Fish identity

[Gordon Archer]

Can anyone help me to identify a fish species that I have not seen before, whist diving in cornwall last weekend.

The main identifying feature is its triangular dorsal fin with rounded off tip, which had horizontal black & white alternating stripes or bands of colour.
Main body was bright silvery, a small shoal of ten plus came out of the kelp across a sandy bottom.

I was surprised as having dived the area some 12 plus years,and knowing what has been reported by fishermen & divers locally,
I can honestly say I am stuck on this one.

As usual the camera was empty whem we saw this, just ended taking pictures of cuttle fish in the kelp.

It was a great week end of dives with some unusual sealife and sea conditions, no sea sickness at all:-) Most of all was the great variety of species spotted.

[Steve Walker]

Can anyone help me to identify a fish species that I have not seen before, whist diving in cornwall last weekend.

The main identifying feature is its triangular dorsal fin with rounded off tip, which had horizontal black & white alternating stripes or bands of colour.
Main body was bright silvery, a small shoal of ten plus came out of the kelp across a sandy bottom.

I was surprised as having dived the area some 12 plus years,and knowing what has been reported by fishermen & divers locally,
I can honestly say I am stuck on this one.

As usual the camera was empty whem we saw this, just ended taking pictures of cuttle fish in the kelp.

It was a great week end of dives with some unusual sealife and sea conditions, no sea sickness at all:-) Most of all was the great variety of species spotted.



Sounds to me very much like a Bib (aka Pout, Trisopterus luscus). I saw plenty of these whilst diving off Dorset recently (Kyarra, A.Sky, you know, the usual suspects), check the url for a piccie. If that matches your sighting I'm a little surprised that you haven't seen these before as I've found them to be reasonably common.
Cheers
Steve

[Gordon Archer]

Sounds to me very much like a Bib (aka Pout, Trisopterus luscus). I saw plenty of these whilst diving off Dorset recently (Kyarra, A.Sky, you know, the usual suspects), check the url for a piccie. If that matches your sighting I'm a little surprised that you haven't seen these before as I've found them to be reasonably common.
Cheers
Steve

Hi Thanks for the input steve but it was not a pout, as you said they are common but the white Black bands on the pout are vertical and on the body.
I am looking for a fish with horizontal black and white stripes or bands on their dorsal fin.(That is parallel to the body).

[Steve Walker]

Hi Thanks for the input steve but it was not a pout, as you said they are common but the white Black bands on the pout are vertical and on the body.
I am looking for a fish with horizontal black and white stripes or bands on their dorsal fin.(That is parallel to the body).

Did it have barbels? Mullet have horizontal stripes but usually yellow, however it could be a rare colour morph variant. Alternatively, with the exceptiaonlly warm weather we've been having it may have been a migrant from warmer climes, might be worth checking Mediterranean and West African fish ID guides. Cheers
Steve

[Gordon Archer]

Did it have barbels? Mullet have horizontal stripes but usually yellow, however it could be a rare colour morph variant. Alternatively, with the exceptiaonlly warm weather we've been having it may have been a migrant from warmer climes, might be worth checking Mediterranean and West African fish ID guides. Cheers
Steve

Thanks again Steve you are thinking along the lines I was thinking in that they were a rare foreign visitor. I noticed the colours on several different individuals so tend to discount the varient, I will look into the mullet theory though.
Is there a web site I can visit to search?

[Steve Walker]

I've yet to find a really good on-line marine species ID guide, but this link could be a half-decent starting point as it contains a variety of other links.
Cheers
Steve

[P. Nicholas]

Could try this fish identification page:-
<a href="http://www.fishbase.org/identification/classlist.cfm" >http://www.fishbase.org/identification/classlist.cfm</a>
Cheers,
Paul

[Gordon Archer]

Could try this fish identification page:-
http://www.fishbase.org/identification/classlist.cfm
Cheers,
Paul

Thanks Paul this was a very useful site, but still cannot identify the species.
The only distiguishing feature That I thought would identify the species was the dorsal fin, a single dorsal fin that was only raised occasionally, Banded horizontal sripes of black & White with a rounded off tip. The front backwards curve of the dorsal fin was the exact opposite of the rear making an equilateral triangle on the back of the fish.
In the majority of fish with dorsal fins the rear of the dorsal fin also curves backward, which does make this a puzzle.

[Steve Walker]

:=Could try this fish identification page:-
:= http://www.fishbase.org/identification/classlist.cfm
:=Cheers,
:=Paul

The only distiguishing feature That I thought would identify the species was the dorsal fin, a single dorsal fin that was only raised occasionally,

Like a Dragonets dorsal fin? If so that suggets it might be a defensive adaptation perhaps carrying some toxins, B&W stripes also suggest a defensive "warning" display, might help narrowing the search down

Banded horizontal sripes of black & White with a rounded off tip. The front backwards curve of the dorsal fin was the exact opposite of the rear making an equilateral triangle on the back of the fish.
In the majority of fish with dorsal fins the rear of the dorsal fin also curves backward, which does make this a puzzle.

I know we have at least one fisheries scientist on here, Philip Smith, I thought he might have some suggestions as to the identity of this mystery beast, might be worth e-mailing him?
Cheers

[Philip Smith]

I know we have at least one fisheries scientist on here, Philip Smith, I thought he might have some suggestions as to the identity of this mystery beast, might be worth e-mailing him?

I'm afraid I can't tell what it is either. Is there any more information about body shape and arrangement/shape of the other fins?

Philip Smith