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50 Most Common Fish Species Factsheet


One of the major areas of ReefDoctor’s work is conducting underwater surveys of fish and benthic cover and many of your dives will involve you in conducting Fish ID work. When you arrive you will be given training sessions in Fish ID but if you would like to start preparing now the following table is a list of the 50 most common species in the Bay of Ranobe.

Coral Reef Fishes: Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean: Including the Red Sea by Ewald Lieske and Robert Myers

At the end of your training you will need to know and be able to recognise these fish. To start work now you will need a copy of Coral Reef Fishes: Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean: Including the Red Sea by Ewald Lieske and Robert Myers (ISBN: 0691004811, Amazon). The page numbers given here relate to this book, which is our core Fish ID book at the ReefDoctor camp.

English family name Common name Latin family name Latin name Page
Soldierfish Bronze Soldierfish HOLOCENTRIDAE Myripristis adusta 12.01
Soldierfish Redsoldier fish HOLOCENTRIDAE Myripristis murdjan 12.07
Soldierfish Bloodspot Squirrelfish HOLOCENTRIDAE Neoniphon sammara 13.07
Soldierfish Tailspot squirrelfish HOLOCENTRIDAESargocentron caudimaculatum 13.08
Trumpetfish Trumpetfish AULOSTOMIDAE Aulostomus chinensis 15.05
Pipefish Scribbled pipefish SYNGNATHIDAE Corythoichthys intestinalis 16.04
Fusiliers Yellowtop Fusilier CAESIONIDAE Caesio xanthonota 46.06
Butterflyfish Threadfin butterflyfish CHAETODONTIDAE Chaetodon auriga 57.08
Butterflyfish Klein's butterflyfish CHAETODONTIDAE Chaetodon kleinii 58.09
Butterflyfish Spotted butterflyfish CHAETODONTIDAE Chaetodon guttatissimus 60.03
Butterflyfish Rip butterflyfish CHAETODONTIDAE Chaetodon trifasciatus 62.01
Angelfish Manyspined angelfish POMACANTHIDAE Centropyge multispinis 69.03
Damselfish Scissor-tail Sergeant POMACENTRIDAE Abudefduf sexfasciatus 74.02
Damselfish False-Eye Sergeant POMACENTRIDAE Abudefduf sparoides 74.12
Damselfish Skunk Anenomefish POMACENTRIDAE Amphiprion akallopisos 75.07
Damselfish Yellowbelly damsel POMACENTRIDAE Amblyglyphidodon leucogaster 77.03
Damselfish Dick's damsel POMACENTRIDAE Plectroglyphidodon dickii 77.07
Damselfish Jewel damsel POMACENTRIDAE Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus 77.09
Damselfish Weber's chromis POMACENTRIDAE Chromis weberi 78.09
Damselfish Ternate chromis POMACENTRIDAE Chromis ternatensis 78.12
Damselfish Two-tone chromis POMACENTRIDAE Chromis dimidiata 79.05
Damselfish Humbug dascyllus Dascyllus aruanus 82.05
Damselfish Three-spot dascyllus POMACENTRIDAE Dascyllus trimaculatus 82.07
Damselfish Sulphur damsel POMACENTRIDAE Pomacentrus sulfureus 86.01
Wrasse Slingjaw wrasse LABRIDAE Epibulus insidiator 93.01
Wrasse Sixline Wrasse LABRIDAE Pseudocheilinus hexataenia 95.10
Wrasse Yellowbreasted Wrasse LABRIDAE Anampses twistii 96.06
Wrasse Checkerboard wrasse LABRIDAE Halichoeres hortulanus 98.01
Wrasse Barred thicklip wrasse LABRIDAE Hemigymnus fasciatus 100.01
Wrasse Indian ocean Bird wrasse LABRIDAE Gomphosus caeruleus 101.02
Wrasse Goldbar wrasse LABRIDAE Thalassoma hebraicum 103.04
Wrasse Sixbar wrasse LABRIDAE Thalassoma hardwicke 103.08
Wrasse Bluestreak cleaner wrasse LABRIDAE Labroides dimidiatus 104.05
Parrotfish Bullethead parrotfish SCARIDAE Chlorurus sordidus 105.06
Parrotfish Dusky parrotfish SCARIDAE Scarus niger 106.03
Blennies Mozambique fangblenny BLENNIDAE Meiacanthus mossambicus 114.12
Moorish Idol Moorish idol ZANCLIDAE Zanclus cornutus 124.01
Surgeonfish Desjardin's sailfin tang ACANTHURIDAE Zebrasoma desjardinii 124.03
Surgeonfish Brushtail tang ACANTHURIDAE Zebrasoma scopas 124.04
Surgeonfish Thompson's Surgeonfish ACANTHURIDAE Acanthurus thompsoni 126.03
Surgeonfish Dusky Surgeonfish ACANTHURIDAE Acanthurus nigrofuscus 126.07
Surgeonfish Striped bristletooth ACANTHURIDAE Ctenochaetus striatus 126.08
Surgeonfish Twospot Bristletooth ACANTHURIDAE Ctenochaetus binotatus 126.09
Surgeonfish Goldring bristletooth ACANTHURIDAE Ctenochaetus strigosus 126.11
Surgeonfish Blackstreak Surgeonfish ACANTHURIDAE Acanthurus nigricauda 127.01
Triggerfish Orangestripe Triggerfish BALISTIDAE Balistapus undulatus 133.05
Boxfish Whitespotted boxfish OSTRACIIDAE Ostracion meleagris 136.01
Pufferfish Black-Saddled Toby TETRAODONTIDAE Canthigaster valentini 137.02
Pufferfish Spotted Toby TETRAODONTIDAE Canthigaster solandri 137.07

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