Tag Archive: Reef Lagoon


2-16-16 Mono from Ron’s Reef Lagoon Series

Filed under: INDO-PACIFIC, TROPICAL MARINE — Leave a comment
February 16, 2016

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Monodactylidae (Moonyfishes or fingerfishes)

Genus/species: Monodactylus argenteus

 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Adults are bright silver with yellowish dorsal and tail fins. Round to triangular-shaped, laterally compressed body. Small juveniles more colorful with yellow over most of the dorsal fin and two vertical black bands over the head.

Length to 27 cm (11 in)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa south to New Caledonia and Australia in bays, mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks, and lower reaches of freshwater streams occasionally in silty coastal reefs.

DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivorous, feeding on plankton, a variety of plant matter, detritus, and insects.

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MORTALITY: About 7-10 years.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List  Not Evaluated

REMARKS: Mono are seen in large fast swimming groups in bays, mangrove estuaries and tidal creeks, in the wild.

References

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Reef Lagoon 2016

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-WT

Ron’s flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608440659805/with/4889666339/

fishbase fishbase.org/summary/Monodactylus-argenteus.html

Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/206099/details

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2-15-16 Indian Pompano from Ron’s Indo-Pacific Marine series

Filed under: INDO-PACIFIC — Leave a comment
February 15, 2016

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Carangidae ((Jacks and pompanos)

Genus/species: Trachinotus mookalee

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Dorsal snout profile very steep. Pompano may also refer to various other, similarly shaped members of Carangidae, or the order Perciformes. Their appearance is deep bodied and mackerel-like, typically silver and toothless with a forked tail and narrow base. There are twenty described species and most are valued as food.
Common length : 90.0 cm (35 inches). Max. wt. 8.1kg (17.85 lbs)

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Indo-West Pacific found in tropical shallow coastal waters.

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DIET IN THE WILD: Pompano are primarily bottom feeders that opportunistically “graze” preferred species.  Well developed pharyngeal plates are present, and indicate that hard-shelled organisms such as crabs and mollusks are important in the diet. 

CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List Not Evaluated

References

California Academy of Sciences Reef Lagoon 2016

Ron’s WordPress shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1Eg

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/19251381660/in/album-72157627919810858/

fishbase  http://fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=1964&AT=Indian+Pompano

EOL http://www.eol.org/pages/26259/details

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2-11-16 Bluespotted Whiptail Stingray From Ron’s Shark and Ray Series

Filed under: INDO-PACIFIC, SHARKS AND RAYS — Leave a comment
February 11, 2016

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family:Dasyatidae Family: Dasyatidae  Whiptail Stingrays; whip-like tails, which are much longer than the disc and lack dorsaland caudal fins. They also have one or more venomous spines near the base of the tail.

Genus/species: Dasyatis kuhlii

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GENERAL/CHARACTERISTICS: Angular disc. Dorsal color reddish-brown to olive drab with blue spots and smaller black spots, ventral side white. Tail with black and white bands is about as long as the body and usually has one stinging spine.

Maximum disc width: 50 cm (20 inches).

DISTRIBUTION/ HABITAT: Tropical Indo-West Pacific from the Red Sea east to the Philippines, Japan, and south to Australia. Found on sandy bottoms near coral and rocky reefs, from intertidal zone to 50 m (160 feet). Moves onto reef flats and into shallow lagoon waters at high tide.

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DIET IN THE WILD: Crabs and shrimp, also small fishes.

REPRODUCTION: Ovoviviparous; eggs retained in the female’s body; embryos receive nourishment from a yolk sac.

REMARKS: The Bluespotted Whiptail Stingray is venomous tail can deliver a painful wound. Like many other rays that wound humans, it usually stings only when inadvertently stepped on: it is difficult to see in turbid waters, especially when covered by sand with only the eyes visible.

