Species of the Gulf of California and Caribbean Zone

Acanthurus coeruleus is a surgeonfish from the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It lives on shallow reefs and in rocky areas, where it grazes on algae. Juveniles are yellow and become blue as they mature.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Acanthuridae
    
  • Species: Acanthurus coeruleus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Acanthurus olivaceus is a surgeonfish from the western and central Pacific Ocean. It is recognisable by the orange patch behind its eye and lives near reefs over sandy areas, where it feeds on detritus and algal film.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Acanthuridae
    
  • Species: Acanthurus olivaceus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Chrysiptera cyanea is a small coral-reef fish from the western Pacific Ocean. It lives in lagoons, reefs and rubble areas, where it feeds on algae and small planktonic invertebrates.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Pomacentridae
    
  • Species: Chrysiptera cyanea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • EEP: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Dascyllus aruanus is a small coral-reef fish from the Indo-Pacific region. It lives in colonies among branching corals in lagoons and sheltered reefs, where it feeds on zooplankton and small crustaceans.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Pomacentridae
    
  • Species: Dascyllus aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • EEP: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Halichoeres bivittatus is a wrasse from the western Atlantic Ocean. It lives on reefs, in seagrass meadows and over sandy seabeds, where it feeds on small invertebrates such as molluscs, crustaceans and sea urchins.

• Taxonomy :
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Labridae
    
  • Species: Halichoeres bivittatus (Bloch, 1791)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Microspathodon chrysurus is a damselfish from the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The blue juvenile, covered with bright spots, becomes brownish-black with a yellow tail as it matures. It lives on coral reefs, where it feeds mainly on algae and fire-coral polyps.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Pomacentridae
    
  • Species: Microspathodon chrysurus (Cuvier, 1830)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • EEP: Not applicable

Valenciennea strigata is a goby from the Indo-Pacific region. It lives in pairs on sandy seabeds near reefs, where it filters sand to feed on small invertebrates and digs burrows for shelter.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Gobiiformes
    
  • Family: Gobiidae
    
  • Species: Valenciennea strigata (Broussonet, 1782)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Acanthurus chirurgus is a surgeonfish from the Atlantic Ocean. It is recognisable by its dark vertical bars and lives on shallow reefs and in rocky areas, where it grazes on algae.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Acanthuridae
    
  • Species: Acanthurus chirurgus (Bloch, 1787)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Haemulon flavolineatum is a common grunt found in the Caribbean and around Bermuda. During the day, it lives in schools near corals and rocky overhangs. At night, it hunts invertebrates in seagrass meadows.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Haemulidae
    
  • Species: Haemulon flavolineatum (Desmarest, 1823)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable

Hypsypops rubicundus is a bright-orange damselfish from the temperate waters of California and Baja California. The male actively defends a rocky nesting site.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Pomacentridae
    
  • Species: Hypsypops rubicundus (Girard, 1854)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Kuhlia mugil is a fish from the Indo-Pacific region. It lives in schools in turbulent coastal waters, lagoons and sometimes freshwater. It is recognisable by the black bars on its tail and hunts mainly at night.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Kuhliidae
    
  • Species: Kuhlia mugil (Forster, 1801)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • EEP: Not applicable

Labroides dimidiatus is a small cleaner wrasse from the Indo-Pacific region. It lives on coral reefs, where it removes parasites and dead tissue from other fish at cleaning stations.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Labridae
    
  • Species: Labroides dimidiatus (Valenciennes, 1839)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • EEP: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Pomacanthus semicirculatus is an angelfish from the Indo-Pacific region. Juveniles have blue and white lines forming semicircular patterns, while adults live on sheltered reefs, where they feed mainly on sponges.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Pomacanthidae
    
  • Species: Pomacanthus semicirculatus (Cuvier, 1831)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable
  • Population trend: Stable

Pomacanthus zonipectus is an angelfish from the eastern Pacific Ocean. It lives on rocky and coral reefs, where it feeds mainly on sponges, tunicates and algae.

• Taxonomy:
  • Class: Actinopterygii
    
  • Order: Perciformes
    
  • Family: Pomacanthidae
    
  • Species: Pomacanthus zonipectus (Gill, 1862)
• Population and conservation :
  • IUCN status: Least Concern (LC)
  • CITES: Not applicable