Hawwaiin Mystery Fish ID - Help Please?

[raviepoo]

Can you telll me what this is? I can't find a picture that looks anything like it. It actually looks like a juvenile Redband Parrottfish, but those aren't found in Hawaii.

 

[raviepoo]

Here's the picture....

 

[TJO]

It looks like a juvenile knobsnout parrotfish. Perhaps that is the same as a redband? They inhibit rocky areas of coastal waters and can be found in small groups in Western North Pacific (Japan).

 

[Gilligan]

Aloha raviepoo.
I looked through my Hoover Hawaii Fish Book and the closest I came to your fish was a Saddle Wrasse in the juvenile stage. I have a marine biologist friend here that I send my dive photos to for identification if I can't find them in the Hoover book. I took the liberty of sending her your pic to ID. I'll get back to you on it.
:shades:

 

[raviepoo]

The color isn't quite right for a juvenile saddle wrasse. Everything about this fish screams "baby parrot". I'm just frustrated because I don't know what kind. The baby bullethead parrottfish looks similar to it, but just different enough to rule it out.

Grrr! Aaargh!

 

[XJae]

the body shape looks like a wrasse to me.

 

[Gilligan]

My local marine biologist adviser tells me your mystery fish photo is that of a juvenile Palenose Parrotfish.
:shades:

 

[Gymnothorax]

I don't believe that is a parrotfish. It looks like a bluestreak cleaner wrasse.

 

[raviepoo]

It's definitely a juvenile parrottfish and I'm agreeing with Gilligan's Biologist friend about the specific species.

Juveniles parrottfish have wrasse-like body shapes. They change as they grow older to become the distinctive looking fish that are so easy to identify.