Tidepool fish ID!

[davidcalgary29]

Long Island, Bahamas a few days ago. Is that a tang?

 

[blaxsun]

The black thing in the center? (can't view the video)

 

[davidcalgary29]

Yes! Sorry about the poor photo quality. It has a purplish-black body with a white/yellowish tail, and is clearly a planktivore, as it was pecking away at the (pencillus?) algae.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

A small tang? I did see a Azure Damselfish (Chrysiptera hemicyanea) I think in the bottom left corner.
Where was this taken?

 

[i cant think]

Long Island, Bahamas a few days ago. Is that a tang?

Are you able to upload the video to YouTube and post it that way? Many of us are unable to see the video due to iPhones.

As for the species, that body shape is wrong for any tang. It looks to be a species from the family Labridae which crosses out almost 3/4 of that family as only a few are native to the Caribbean.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Sorry didn’t see that you posted Bahamas. After viewing the video I am going to go with...
I am going to go with.

Yellowtail Damselfish - Microspathodon chrysurus​

 

[davidcalgary29]

Sorry didn’t see that you posted Bahamas. After viewing the video I am going to go with...
I am going to go with.

Yellowtail Damselfish - Microspathodon chrysurus​

I wish that the photos had better resolution! It's definitely not that species, as the body shape and colouration is much different -- only the tail itself is a light yellow or white, and not any other part of the body (which was definitely a deep purple or black).

It really did look like a purple tang -- and I know that it's not native to the area. Still, though, I thought it might be possible: Long Island, notwithstanding its remoteness, had the first reported lionfish sightings in the region, so someone could have been dumping fish there.

Here's a youtube link; mystery fish starts at around 50s. It's clearly not a tang...but tang-ish? tang-esque? Some type of juvenile butterflyfish?

 

[pennied]

Long Island, Bahamas a few days ago. Is that a tang?

 

[davidcalgary29]

As for the species, that body shape is wrong for any tang. It looks to be a species from the family Labridae which crosses out almost 3/4 of that family as only a few are native to the Caribbean.

You know, my first thought was that the tail of this thing reminded me an awful lot of my checkerboard wrasse, but the body shape was all wrong -- this fish is much wider (and had a different swimming pattern).

 

[nereefpat]

From that far away, I can't tell which one. It basically has to be Acanthurus based on location. If you put a gun to my head, I'd guess A. bahianus, but there are a few other species that it could be.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Okay, here's another video -- fish is in the centre.

 

[davidcalgary29]

A small tang? I did see a Azure Damselfish (Chrysiptera hemicyanea) I think in the bottom left corner.
Where was this taken?

Perhaps a juvie stegastes variabilis (or xanthurus) instead? I wouldn't think that azure damsels would have colonized this remote corner of the Bahamas, but you never know...

I think that the mystery fish may indeed be a yellowtail damselfish (or perhaps even a dusky damselfish). The shape seems right.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Perhaps a juvie stegastes variabilis (or xanthurus) instead? I wouldn't think that azure damsels would have colonized this remote corner of the Bahamas, but you never know...

I think that the mystery fish may indeed be a yellowtail damselfish (or perhaps even a dusky damselfish). The shape seems right.

It is interesting on how many subtle variations of the Yellowtail Damsel there are.