THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

146 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium
m. Found on muddy bottoms, soft sand as well
as rocky bottoms.
Diet: Worms, shrimp, octopus, squid, small
fishes.
Reproduction and Development: Spawning
may occur 2–3 times from November through
March; eggs and larvae are pelagic.
Mortality/Longevity: Life span: up to 13
years.
Remarks: A large commercial fishery existed
in the 1920s &’30s.
Malacanthid species live in burrows or mounds
which they construct.
Purple Sand Tilefish
Hoplolatilus purpureus (Malacanthidae)
Tilefishes
Distribution: Western Central Pacific:
Philippines and Solomon Islands.
Habitat: Sand and rubble patches of steep
seaward slopes, usually between 35–70 m.
Appearance: Slender, tubular, purple body
with red-edged forked tail; long, continuous
dorsal and anal fins. Max. length: 13 cm.
Diet: Zooplankton.
Reproduction and Development: Egg layers.
Have spawned in captivity.
Remarks: Their popular name “sand” tilefish
comes from their lightning-quick ability to
diving into burrows they fashion in rubble
substrates.
Solitary or form small groups.
Yellow and Blueback Fusilier
Caesio teres (Caesionidae)
Fusiliers
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to Micronesia,
Samoa and Line Islands; southwestern
Japan to Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Habitat: Active diurnally over upper edges of
steep slopes, coastal seaward and patch reefs
to 5–50 m; primarily around coral reefs, with
a preference for coralline lagoons.
Appearance: Length to 40 cm. Slender, torpedoshaped
body; silvery-blue, yellow from back to
lower tail base and tail, pectoral fin base black.
Tail deeply forked.
Diet: Zooplankton.
Reproduction and Development: Spawning
occurs near the surface, typically in deep
channels during an outgoing tide at sunset or a
full moon. Oviparous; buoyant, spherical eggs
are pelagic, thus non-guarded.
Remarks: Congregate in large aggregations,
often with other species of fusiliers.
Bluestreak Fusilier
Pterocaesio tile (Caesionidae)
Fusiliers
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the
Marquesas, north to southern Japan, south to
New Caledonia, and throughout Micronesia.
Habitat: Outer reef slopes and in clear, deep
lagoons, to 60 m depth.
Appearance: Elongate body. Broad iridescent
blue mid-lateral band; dark olive above. Turns
bright red along lower half of body at night.
Max. size: 30 cm.
Diet: Zooplankton taken from midwater.
Reproduction and Development: Oviparous;
small pelagic eggs.
Remarks: Usually form dense schools along
outer reef slopes and in clear deep lagoons,
to 60 m.
Caught commercially, primarily as tuna
baitfish.
Siamese Tigerfish
Coius (Datnioides) microlepis (Coiidae)
Tiger Perches
Distribution: Southeast Asia: Thailand, Borneo,
Sumatra
Habitat: A bottom dweller in brackish waters.
Appearance: An arrowhead-shaped fish with
a silvery brown body and vertical jet black
bars on its body. The number of black bars
depends on geographic location. Fish from the
Asiatic mainland have 6 bars, and those from
the Indo-Australian archipelago have 7. Max.
length: 45 cm.
Diet: A predatory carnivore. As it approaches
a potential meal, the tigerfish slowly sways
from side to side, as if sighting the prey and
then strikes using its large mouth.
Reproduction: Egg layer.
Remarks: In Thailand, the fish is sought after for
its flavorful flesh. Highly regarded by aquarists.
Striped Large-eye Bream
Gnathodentex aurolineatus (Lethrinidae)
Distribution: Widespread in the Indo-Pacific