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Damselfish ID help

Started by Guest_davidtec_* , Feb 11 2013 12:38 AM

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14 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_davidtec_*

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Posted 11 February 2013 - 12:38 AM

Hi guys, caught many of these damselfish in Pompano Beach, Florida and need your expertise.
Are they dusky or beaugregory damselfish? I'm a bit confused with these fish. What do you guys with more experienced with saltwater fish's think? Thanks for your help.

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#2 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 12 February 2013 - 11:17 AM

Well, this is a tough group. I believe the bottom one is a cocoa damsel based on the dark spot on the upper caudal peduncle which the beaugregory does not have. And based on the presence of a small spot at the upper pectoral fin base, the others are also cocoas

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#3 Guest_NVCichlids_*

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Posted 12 February 2013 - 09:57 PM

beautiful fish, how big were they?

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#4 Guest_davidtec_*

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Posted 12 February 2013 - 11:08 PM

They were about three inches long.

Thanks fritz, really appreciates your help! I have two mojarras that I have a real hard time IDing. I always call them tidewater mojarras.
What do you think? They were also caught in Pompano Beach.

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#5 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 14 February 2013 - 03:06 PM

Whew!! You picked an even harder group. without being able to look at the dorsal view of the head to examine the state of the pit it;s impossible to tell. so they could be tidewater, spotfin or silver jenny (this last one tends to be chubbier - sort of like these guys).

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#6 Guest_davidtec_*

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Posted 14 February 2013 - 09:16 PM

Sorry for the inconvenience, here's a close up of both fish's dorsal fins.

Top fish's dorsal fin
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Bottom fish's dorsal fin
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What about this mojarra? I have a tough time IDing this mojarra as well. It was caught way inland of a brackish water canal in Davie, Florida.
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#7 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 15 February 2013 - 11:12 AM

Big caveat. Without having the specimens in hand, I think the first 2 are silver jenny and the last (based on amount of pigment in dorsal, slender body and location) is the tidewater mojarra. Next week when I'm back at my lab I'll copy the keys and drawings of the head and will send

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#8 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 19 February 2013 - 01:28 PM

Key to some of the mojarras is attached

Attached Files

mojarra key.pdf 552.42KB 30 downloads

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#9 Guest_davidtec_*

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Posted 26 February 2013 - 02:57 PM

Fritz, I want to say thank you again! The drawings of the head is very helpful. Without them, these mojarras are almost impossible to identify.
I think I can finally call this mojarra as a spotfin mojarra. What do you think?
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#10 Guest_fritz_*

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Posted 27 February 2013 - 12:07 PM

More in focus would help since there appears to be a scale at the upper end consistent with silver jenny

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#11 Guest_davidtec_*

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Posted 27 February 2013 - 02:30 PM

Here's a bettter focus of the head. After looking at the photo, I am not certain that's a spotfin mojarra any more. It looks more like a slender mojarra because of its pit open anteriorly.
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