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Saba National Marine Park
The Saba National Marine Park encompasses the waters and sea bed encircling the Caribbean island of Saba, Caribbean Netherlands, from the high water mark to deep. In total, the marine park covers approximately . At the time of its creation in 1987, the government passed the Marine Environment Ordinance to protect the coral reefs and other marine life within the park. The Saba Conservation Foundation manages the Saba National Marine Park, as well as the island's hyperbaric facility, and natural sites on land (e.g., the Saba Trail network). Protection A number of regulations ensure that the park's thriving aquatic life remains healthy. Zones divide the area according to acceptable uses. Commercial fishing is forbidden in certain places to prevent overfishing. The reefs are protected from damage by 36 permanently anchored buoys where boats can moor. Scuba divers are not permitted to dive by themselves; they must dive with guides from one of Saba's dive shops. Protecting the Saba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In English, the term ''Leeward Islands'' refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with Dominica, is called the Windward Islands. Dominica was initially considered a part of the Leeward Islands but was transferred from the British Leeward Islands to the British Windward Islands in 1940. Origin of the name The name of this island group, ''Leeward Islands'', dates from previous centuries, when sailing ships were the sole form of transportation across the Atlantic Ocean. In sailing terminology, "windward and leeward, windward" means towards the source of the wind (upwind), while "windward and leeward, leeward" is the opposite direction (downwind). In the West Indies, the prevailin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goatfish
The goatfishes are ray-finned fish of the family Mullidae, the only family in the suborder Mulloidei of the order Syngnathiformes. The family is also sometimes referred to as the red mullets, which also refers more narrowly to the genus '' Mullus''. The family name and the English common name mullet derived from Latin ''mullus'', the red mullet; other than the red mullet and the striped red mullet or surmullet, the English word "mullet" generally refers to a different family of fish, the Mugilidae or gray mullets.''Oxford English Dictionary''''s.v.'' 'mullet'/ref> Description Goatfish are characterized by two chin barbels (or goatee), which contain chemosensory organs and are used to probe the sand or holes in the reef for food. Their bodies are deep and elongated, with forked tails and widely separated dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin has six to eight spines; the second dorsal has one spine and 8–9 soft rays, shorter than anal fin. There are one or two spines in the a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweeper
Sweepers are small, tropical marine (occasionally brackish) ray-finned fish of the family (biology), family Pempheridae. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific region, the family contains about 80 species in two genus, genera. One species (''Pempheris xanthoptera'') is the target of subsistence fishery, fisheries in Japan, where the fish is much enjoyed for its taste. Sweepers are occasionally kept in marine aquaria. Description Deeply keeled, compressed bodies and large eyes typify sweepers, their form somewhat like Freshwater hatchetfish, hatchetfish; both cycloid and ctenoid scale (zoology), scales may be present. The small, short dorsal fin begins before the body's midpoint and may have four to seven spines; the anal fin is extensive and usually has three spines. The mouth is subterminal and strongly oblique. Species of the genus ''Parapriacanthus'' have much more cylindrical bodies. Some species possess photophores. All but the curved sweeper (''Pempheris po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Filefish
The filefish (Monacanthidae) are a diverse family of tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish, which are also known as foolfish, leatherjackets, or shingles. They live in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Filefish are closely related to triggerfish, pufferfish, and trunkfish. The filefish family comprises about 102 species in 27 genera. More than half of the species are found in Australian waters, with 58 species in 23 genera. Their laterally compressed bodies and rough, sandpapery skin inspired the filefish's common name. Description Appearing very much like their close relatives the triggerfish, filefish are rhomboid-shaped, with beautifully elaborate cryptic patterns. Deeply keeled bodies give a false impression of size when the fish are viewed facing the flanks. Filefish have soft, simple fins, with comparatively small pectoral fins and truncated, fan-shaped tail fins; a slender, retractable spine crowns the head. Although usually two of these spines oc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chromis
''Chromis'' is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae. While the term damselfish Damselfish are those fish within the subfamilies Abudefdufinae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, Pomacentrinae, and Stegastinae within the family Pomacentridae. Most species within this group are relatively small, although the four largest speci ... describes a group of marine fish including more than one genus, ''Chromis'' is the largest genus of damselfishes. Certain species within the genus are common in the aquarium trade. Species These are the currently recognized species in this genus:Youtube Creatures section, Damselfish – Author:Sublanding Fish 020-06-19/ref> References Chrominae Pomacentridae Extant Miocene first appearances Marine fish genera Taxa named by Georges Cuvier Long stubs with short prose {{Pomacentridae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burrfish
