Phalguni Ranjan
( Scarus rubroviolaceus )
Usually found over rocky and coral rich areas, spotted commonly on the upper parts of deep slopes at maximum depths of 35 m.
The males and females of these species exhibit different colours. The adult males being bright grenish-blue colour while the adult females show a dull brown colour. These species can grow up to a maximum length of 70 cm. Like all other parrotfish they are called so because of their fused teeth that forms a beak like that of a parrot.
They feed mainly on algae and underwater plants which they use their beaks to scrape of rocks and other substrate.
Vardhan Patankar
Vardhan Patankar
Joydeep Sarkar
( Bolbometopon muricatum )
Found in lagoons, seagrass beds and coral reefs at maximum depths of about 30 m.
These are the largest species of parrotfish, growing up to about 1.5 m in length. They are usually dull gray coloured with irregular white or dark green spots. As adults they have have big, round and bulging forehead. They have a slight pinkish colour on the front edge of their head. They are considered to be a social species and usually found in small groups.
They mainly feed on live coral by crunching through the corals hard carbonate skeleton, the crunching sounds produced are often heard by divers. They also feed on algae makes most of their diet.
Phalguni Ranjan
( Chlorurus bleekeri )
Found in and around coral reefs, you can find them at depths between 3-35 m.
The Bleeker's parrotfish can reach up to a maximum length of about 50 cm. Males and females of this species differ in their display of colour, the males being more greenish in colour with pink on the underside and a pink outline on their scales. The males also have a large white blotch on their cheek. On the hand, the females are dark brown with 3-4 pale bands on the side of their body with a yellow coloured tail. Like all other parrotfish they are called so because of their fused teeth that forms a beak like that of a parrot.
They are known to mainly feed on algae that they scrape of rock or coral.
Phalguni Ranjan
Joydeep Sarkar
( Chlorurus strongylocephalus )
Found in coral reefs around lagoons and seaward reefs at depths between 2 - 35 m.
They are quite large and have a steep, rounded head hence giving them their name. Their tail fin is crescent shape an the tips of the fin are long, males and females of this species differ in colour. The males are greenish blue in colour with a pink streak on each scale coupled with a yellow patch on their cheek. Females are yellowish, green with grey in colour on the top and brownish on the bottom half of their body. They can grow to be a a maximum size of 70 cm. Like all other parrotfish they are called so because of their fused teeth that forms a beak like that of a parrot.
They feed on algae found growing on rock or coral.
Phalguni Ranjan
( Scarus schlegeli )
Found in coral reefs around lagoons and seaward reefs, they are usually found at depths between 1- 50m.
Males are dark blue to purple in colour with a lighter blue on the upper side of the body and have a blue line with an edge that is coloured yellow through the middle of the body. The femals are dark brown in colour with 4-5 V shaped bands on the body. Like all other parrotfish they are called so because of their fused teeth that forms a beak like that of a parrot. The males are usually found moving around the reef solitarily while the females tend to form schools with other species of fish. These species can grow up to a maximum length of 40 cm.
They feed on algae found growing on rock or coral.
Phalguni Ranjan
Phalguni Ranjan
( Scarus niger )
You can find them in lagoons and outer coral reefs between the depths of 2- 20m.
Growing up to a maximum length of about 24 cm, these fish are an important contributor to the heath of coral reefs. Males have a dark purple-blue colour, they have a reddish coloured upper lip and dark bands around the mouth. They also have a yellow 'ear' spot. Females on the other hand have a reddish head, belly and fins with wavy dark and white stripes along the sides of the body. An important characterstic of this fish is that their colouration varies as the fish grows and hence can sometimes be hard to determine a specimen of this species.
This species feeds on algae by scraping it of rocks and corals, this in turn contributes to the development and growth of the coral reef.
Phalguni Ranjan
Phalguni Ranjan
( Scarus tricolor )
Found in areas of dense coral growth, most commonly spotted on seaward reefs but also in lagoons between 1-30 m.
The males are greenish coloured parrotfish with pink or yellowish tints on the back end of its body, they have a tail fin resembling that of a C shape with purple bands. The females are dark grey to bluish-green in colour on the lower side, they also have a red tail fin.
This species feeds on algae by scraping it off rocks and corals.
Phalguni Ranjan
( Halichoeres hortulanus )
Most likely spotted between 1-30 m, they are found to inhabit lagoons and seaward reefs.
Growing to a maximum length of about 27 cm, the checkerboard wrasse are known to change their sex and their colours at different stages of their life. As adults, majority of individuals have a white to green coloured background with blue or black colour on the edge of each scale, giving them a pattern that resembles that of a checkerboard and hence, where their name originates from. They have a head that is green in colour and is overlapped by pink lines that convert into dots behind the eye of the fish till the fin on the top of their body this region also has a bright yellow spot just below this fin. The back end of the body is usually a bluish colour.
