The Queen was spotted at Shark’s Cove yesterday!

July 11, 2011 by Cassidy 1 Comment

The neat thing about doing REEF surveys is that you never know what you will see. I was lucky enough to see a rare fish yesterday while at Shark’s Cove. The Queen Nenue is the yellow morph of the endemic Hawaiian Chub (Kyphosus hawaiiensis), and is a rare sight anywhere in Hawai’i. I also love Shark’s Cove because of the variety of species that can be found there. Some of the other more rare species I saw included the Crown of Thorns, Spectacled Parrotfish, and Goslin’s Fangblenny. Here are some photos from my survey:

: Fourspot Butterflyfish and Forceps Fish

: Christmas Wrasse

: Juvenile Yellowfin Goatfish

: Juvenile Yellowtail Coris

: Ornate Wrasse

: Goslin’s Fangblenny

: Unidentified limpet

: Chiton

: Schools of Chubs, including the endemic Hawaiian Chub species.

: Live snail! Remember the “Look but don’t touch” rule in MLCDs.

: Trails from Rockboring Urchins

: Schools of Convict Tangs and Whitebar Surgeonfish

: Shortnose Wrasse

: Most likely Porkchop Coral (Pavona duerdeni)

: Lei Triggerfish

: Barred Filefish

: Another rare sight, a Spectacled Parrotfish

: Juvenile Blackside Hawkfish

: I distinguish Island Goatfish from Manybar Goatfish by the presence of large lips.

: School of Hawaiian Silversides (Atherinnomorus insularum)

: Invasive Crown of Thorns. These guys are poisonous so don’t touch them! They eat live corals, turning them into white skeletons. In some places, they can become invasive.