Fish ID Guide
Fish of the South Pacific
I’m an ecologist and conservationist who also happens to be cruising around the islands of the tropical Pacific with my partner in our little 36-foot sailboat – s/v Bob. We spend a lot of time snorkelling and scuba diving to admire the stunning coral reefs that we are lucky enough to visit. We wanted to create this fish ID guide to be made available to anyone who wants to learn more about the fish they might see during their own dives and snorkels. We will make regular updates and additions to this guide as often as possible but if you have any more photographs or species information you would like to share to help improve the guide further please email us on brooks.se@gmail.com.
It’s really fun to do coral reef surveys whilst snorkelling/diving – not only do you get to enjoy the beauty of the coral reef, but you get to learn a lot about its ecology and the data collected is very useful for conservation purposes. All the information we collect during our surveys gets submitted to REEF and Coral Watch and has been used to create this guide. REEF also sell excellent guide books for fish identification which you can buy here if you’re interested.
If you’re keen to get involved, see here to find out how to do reef fish surveys and here for the coral bleaching surveys.
Angelfish and Butterflyfish
Chaetodon auriga
Description: ~20cm. White body with dark lines in chevron pattern. Thin yellow filament at the end of the dorsal fin. Black spot at filament base. Yellow tail and rear body.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Beveridge Reef
Chaetodon citrinellus
Description: 12cm. Pale in colour with small black speckles – like a lemon. Vertical black stripe through eye.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef
Chaetodon ephippium
Description: ~15cm. Large black saddle on upper rear body.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Niue
Chaetodon lunula
Description: ~18cm. Yellow with thick black bar over eye. Thick black diagonal bar across fromt of upper body. Black spot at base of tail.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Niue
Chaetodon lunulatus
Description: ~15cm. Whitish body with thin slightly diagonal dark lines. Similar to Indian Redfin Butterflyfish but has a white tail base and a different distribution.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands
Chaetodon pelewensis
Description: ~12cm. Lines of dark dots diagonally across body. Yellowish body.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Beveridge Reef
Chaetodon quadrimaculatus
Description: ~15cm. Yellow body with dark upper body. Pair of white spots on either side of upper body.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Chaetodon reticulatus
Description: ~ 15cm. Black head with think light-coloured vertical lines. Body is dark with grey-white scales becoming gradually lighter towards head and upper body. Yellow tail margin with black edge.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Chaetodon ulietensis
Description: ~12cm. Black spot on tail base. Two dark saddles on back. Yellow rear body.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands
Chaetodon vagabundus
Description: ~20cm. White body with thin dark lines in a chevron pattern. Yellow rear body and vertical black bar on rear body.
Seen in: Society Islands
Chaetodon unimaculatus
Description: ~15cm. Black tear drop shape on side of body. White body with yellow dorsal/anal fins. Large black stripe down face through eye.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Cook Islands
Forcipiger flavissimus
Description: ~15cm. Yellow body with black spot under base of tail. Dark upper head and long nose. Very similar to Forcipiger longirostris but lacks black speckles under breast.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Pomacanthus imperator
Description: ~35cm. Body has thin blue and yellow stripes. Yellow tail. Dark bar behind the head and over eyes. Bluish face.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Cook Islands
Damselfish
Abudefduf septemfasciatus
Description: ~15cm. Pale body with 6-7 dark vertical stripes. Tips of tail sometimes are tipped black.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Niue
Abudefduf sexfasciatus
Description: ~15cm. White with five vertical black stripes and two black stripes on tail fin making the shapes of scissor blades.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Marquesas, Society Islands, Tonga
Amphiprion chrysopterus
Description: ~15cm. Orange with 2 vertical white stripes with rear stripe narrower than the front. Tail fin orange-yellow in colour but can also be white.
Seen in: Society Islands
Chromis abrupt
Description: ~5cm. Black body with white tail (very base of tail is black). Bluish tinge around eye.
Seen in: Marquesas
Chrysiptera brownriggii
Description: ~5cm. Yellow body with a neon blue streak across upper body. Two dark spots on upper tail base. Seen in high surge areas.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Society Islands
Dascyllus aruanus
Description: ~5cm. White body with three vertical black stripes. Middle black stripe extends to ventral fin. White tail.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands
Dascyllus trimaculatus
Description: ~12cm. Gray body with dark scale margins. Rear dorsal fin is translucent-white. Juveniles are black with three white spots on body.
