Hawaiian Saltwater Fish Identification

Sea Basses

Hawaiian saltwater fish include various sea bass and groupers, several of which are native to Hawaii. These fish have large mouths, three-spined gill covers, continuous spiny and soft dorsal (top) fins, rounded rear dorsal and anal (bottom) fins, and usually a rounded tail. Some grow to 12 feet and up to about 900 lb. but most species are much smaller. The most common Hawaiian species is the peacock grouper, which is dark brown or black with small bright blue spots and sometimes vertical banding.

Snappers have dorsal fins that are continuous or have a shallow notch. The tail is often forked. Snappers have moderately large mouths, often with enlarged canine teeth. Snappers grow to a maximum size of about 3 feet. The smalltooth jobfish is one species common in Hawaii; it is silvery brown on the back with shading to silvery gray on side. Another Hawaiian species, the bluestripe snapper, is yellow with lengthwise blue stripes.

Pennant butterflyfish.Butterflyfish image by Olga Khoroshunova from Fotolia.com

Butterflyfishes, a large group of which several live in Hawaii, have highly compressed bodies and small mouths. they are brightly colored, often with a vertical eye-strip as well as an "eye spot" near the tail. Hawaiian species include the threadfin, fourspot, raccoon, ornate, multiband, forceps, longnose, pennant, and Thompson's butterflyfish. Butterflyfishes are found on reefs, where they mainly feed on live coral.

Angelfish are fairly small, usually less than 12 inches in length, with small mouths and one nostril on each side of the head. Angelfish usually have a fairly compressed body. The potter's angelfish is the most well-known Hawaiian species. Its color is is orange to reddish with bluish vertical lines on the body.

Several species of wrasse are common to Hawaii. Wrasses have protractile mouths, allowing them to extend and retract their mouths at will in search of food. Various wrasse species are differentiated by color, body shape, and fin configuration. Hawaiian hogfish, ringtail wrasse, yellowstripe coris, yellowtail coris, elegant coris, blind wrasse, ornate wrasse, Hawaiian cleaner wrasse, belted wrasse, blacktail wrasse, and saddle wrasse can all be found on Hawaii's shallow reefs.