Around the Gulf coast when our thoughts turn to fish we tend to think of red snapper, king mackerel and cobia, among others.

In reality, there are thousands of other species of fish that we never or only rarely see, living in shallow and deep water, in both shadow and light that are absolutely fascinating.

One we see on the earth channels is the butterflyfishes. They are from the family (chaetondontidae) and are true reef fishes living out their lives in close association with the bottom structure of a reef. They’re about the size of your hand or maybe a little bit larger, like a bluegill, with the same compressed body structure.

Butterflyfish have undergone adaptive radiation in their evolution with each species filling a very specialized niche in the reef environment.

For example, if three species of butterflyfish each feed on sponges each species will utilize a different section of the same sponge.

Butterflyfish are famous for their bright colors and dainty way of moving around the reef, as SCUBA divers will attest. They gently move around the reef picking up food with their very small mouths.

Juvenile butterflyfish are the homeboys of the reef and only move a few feet from where they’re spawned. When mature they move around the rest of the reef but very rarely off it. Butterflyfish are always seen in pairs and are never more than a foot or two apart. Males and females bond for life but will take another mate if one of the pair dies.

Another fish of interest is Ballyhoo (Hemiramphus brasiliensis). Ballyhoos and several other species in its family Exocoetidae are generally called half beaks for obvious reasons.

They have a lower jaw that extends forward farther than the head is long, like a sharp needle. These fish are greenish silver in color getting up to 18 inches long and weighing in at a couple of pounds at the most.

Ballyhoos are generally found in the warmer waters of the southern Gulf but migrate north in small numbers when the water heats up. These fish live far offshore in small- to moderate-sized schools.

One interesting thing about ballyhoos is that they seem to fly — not really. When frightened they jump out the water and use their tail’s elongated lower lobe to propel themselves along the surface for up to a hundred feet or more. When they do this in groups it looks like a salvo of arrows moving across the surface of the water. Ballyhoos are a prime food source for many of the Gulf’s surface predators like billfish, tuna and dolphin.

The last one we’ll talk about is the bearded brotula (Barotual barbata) from the family Ophidiidae, also called the cusk eel. It’s an elongated fish with barbels on both the upper and lower jaws.

The dorsal, tail and anal fins are all merged into one, wrapping around 70 percent of its body. The eyes appear to be too large for a head of its size. The adults live around rock bottoms with the spotted juveniles favoring muddy areas. You’ll only rarely catch the bearded brotula on hook and line when you’re over a snapper reef but when you don’t be put off by how it looks. In many peoples’ opinion, this fish is better tasting than red snapper.

Think Global – Act Local!

Dr. “Skip” Lazauski’s television show “Eco-Bites”, can now be seen on youtube.com. To reach Dr. Lazauski for questions and comments, send e-mails to IchiOrca@yahoo.com. For more information, see his Web site, www.drskiponline.com