The striped burrfish or simply burrfish (''Chilomycterus schoepfii'') is a member of the porcupinefish family Diodontidae. Description It is distinguished from the porcupinefish by the shorter, less sharply pointed, and immovable spines which cover the somewhat spherical body. It can inflate its body by taking either air or water into a ventral extension of the stomach. Its color is olivaceous or brownish above and pale yellow below. The back and sides are irregularly striped with brownish, dusky, or black lines which are parallel to each other and which run obliquely downward. There are several large black spots on the sides, one just below the dorsal fin, and another behind the pectoral fin. Its maximum size is about 10 inches. Distribution It is found mostly in the tropics of the western Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to Florida as well as along the Atlantic coast of North America, sometimes as far north as Cape Cod and regularly during the late summer and fall in the vici ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barracuda
A barracuda is a large, predatory, ray-finned, saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide ranging from the eastern border of the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, on its western border the Caribbean Sea, and in tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. Barracudas reside near the top of the water and near coral reefs and sea grasses. Barracudas are often targeted by sport-fishing enthusiasts. Etymology The common name "barracuda" is derived from Spanish, with the original word being of possibly Cariban origin. Description Barracuda are snake-like in appearance, with prominent, sharp-edged, fang-like teeth, much like piranha, all of different sizes, set in sockets of their large jaws. They carry a striking resemblance on pikes, although they are not related. They have large, pointed heads with an underbite in many species ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Blue Tang
''Acanthurus coeruleus'' is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs, found in the Atlantic Ocean. It can grow up to long.Figueiredo, J.L. and N.A. Menezes, (2000). ''Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. VI. Teleostei (5)''. Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo. Brazil. Common names include Atlantic blue tang, blue barber, blue doctor, blue doctorfish, blue tang, blue tang surgeonfish, yellow barber, and yellow doctorfish. Distribution ''Acanthurus coeruleus'' is present in the western Atlantic Ocean from New York to Florida, Mexico and Brazil, and Ascension Island in the Mid-Atlantic. Also found in the Mediterranean Sea since 2011. Description Although the body of the reef fish can vary in shade from light to dark blue, the dorsal, anal and caudal fins are golden blue. As juveniles, the edges on their dorsal and anal fins and the rings around their eyes are purple-blue, blue or blue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parrotfish
Parrotfish (named for their mouths, which resemble a parrot's beak) are a clade of fish placed in the tribe Scarini of the wrasse family (Labridae). Traditionally treated as their own family (Scaridae), genetic studies have found them to be deeply nested within the wrasses, and they are now treated as a subfamily (Scarinae) or tribe (Scarini) of them. With roughly 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds, and can play a significant role in bioerosion. Taxonomy Traditionally, the parrotfishes have been considered to be a family level taxon, Scaridae. Although phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses of parrotfishes are ongoing, they are now accepted to be a clade in the wrasses closely related to the tribe Cheilini, and are now commonly referred to as scarine labrids (tribe Scarini, family Labridae). Some authorities have preferred to maintain the parrotfishes as a family-level taxon, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brain Coral
Brain coral is a common name given to various corals in the families Mussidae and Merulinidae, so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain. Each head of coral is formed by a colony of genetically identical polyps which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate; this makes them important coral reef builders like other stony corals in the order Scleractinia. Brain corals are found in shallow warm water coral reefs in all the world's oceans. They are part of the phylum Cnidaria, in a class called Anthozoa or "flower animals". The lifespan of the largest brain corals is 900 years. Colonies can grow as large as 1.8 m (6 ft) or more in height. Brain corals extend their tentacles to catch food at night. During the day, they use their tentacles for protection by wrapping them over the grooves on their surface. The surface is hard and offers good protection against fish or hurricanes. Branching corals, such as staghorn co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astreopora
''Astreopora'' is a genus of stony corals in the Acroporidae family. Members of the genus are commonly known as star corals and there are seventeen species currently recognized. Description Members of this genus mostly form dome-shaped or rounded heads but sometimes have leaflike extensions, which vary from massive mounds to encrusting, or which form plates, vases and branches. They are much larger than members of the genus ''Montipora''. They have a wide range of colours including yellow, brown, green, pink and blue but the most common are whitish-blue. The corallites are distinct and separate, sometimes raised on cones and sometimes depressed, up to four millimetres across and round in cross-section. The skeleton is porous with the coenosteum having a net-like appearance. The coral appears rough-textured because of tiny spines that cover the surface between the corallites. The septa are poorly developed giving corals of this genus the appearance of being filled with holes. Dis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