Seen in: Marquesas, Society Islands, Beveridge Reef
Dascyllus trimaculatus
Description: ~12cm. Gray body with dark scale margins. Rear dorsal fin is translucent-white. Juveniles are black with three white spots on body.
Seen in: Marquesas, Society Islands, Beveridge Reef
Plectroglyphidodon dickii
Description: ~10cm. Brown front body with white read body and tail. Vertical black bar across rear body. Yellowish pectoral fins.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Niue
Plectroglyphidodon sagmarius
Description: ~5cm. White body with three vertical orange bars. Black spot on base of tail. Small vertical black bar on eye.
Seen in: Marquesas
Pomacentrus coelestis
Description: ~5cm. Bright neon blue with transparent white to yellowish fins.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands
Stegastes nigricans
Description: ~10cm. Dusky brown in colour with a dark spot on upper base of tail fin.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Society Islands
Dartfish
Nemateleotris magnifica
Description: ~5cm. Long thin body, white at front and graduating to orange-red at tail. Dorsal fin is a long, slender filament.
Seen in: Marquesas
Goatfish
Mulloidichthys flavolineatus
Description: ~25cm. Long slender pale body with yellow horizontal stripe. Black spot on body can rapidly appear and fade.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands
Parupeneus cyclostomus
Description: ~30cm. Variable in colour. Bright yellow body as in photograph. Can have dark body with yellow marking on the upper tail base. Others can have pail bodies with yellow tinges. Common distinguishing feature is the bright yellow saddle on the upper body at the base of the tail.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus
Groupers and Hawkfish
Epinephelus fasciatus
Description: ~30cm. Body patterning can be highly variable with this species. Pale body with orangish head. Vertical bars often displayed on body and white spots may be present but often absent. Black spots are usually present on the dorsal fin.
Seen in: Marquesas
Paracirrhites arcatus
Description: ~10cm. Brown body with horizontal white bar across rear body. Orange arc-shaped line behind eye. Often seen perching motionless on coral heads.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Paracirrhites forsteri
Description: ~18cm. Brown body and horizontal white bars extending towards rear body. Purplish head with numerous brown freckles. Often seen perching motionless on coral heads.
Seen in: Marquesas, Niue
Paracirrhites hemistictus
Description: ~20cm. Brownish-yellow body with single horizontal white stripe extending from head to base of tail. Many dark freckles on upper body. Dark variation lacks a white horizontal stripe but instead has a white spot on body. Head and body are dark grey/brown with numerous black freckles. Often seen perching motionless on coral heads.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Cook Islands, Niue
Paracirrhites hemistictus
Description: ~20cm. Brownish-yellow body with single horizontal white stripe extending from head to base of tail. Many dark freckles on upper body. Dark variation lacks a white horizontal stripe but instead has a white spot on body. Head and body are dark grey/brown with numerous black freckles. Often seen perching motionless on coral heads.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Cook Islands, Niue
Plectropomus leopardus
Description: ~70cm. Dark body with numerous blue-edged white spots and may display white vertical bars. Sometimes body is red. Tail is triangular with flat (opposed to forked) edge.
Seen in: Cook Islands
Jacks
Seriola rivoliana
Description: ~60cm. Silver body with dark stripe running diagonally from front upper body through the eye to the mouth.
Seen in: Beveridge Reef
Puffers and Box Fish
Ostracion cubicus
Description: ~15cm. Highly variable throughout various stages of development. Intermediate adult in this photo has yellow body with dark spots prominent on upper body. Transparent-blue tail, dorsal and pectoral fin. Wrinkled line markings on face extend to lower body.
Seen in: Tuamotus
Sharks and Rays
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
Description: ~1.2m. Gray body with white belly. Tail has black outline on edge.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Beveridge Reef
Carcharhinus melanopterus
Description: ~80cm. Gray body with white underside. Black tip on both dorsal fins, ventral, anal, tail and pectoral fins.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus
Manta alfredi
Description: ~3m. Grayish blue upper body with a white underbelly. White coloured pattern on back to head in a “Y” pattern.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas
Triaenodon obesus
Description: ~1m. Gray body with white underside. White tip on first dorsal fin and upper tail lobe.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Cook Islands
Snappers
Lutjanus fulvus
Description: ~30cm. Pale gray body with black tail and dorsal fin. Yellow anal, ventral and pectoral fins and yellow marking around eye.
