#Melichthys niger

[tatmanblue]

Black durgon by Gérard Cachon Via Flickr: In some dive sites black durgons are relatively common. They tend to school and they propel themselves like other triggerfish, moving their dorsal and anal fins. Very fun to watch. They have no trouble being a bit distant from you, but they are annoyingly hard to get into close range. Even if you approach carefully, and don't blow bubbles, they move quickly to just a bit too far for an image. Although they usually just look black underwater, if you are lucky to get close and with the right light, you can see that they have an array of colors. Hit them with strobe light and the magic of their pattern really emerges. To me, the most interesting thing about the pattern is that it is not the same throughout the fish - there are several regions with the pattern blending at the boundaries. Not sure if that gives them an evolutionary advantage - if you know why the pattern shifts, please let us know in the comments.

[yarrisharts]

Coral Canyons Wall Dive - Identification Guide

I went through and marked off everything I included in my Coral Canyons plank!   All the fish, corals, sponges, and invertebrates depicted are as accurate as my field guide, memory, and penmanship allowed for. Click through to see the whole list of 50 creatures that make up this plank (not counting our lucky diver)

Fish:  Barracuda ( Sphyraena barracuda ) Black Durgon ( Melichthys niger ) Cubera Snapper ( Lutjanus cyanopterus ) Fairy Basslet ( Gramma loreto )  French Grunts ( Haemulon flavolineatum ) Green Moray ( Gymnothorax funebris ) Grey Angelfish ( Pomacanthus arcuatus ) Hogfish ( Lachnolaimus maximus ) Honeycomb Cowfish ( Acanthostracion polygonius ) Queen Angel ( Holacanthus ciliaris ) Roughtail Stingray ( Dasyatis centroura ) Sergeant Major Fish ( Abudefduf saxatilis ) Spotfin Butterflyfish ( Chaetodon ocellatus ) Stoplight Parrotfish initial phase ( Sparisoma viride ) Reef Squirrelfish  ( Sargocentron coruscum ) Trumpetfish ( Aulostomus maculatus ) Whitetip Reef Shark ( Triaenodon obesus )

Invertebrates:  Banded Coral Shrimp ( Stenopus hispidus ) Bluebell Tunicates ( Clavelina moluccensis ) Christmas Tree Worms ( Spirobranchus giganteus ) Comet Star ( Linckia guildingi ) Common Octopus ( Octopus vulgaris ) Coral Crab ( Carpilius corallinus ) Cushion Sea Star ( Oreaster reticulatus ) Fancy (Furry) Sea Cucumber ( Astichopus multifidus ) Flamingo Tongue ( Cyphoma gibbosum ) Longspined Urchin ( Diadema setosum ) Pencil Urchin ( Heterocentrotus mamillatus ) Reef Squid ( Sepioteuthis sepioidea ) Spiney Lobster ( Panulirus argus ) West Indian Sea Egg ( Tripneustes ventricosus )

Corals and Sponges:  Barrel Sponge ( Xestospongia muta ) Blue Spiny Flower Coral ( Mussa angulosa ) Blushing Star Coral ( Stephanocoenia intersepts ) Branching Fire Coral ( Millepora alcicornis ) Branching Vase Sponges ( Callyspongia vaginalis ) Common Purple Seafans ( Gorgonia ventalina ) Elkhorn Coral ( Acropora palmata ) Various Encrusting Sponges Fire Coral ( Millepora ) Fused Staghorn Coral ( Acropora prolifera ) Lace Coral ( Stylaster roseus ) Lavendar Rope Sponge (  Niphates erecta ) Lettuce Coral ( Agaricia tenuifolia ) Long Sea Whips ( Ellisella elongata ) Oscarella ( Oscarella lobularis ) Pillar Coral ( Dendrogyra cylindricus ) Ridged Cactus Coral ( Mycetophyllia lamarckiana ) Symmetrical Brain Coral ( Diploria strigosa ) Yellow Tube Sponge ( Aplysina insularis )