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Native marine fishes and other creatures from Florida

Started by Guest_trygon_* , Oct 16 2012 08:42 PM

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16 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 16 October 2012 - 08:42 PM

I spent last weekend at Panama City Beach, making four dives on the jetty at St. Andrews State Park. Visibility was only about 15'-20', a little below average as there were very heavy rains in the proceeding weeks and the runoff was high, there was a very thick halocline at the surface about 2'-3' and tannin stained water to about 5'. Attached are some of my photos, I hope you enjoy them.

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Bandtail Puffer Sphoeroides spengleri
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Deer cowrie Cypraea cervus
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Cocoa damselfish Stegastes variabilis this one was feeding or cleaning a nest site

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Cocoa damselfish Stegastes variabilis sub adult in the foreground, adult beyond

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Cocoa damselfish Stegastes variabilis sub adult

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Crevalle jack Caranx hippos I was in the center of a school of about 50-100 this, it looked like a silver tornado

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Crevalle jack Caranx hippos

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Spotted cyphoma Cyphoma macgintyi this type of snail is an obligate gorgonian predator

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Striped burrfish Chilomycterus schoepfii I think he's happy to be alive

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Juvenile cubbyu Pareques umbrosus forground, gulf toadfish Opsanus beta (I think, maybe tau) beyond

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Close up of juvenile cubbyu Pareques umbrosus, adult cubbyus are rather drab, if anyone is interested I'll post one

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Planehead filefish Stephanolepis hispidus

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Spotted scorpionfish Scorpaena plumieri master of camoflage, one more reason not to touch anything

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Spotted scorpionfish Scorpaena plumieri
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Spotted scorpionfish Scorpaena plumieri detail of the backside of a pectoral fin

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Spotted goby Coryphopterus punctipectophorus
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Whitspotted soapfish Rypticus maculatus
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Whitspotted soapfish Rypticus maculatus it's thought that the line down their head confuses their prey

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Yellow goatfish Mulloidichthys martinicus note the damselfish in the lower left corner looking for an easy meal

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Spaghetti worm Eupolymnia crassicornis one of the weirder beings on this planet

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A branching coral, maybe an Oculina sp. if anyone knows for sure please let me know

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#2 Guest_Dustin_*

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Posted 16 October 2012 - 09:45 PM

Wow. These are unbelievable Bryce. I've always enjoyed your photos but these are just amazing.

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#3 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 07:30 AM

Thanks Dustin

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#4 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 07:33 AM

I'm interested in seeing the adult Pareques umbrosus.

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#5 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 09:23 AM

Erica,
Okay, I'll post an image but it won't be until later tonight. Crazy busy day.

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#6 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 09:31 AM

Wow.. beautiful photographs. Thank you for sharing!

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#7 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 07:50 PM

Erica,
Here is a sub adult and adult cubbyu.

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sub adult

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adults

Bryce

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#8 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 08:38 PM

Wow, they're so pretty before they're adults. Why do they change color like that, do you think?

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#9 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 09:12 PM

Erica,
I'm not sure about cubbyus, I haven't studied their biology/ecology much, but if they are like angelfishes, surgeonfishes, damselfishes and some wrasses it may be that the juveniles are not recognizable as cubbyus by the adults and can therefore exploit some of the same resources without incurring any agonistic behavior from the adults. Another interesting observation is that all of the juveniles I've run across have been solitary, but often associated with another species, most of the sub adults seem to be loners also; but all of the adults are in aggregations of various sizes, usually 4-6 or more. The juvies are also more exposed while the adults are almost always found under a ledge or in a small cave; as you would guess the sub adults lead a more intermediate existence.

Bryce

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#10 Guest_IsaacSzabo_*

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Posted 17 October 2012 - 11:41 PM

Really nice photos Bryce. Thanks for sharing them here.

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#11 Guest_Kanus_*

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Posted 18 October 2012 - 01:08 PM

Awesome photos! That Cubbyu reminds me very much of a fairly common marine aquarium fish, the hi-hat.

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#12 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 18 October 2012 - 01:20 PM

Derek,
Yes, you are correct both are members of the Sciaenidae family, the croakers, as are redfish and seatrout. Occasionally young cubbyus show up in the pet trade too.

Bryce

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#13 Guest_Mysteryman_*

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Posted 19 October 2012 - 09:07 AM

Did you really find all this on the Jetty? Even before the oilslick we never saw many of these species.

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#14 Guest_exasperatus2002_*

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Posted 19 October 2012 - 10:33 AM

Incredible pics! Keep them coming when you have more!

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#15 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 20 October 2012 - 03:47 PM

Mysteryman,
Yes, I really know where I dive. I was there for the "BP experiece"; Panama City Beach was not adversely affected by it, maybe a few tar balls by the end of the summer, but if you listened to the media it was an unmitigated disaster and it was for places west of Panama City. The worst part of that summer was the boom gate just behind the jetty at the pass, it caught a lot of suspended matter that would stay in the water column no matter what the tidal stage.
If you just snorkel the kiddie pool the species assemblage is much different than 35'-70' on the cut side, athough I have run into a manatee, barracuda, eagle rays and mobulas, seahorses and scorionfish among other species on the shallow side; if you look here www.divelocker.net/?page_id=123&nggpage=2 (photo gallery 4, page 2 if the link doesn't work) you'll see a photo of three small hammerheads in the kiddie pool. It's really quite diverse, for an easy shore dive it's hard to beat. Just remember to dive it on a rising tide.

Exasperatus2002,
Be careful what you wish for I have lots of them.

Bryce

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#16 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 21 October 2012 - 03:49 PM

Just to reiterate others comments, outstanding and stunning photos. Didn't realize Coryphopterus was in such shallow water.

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#17 Guest_trygon_*

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Posted 22 October 2012 - 07:20 AM

Fritz,
Thank you. Yes, corys are usually found little deeper 50-60 to about 120 or so fsw, the one above was at about 45 fsw so he was in the ballpark. Once I found two at about 10 fsw, I triple checked them against several sources and they are Coryphopterus punctipectophorus, I guess they can't read or they're rebels, but they were adjacent to 60 fsw.

Bryce