References

California Academy of Sciences Reef Lagoon 2016

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-YD

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/5035114327/in/album-72157627919810858/

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1-30-18 Bluespotted Ribbontail Stingray from Ron’s Elasmobranch Series

Filed under: SHARKS AND RAYS, SHARKS, SKATES and RAYS — Leave a comment
February 5, 2016


TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
Order: Myliobatiformes (Stingrays)
Family: Dasyatidae (Stingrays)

Genus/species: Taeniura lymma

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: large bright blue spots on a grey-brown to yellow, olive-green or reddish-brown oval, elongated disc with lateral blue side-stripes along the tail. The snout is rounded and angular. Disc diameter to 25 cm (9.8 inches).

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Indo-West Pacific around coral reefs and sandy bottoms to a debt of 20 meters (66 feet).

DIET IN THE WILD: Prey is often detected through electroreception, a system which senses the electrical fields produced by the prey. Within the mouth are two plates, which are used for crushing mollusks, worms, shrimps, and crabs.

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REPRODUCTION: T. lymma is ovoviviparous; the egg-shell is weakly formed and young hatch inside the female; they are nourished by their yolk sac and then ‘born’ live.

PREDATION: The hammerhead shark uses the cartilaginous projections form the side of their heads to pin them down to the bottom of the substrate while taking bites from the stingray’s disc. The hammerhead is able to avoid being stung by the poisonous spines on the rays tail by pinning the stingray down.

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CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List: Near threatened

REMARKS: At the tip of the tail are two sharp venomous spines (can be regenerated) which permit this ray to strike at enemies forward of its head. Venom is produced and delivered into narrow groves running lengthwise along the underside of the stinger. The entire structure is covered by a thin layer of skin which, when broken, releases its venom into its victim.

References

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Reef Lagoon 2016

fishbase fishbase.org/summary/Taeniura-lymma.html

Ron’s WordPress shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-16f

Ron’s flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608440813109/

ARKive    www.arkive.org/ribbontailed-stingray/taeniura-lymma/

 

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2-4-16 Honeycomb Stingray from Ron’s Tropical Marine Series

Filed under: INDO-PACIFIC, SHARKS AND RAYS, SHARKS, SKATES and RAYS, TROPICAL MARINE — Leave a comment
February 4, 2016


TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Dasyatidae (Whiptail Stingrays, whip-like tails, which are much longer than the disc)

Genus/species: Himantura uarnak

 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Disc light brown above with conspicuous dark spots, white ventrally. Tail with bands of black and white, three times the body length. One tail spine. The dark spots are separated in the young ray; in the adult they become crowded together, forming the reticulated pattern from which it gets its name. Snout sharply pointed. Band of flat denticles down the back.
Width up to 2 m (6.5 ft), weigh up to 120 kg (265 lbs).

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Subtropical, Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea, to southern Africa and French Polynesia, north to Taiwan, south to Australia.

Benthic, found in surf zone, sandy beaches, sandy areas of coral reefs, shallow estuaries and lagoons, down to 90 m (295 ft). It can tolerate brackish water and in India, has been found in the fresh water of Chilka Lake and the Hoogly River, a tributary of the Ganges River.

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DIET IN THE WILD: Main foods: small fish, also bivalves crabs, shrimps, worms and jellies.

REPRODUCTION: Ovoviviparous. Embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures

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REMARKS: Although venomous, it is a popular angling fish due to its being a powerful fighter. It is not a food fish but is used in Chinese medicine.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Red list Vulnerable (VU)

REMARKS: Since their mouths are directed downward and often placed against the sand, stingrays use their spiracles rather than their mouths for water intake.

Stingrays have a spiral valve in their intestine that increases food absorption, and lack a swim bladder.

Although venomous, it is a popular angling fish due to its being a powerful fighter. It is not a food fish but is used in Chinese medicine.

References

California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, Reef Lagoon 2016

Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157627919810858/

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-P8

fishbase  www.fishbase.us/summary/5507

IUCN www.iucnredlist.org/details/161692/0

Encyclopedia of Life  eol.org/pages/1859/details

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