumieria.

LeftEye Flounder

January 10, 2019Black & White, Fishes, Marine Life, PhotographyAtlantis Dive Resort, Dumaguete, Ikelite housing, Nikon D500, Philippines, UnderwaterPhotograpyJon Buchheim

Intermediate Flounder – Asterorhombus intermedius
Lefteye flounders are a family, Bothidae, of flounders. They are called “lefteye flounders” because most species lie on the sea bottom on their right sides, with both eyes on their left sides.

A helpful reminder when trying to recall the family name for this fish is that:

“Bothidae (Both o’ dey) eyes are on the same side o’ dey head.”

Etymology:

Asterorhombus: Greek, aster = “star” + Greek, rhombos = “paralelogram”
intermedius Latin “intermediate”, used in medical names and descriptions of structures in the body that are between two other structures

Whitemargin Stargazer Fish

January 9, 2019Fishes, Macro, Marine Life, PhotographyDangerous, Dumaguete, Macro, Nikon D500, Philippines, UnderwaterPhotograpyJon Buchheim

WhitemMargin Stargazer - Uranoscopus sulphureus — Whitemargin Stargaser look’n up at ya

Whitemargin Stargazer fish – Uranoscopus sulphureus – Stargazers are not a fish to mess with. They have double-grooved poison spines behind the operculum and above the pectoral fins and wounds can be quite serious. Stargazer possess electric organs located in a specialized pouch behind the eyes and can discharge up to 50 volts, depending on the temperature of the water at the time! Because stargazers are ambush predators which camouflage themselves and some can deliver both venom and electric shocks, they have been called “the meanest things in creation”. The fish is often locally known as the mother-in-law fish.

Inhabits reef flats but is rarely seen because it lies buried in the bottom most of the time, with only the eyes showing. When buried, the cirri on the edge of the mouth serve to keep out the sand during respiration. The oral lure is used to attract the prey within striking range of the mouth.

This little fellow was only about 15cm long but they get to a maximum length of 45.0 cm.

Etymology: Uranoscopus: Greek, ouranos = sky + Greek skopein = to watch

Yellow Barred Jawfish

January 9, 2019Fishes, Macro, Marine Life, PhotographyDumaguete, Macro, Nikon D500, Philippines, UnderwaterPhotograpyJon Buchheim

Yellowbarred – Tiger – Gold specs jawfish, Opistognathus randalli
Found singly with just his head showing in rock lined burrows on sand and rubble areas. They feed mainly on benthic crustaceans, invertebrates and zooplankton.

Jawfish are usually found in self-constructed burrows with just the head showing waiting for their prey, they have huge mouths for the size of head.
After mating the males incubate the eggs in their mouths!

The Devil Scorpion Fish

January 8, 2019Fishes, Macro, Marine Life, PhotographyDumaguete, Night Dive, Nikon D500, PhilippinesJon Buchheim

The Devil Scorpion Fish – Scorpaenopsis diabolus, the false stonefish is a carnivorous ray-finned fish. It has venomous spines and is a bottom-dwelling predator that relies on its camouflage to catch passing prey. The inner sides of the broad pectoral fins have orange, black, and white blotches and the fins can be “flashed” as a warning.

Originally spotted using an ultra-violet light. They exhibit biofluorescence, that is, when illuminated ultraviolet light, it re-emits it as red, and appears differently than under white light.
Biofluorescence may assist in intraspecific communication and camouflage.

A face a mother may not love. They always scares the crap out of me when I see one, especially when they crawl around on their ventral fins.
JON bUCHHEIM

Ornate Ghost Pipefish

January 3, 2019Fishes, Macro, Marine Life, PhotographyDumaguete, Ikelite housing, Nikon D500, Philippines, UnderwaterPhotograpyJon Buchheim

Ornate Ghost Pipefish – Solenostomus paradoxus. The species name comes from the Greek paradoxos, referring to this fish’s unusual external features.

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