Sighted in Cozumel - what is it?

[gstrek]

Sighted in Cozumel, San Francisco Reef on 7/24/14 around 11:55 a.m. at maybe 40'. It was less than 2 inches and black. I've never seen a black flounder before but we did see a number of tan colored flounder about the same size in similar areas.

It does not show up in the Paul Humann Reef Fish Caribbean, Florida, Bahamas and the DM from Scuba Club has not seen this before either. Anyone able to identify this?

--Gary

 

[cvchief]

lil like the rear end of a batfish, but not quite....

 

[Christi]

Pretty sure it is a Peacock Flounder in his dark phase - they change colors a lot

 

[cvchief]

Pretty sure it is a Peacock Flounder in his dark phase - they change colors a lot

Looking closer, it does seem to have the markings, doesn't it? Didn't know they got that dark.

 

[Christi]

Looking closer, it does seem to have the markings, doesn't it? Didn't know they got that dark.

Yeh - they do occasionally - I only recall ever seeing one get completely dark like this a few times in all of my dives here. Had I not seen it morph back into it's traditional phase, I would have thought it was another breed of flounder.

 

[cvchief]

Yeh - they do occasionally -

I lost a bet and had to buy dinner for two at Kondesa on a sea bass question. I REALLY need to get my neighbor to teach me that REEF ID class.....

 

[gstrek]

Interesting. Never knew that either but I am always amazed with what I see!

 

[Christi]

I lost a bet and had to buy dinner for two at Kondesa on a sea bass question. I REALLY need to get my neighbor to teach me that REEF ID class.....

I am going to set one up with her for a group of divers

 

[diverken374]

I lost a bet and had to buy dinner for two at Kondesa on a sea bass question. I REALLY need to get my neighbor to teach me that REEF ID class.....

Are you referring to Deborah B? If so she is one of the best I have met at fish ID. Sallye is awfully good as well. I dove with a group in Roatan and at the end of the day we would pull out the laptop and put all our SD cards in a reader. We would review every ones pics, some good, some not so but was excellent at reviewing fish identification. Was a fun time and very educational.
Miss that and am losing my fish ID as I get older. By the way what was the question?

 

[jlyle]

Lined sole (Achirus lineatus). They don't get very big. I've found several over the years, most frequently on the sand between reef formations on Villa Blanca.