Color change fish in San Salvador, BH

[Puffer Fish]

Anyone got a name for these guys.

They lived in the shallow grass flats on the east side of the island.

Saw a small school of them (less than 6), and as I approached they changed color to match the grass, and just floated in the surge (moving with the grass)..

Then, when I got within about 3 or 4 ft, they separated and went down in the grass and all changed to the following:

Note: I believe I followed the fish on the left

Anyone know what their name is??

 

[Scuba Monkey]

Sparisoma radians - bucktooth parrotfish. They eat seagrass and the epiphytes growing on it.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Could be the Bucktooth Parrotfish Sparisoma radians
Rick

 

[Rick Murchison]

Sparisoma radians - bucktooth parrotfish. They eat seagrass and the epiphytes growing on it.

Beat me to it!

Rick

 

[Puffer Fish]

Thanks, reading descriptions of a bucktooth, it seems that the color change is not very well known, as most sites talk about there being two versions of the fish.

Odd, the only really good photo I could find shows one right in the middle of color changing:

http://www.tompawlesh.smugmug.com/gallery/330041_HQZWX/1/229351432_YFbPu/Large

 

[Rick Murchison]

Phases are common in parrotfish; in the Bucktooth the Intermediate (these pictured are intermediate) and Terminal look very different. This is probably what you've read as "versions."
Color changes, on the other hand, are usually not mentioned for a couple of reasons. They're so common... for example, the common goatfish has a red color shift it uses to say "come clean me" that I've never seen mentioned in a book, but have seen frequently in the wild. Grouper have dramatic color-shift abilities, but you don't generally see that in the descriptions...
And, because most scientific descriptions are written from observing dead specimens rather than watching the fish in the wild, so the person writing the description may be unaware of the color changes, and once the "official" description is in writing, well... it is written
Rick

 

[vladimir]

I don't have my Humann books with me here in Hong Kong to reference, but in general, they do a pretty good job of documenting all of the phases.

 

[Puffer Fish]

I don't have my Humann books with me here in Hong Kong to reference, but in general, they do a pretty good job of documenting all of the phases.

Viadimir, I think there is some confusion over the word "Phases".. if you look up a coney, you will see a yellow phase and and two color "phase". These are actually different colors of fish:

One does not go from one to the other (at least that I have seen, and you can see them together).

As Rick has pointed out.. grouper can go from one color to another very quickly. Tiger grouper, when cleaning go all black. Hog Fish are really obvious in doing that.

In the case with the parrot fish, first time I have seen a school all do the same color change, at the same time..and the rust/white happened as they spread out and were no longer together.

 

[Rick Murchison]

I've posted this in another thread, but you may not have seen it. Here is a short clip of Glasseye Snapper going from dark rust-red to white in a few seconds
Enjoy...
Rick

 

[Puffer Fish]

I've posted this in another thread, but you may not have seen it. Here is a short clip of Glasseye Snapper going from dark rust-red to white in a few seconds
Enjoy...
Rick

Thanks Rick, that is such a perfect example of that fish seeing it was around white fish and turning white...and that was one I did not know could change color.