# can anyone ID this fish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039 "2011-08-09T05:20:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/1 "2011-08-09T05:20:44Z")
I took [this](http://www.charwinccrs.com/photos/ThatFish.jpg) in Maui last week - does anyone know what the dark colored fish is? Or heck, what are the silver ones? šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/2 "2011-08-09T06:27:22Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I took [this](http://www.charwinccrs.com/photos/ThatFish.jpg) in Maui last week - does anyone know what the dark colored fish is? > > Or heck, what are the silver ones? šŸ™‚ If by ā€œdark colored fishā€, you mean the fish that is almost entirely orange and white with a dark vertical band across its eyes. šŸ˜› Itā€™s a butterfly fish. They are pain to try to ID because there are about a gazillion species, they almost all have that band across the eyes and the colouration within species varies with locale and age of the fish. Even the experts donā€™t come close to agreeing on how many species there are because every tiny reef can have its own distinct forms. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it was a young [dusky](http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=551&q=butterfly+fish+maui&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi#um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=dusky+butterfly+fish+&oq=dusky+butterfly+fish+&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=74305l75365l0l75405l6l3l0l0l0l2l1085l1993l6-1.1l2l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=2b7ef85e28513ca7&biw=1024&bih=551). ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/3 "2011-08-09T09:13:18Z")
Iā€™ll see your dusky and raise you a [racoon butterfly fish](http://www.reefhotspot.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5595), _Chaetodon lunula_. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/4 "2011-08-09T09:19:57Z")
> [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](#): > > Iā€™ll see your dusky and raise you a [racoon butterfly fish](http://www.reefhotspot.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5595), _Chaetodon lunula_. Beats me. I admitted I was just guessing. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/5 "2011-08-09T09:33:58Z")
I have no real idea either. I just started browsing through butterfly fish varieties and came upon that one with the very prominent black band all the way across the top of the head and saw that the range included Hawaii. In most of the pictures of duskies the black seems to fade or thin as it reaches the top of the head. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/6 "2011-08-09T16:23:22Z")
[Clown Triggerfish: Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums](http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+44+245&pcatid=245) The colored one is a trigger fish. there are lots of varieties and colors. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/7 "2011-08-10T01:31:52Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > The colored one is a trigger fish. Absolutely not. The body shape and fins are completely wrong. Most obvious is the tail, which in the triggerfish extends well past the dorsal/anal fins. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/8 "2011-08-10T03:03:06Z")
> [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](#): > > I have no real idea either. I just started browsing through butterfly fish varieties and came upon that one with the very prominent black band all the way across the top of the head and saw that the range included Hawaii. In most of the pictures of duskies the black seems to fade or thin as it reaches the top of the head. I think its the juvie Dusky - the Racoons appear to be yellow, and this fish was orange, or burnt umber, or some such darker than yellow color. I have another, really poor, picture of the fish, which basically only shows the color, if that would help? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/9 "2011-08-10T03:22:53Z")
[http://www.saltwaterfish.com/Saltwater-Fish\_c\_15.html](http://www.saltwaterfish.com/Saltwater-Fish_c_15.html) Here is a selection of salt water fish. The wrasses have the shape of one of the silver fish. i see a round mouth in the picture which makes it a trigger. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/10 "2011-08-10T03:35:07Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.saltwaterfish.com/Saltwater-Fish\_c\_15.html](http://www.saltwaterfish.com/Saltwater-Fish_c_15.html) Here is a selection of salt water fish. The wrasses have the shape of one of the silver fish. i see a round mouth in the picture which makes it a trigger. The original picture of the silver fish isnā€™t good enough - [here](http://www.charwinccrs.com/photos/ShoreFish0001.jpg) is a better one. They were rather small - bodies without tails maybe 1" to 2". ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/11 "2011-08-10T05:25:18Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I think its the juvie Dusky - the Racoons appear to be yellow, and this fish was orange, or burnt umber, or some such darker than yellow color. I have another, really poor, picture of the fish, which basically only shows the color, if that would help? Sure. More data canā€™t hurt. Iā€™ll take one more go at defending my suggestionā€¦ From what Iā€™ve read, duskies are only found in the South Pacific / Australia, while racoons are found in Hawaii. [http://www.eol.org/pages/212624](http://www.eol.org/pages/212624) [http://www.eol.org/pages/204383](http://www.eol.org/pages/204383) > **[Family Chaetodontidae, Butterflyfishes](http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/butterflyfishes/butterflyfishes.htm)** There are many degrees of coloration in all of the butterflies, but I think the angle of the shot, which is mostly from the top down, would emphasize the darker dorsal area and not give a good view of the yellow ventral area of a racoon. I also think the dark circular spot with the clear gold margin falls more in line with the racoons that I have seen that have such a spot vs the duskies Iā€™ve seen that have a spot in the same general area. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/12 "2011-08-10T06:07:35Z")
> [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](#): > > Sure. More data canā€™t hurt. [Here](http://www.charwinccrs.com/photos/reef%20fish_0002.jpg) is the other, crappy, picture. Tho one thing I noticed in this one that was bothering me is that it looks like his ā€œnoseā€ is darker, like a Raccoon, rather than the white it appears to be in the first picture. > [@](#): > > Iā€™ll take one more go at defending my suggestionā€¦ > > From what Iā€™ve read, duskies are only found in the South Pacific / Australia, while racoons are found in Hawaii. Oh! Well, thatā€™s a problem eh? Unless I can now be world famous for having discovered and poorly photographed a Dusky way out of itā€™s habitat? No? šŸ˜ƒ > [@](#): > > [http://www.eol.org/pages/212624](http://www.eol.org/pages/212624) > [http://www.eol.org/pages/204383](http://www.eol.org/pages/204383) > [Family Chaetodontidae, Butterflyfishes](http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/butterflyfishes/butterflyfishes.htm) The last two look more like I remember him, especially now that Iā€™ve let go of the idea that his nose is white. > [@](#): > > There are many degrees of coloration in all of the butterflies, but I think the angle of the shot, which is mostly from the top down, would emphasize the darker dorsal area and not give a good view of the yellow ventral area of a racoon. > > I also think the dark circular spot with the clear gold margin falls more in line with the racoons that I have seen that have such a spot vs the duskies Iā€™ve seen that have a spot in the same general area. OK, youā€™ve got me convinced, Iā€™ll go change the ID on the photo. I really want to learn to scuba now! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-fish/592039/13 "2011-08-10T13:28:31Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.saltwaterfish.com/Saltwater-Fish\_c\_15.html](http://www.saltwaterfish.com/Saltwater-Fish_c_15.html) Here is a selection of salt water fish. The wrasses have the shape of one of the silver fish. i see a round mouth in the picture which makes it a trigger. A round mouth on the colored fish? Thatā€™s not his mouth. Thatā€™s the spot at the top of his tail to fool/confuse predators. Apparently works on Dopers as well.