This species primarily feeds on marine snails, clams, crabs, worms and small fish.
Phalguni Ranjan
( Labroides dimidiatus )
Found in rich coral regions ranging from inner lagoons to outer reefs. They are usually spotted at a depth between 1-30 m.
The bluestreak cleaner wrasse are identifiable due to their long black stripe on the sides that begins at the eye and goes all the way to the tail, this stripe is narrow near the eye and gradually gets thicker towards the tail. The rest of the fish has a background bluish-silver colour. They can grow up to a maximum length of about 14 cm. They are referred to as cleaner wrasses because you can find them in areas where large aquatic animals come to get cleaned, this cleaning is conducted by these fish as they eat parasistes and dead tissue off the larger animals and hence live in a mutually benefitting relationship as the larger offer the wrasse with protection and food while the wrasse frees them of harmful parasites which promote their health.
They feed on parasitic organisms that life on the skins of larger marine animals and other invertebrates that reside in the mouth and gill openings.
Joydeep Sarkar
( Cheilinus undulatus )
Usually spotted around the outer areas of coral reefs, at slopes and lagoons with a depth range of 2-60 m. They have also been spotted as deep as 100 m as well.
The humphead wrasse is recognized by its large hump on their forehead is a large species of fish, growing up to a maximum length of about 2 m. Along with their hump, they are idenitified by their thick lips and two black lines behind their eyes. The colour they display can vary between individuals, from a dull greenish-blue colour to a more brighter shade of green and darker blue. You are likely to spot them moving around the reef alone or in female-male pairs. They are also known to have a long life living up to about 30 years! They are currently repored as endangeres due to several factors such as illegal fishing, trade and habitat loss.
They have a highly variable diet, ranging from molluscs, sea stars, worms and also small fish.
Joydeep Sarkar
Joydeep Sarkar
Joydeep Sarkar
( Iniistius pavo )
Spotted along lagoons and seaward parts of reefs where there is sand and rubble and usually spotted around 20-30 m.
When fully grown, the peacock wrasse are grey coloured on the upper part of the body whie yellow-white on the lower part. They have three broad bars on the side of their body with a blue outlined black spot on the upper half. They have two spines on the top of their body that create a seperate fin. However, when young their colour might vary between white, or white-brown and the spines on the top are more elongated. They are known to dive into the sand when threatened using their snout as a burial tool.
They feed on worms, gastropods, bivalves and crustaceans like shrimp and crab residing in the sand.
Phalguni Ranjan
( Thalassoma lunare )
Inhabiting coral reefs and spotted at depths between 1-20 m.
Growing to about 45 cm, when young moon wrasses are blue on the lower half of the body, with a black spot in the middle of the fin on the top, they also have a black blotch on the area where the tail meets the rest of the body. When older, the black spot at the base of the tail turns into a crescent shape, hence where they get their name. The body of he wrasse becomes mainly green with scales that are marked. The head of the adults can differ and range from blue to purple and display a checkerboard resembling pattern. They are considered quite territorial and sometimes even nip or harass fish that come in their way!
The feed on small invertebrates and fish eggs of other species.
Phalguni Ranjan
( Halichoeres nigrescens )
Found in shallow waters near rocky areas where there is little coral cover at depths between 3-10 m.
Male bubblefin wrasse are coloured green on the head and the upper hald od the body while fading into a white part on the lower half. There are brown bars on the side of the body and the head has some light purple coloured The females on the other hand are dark greenish-brown on the upper half of the body with numerous small white spots along the sides. You are likely to spot them in small groups.
They feed on small invertebrates.
Joydeep Sarkar
Joydeep Sarkar
( Cymolutes torquatus )
Found in sandy areas or reefs, lagoons and around seagrass ecosystems between 2-20 m.
The finescale razorfish has some brown black markings on the head with the fins on the top of the body, the tail and eyes displaying a pinkish colour. These species can grow up to 20 cm in length are quite secretive where they will dive into the sand or rubble when stressed or in threat.
They feed on small invertebrates that are found in the sand.
Phalguni Ranjan
( Hemigymnus melapterus )
Seen in coral reefs and sandy areas near coral reefs, most often spotted in coral reef slopes at depths of about 40 m.
Reaching a maximum length of 50 cm, the blackeye thicklip wrasse as juvenlies have a green-yellow base colour with yellow lines, a white band just behind the side fins an orange coloured tail and a greyish coloured head. When adults they also differ in appearance as males and females. The females are greenish with black outlined scales, while also having a network of pink lines underlined with blue from the snout to the head. Males on the other hand have a greenish stripe behind each scale and have a blue ring around their eye while having similar colouring to the females on the head.
They feed on crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms and marine worms.