Seen in: Marquesas, Society Islands
Soldierfish
Description: ~20cm. Large pale scales with red edges. Yellow dorsal fin. Other fins are red with white edges. Large eyes, usually nocturnal but may be seen at dusk or hiding under corals during the day.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Society Islands, Beveridge Reef
Stonefish
Synanceia verrucosa
Description: ~20cm. Looks like a stone and changes colour of body to match surroundings. Deathly venomous
Seen in: Cook Islands
Surgeonfish & Moorish Idol
Description: ~20cm. Dark body with orange tear shape on tail base. Tail is orange with white edge.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Description: ~25cm. Dark body with two white vertical stripes by head, white stripe on tail base and numerous white spots on body.
Seen in: Marquesas, Cook Islands, Niue
Description: ~20cm. White body with narrow vertical black stripes.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Description: ~15cm. Brown body with white/yellow tail. Yellow mark around the eye. Small yellow spots on head when examined closely.
Seen in: Tuamotus
Description: ~25cm. Dark body with many small blue spots on body and thin narrow stripes on dorsal, anal and tail fins. Thin white margin on anal fin base.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Description: ~20cm. Dark body and when examined closely can see narrow blue stripes on body and small orange spots on head. Very common fish in tropical Pacific waters.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Description: ~15cm. White body with yellow tinge and two large vertical black bars. Black tail. Dorsal fin extends into long filament.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Description: ~15cm. Brown-yellowish body graduating from pale in the head to darker by the tail. White tail spine.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Niue
Triggerfish
Description: ~18cm. Colourful and patterned triggerfish with pale body, yellow ‘moustache’, dark vertical bar through eye with blue tinges. Darker patch in centre of body with dark stripes radiating to lower body. Dark pattern on tail base.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Beveridge Reef
Trumpetfish
Description: Long thin body with trumpet-shaped head. Gray body with whitish narrow horizontal lines. Tail is yellow with two dark spots. This species also has a yellow phase where the body and head is bright yellow in colour.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Tuamotus
Wrasse
Description: ~15cm. White rear body and reddish-brown at front. Black spot on pectoral fin base, anal fin and rear dorsal fin.
Seen in: Marquesas, Tuamotus
Description: ~30cm. Mottled brown colour with highly variable patterns. Small white dots make horizontal rows across body.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Society Islands
Description: ~20cm. Yellow-orange body with yellow fins. Neon blue spots creating horizontal lines across body.
Seen in: Marquesas
Description: ~15cm. Long slender dark green body, darker head and yellow streak above the pectoral fin. Intermediate phase has a pale body graduating to a black tail and a horizontal red eye stripe.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Description: ~12cm. Pale slim body with thin horizontal orange lines extending onto face. Body colour graduates to greenish tinge and extends to face. One black spot on dorsal fin in adults and two black spots on dorsal fin in the intermediate phase as shown here.
Seen in: Beveridge Reef
Description: ~20cm. White body with dark scale edges. Three yellow spots on upper body in intermediate phase and only one on adults. Pink face with green streaks.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef, Niue
Description: ~20cm. Pale body with dark spot at base of tail. Adults have darker green-blue head with lavender streaks. Intermediate phase individuals have a pale head as shown here.
Seen in: Tuamotus, Society Islands
Description: ~8cm. Long thin body, white with horizontal black stripe extending to tail. Bluish tinge to body, especially towards the tail. Swims in a jerky motion to attract a client to clean.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef
Description: ~15cm. Light coloured body with tinges of green and pink. Six black vertical bars on body.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Beveridge Reef
Description: ~20cm. Green-bluish body. Head pink with green lines. Pectoral fin yellow with blue edge.
Seen in: Gambier Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Cook Islands, Beveridge Reef
Others
Description: ~40cm. Variable in colour and body covered in poisonous spines. Feed on coral polyps and can often cause devastation to coral reef habitats if numbers are high.
Seen in: Tuamotus
Description: Dark body with numerous pale bulls eye spots.
Seen in: Beveridge Reef
Description: 20cm. Variable in colour. Arms of this sea star are undeveloped and only slightly protrude from body. Resembles a cushion in shape.
Seen in: Marquesas, Society Islands
Description: Black and white striped body, black bars are wider than white bars. Flat paddle-shaped tail. Deathly venomous but are not at all aggressive. Endemic to Niue.
Seen in: Niue
