The Grunts (Haemulidae): The fish of the Grunt or Haemulidae family are known in Mexico as "burros." They are similar in appearance to the snappers but can be distinguished by their lack of canine and vomerine teeth and by the presence of pits on their chins.

When collected, these fish grunt audibly by rubbing together tooth plates in their throats. Most grunts are small schooling fishes that swarm over reefs during the day and move to sandy shoals at night. They feed primarily at night on benthic invertebrates such as shrimp, clams, and polychaetes worms. The stripes of juveniles are more prominent than in adults.

Globally, 150 species of grunts have been identified, many of them hard to differentiate. In Mexican waters, there are reports of as many as 25 different kinds of grunts in the Sea of Cortez alone

Source www.mexfish.com/fish/grunts/grunts.htm

See www.mexfish.com/fish/spttg...pttgrnt.htm

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A funky, psychedelic fish that bounces on the ocean floor like a rubber ball has been classified as a new species, a scientific journal reported. The frogfish _ which has a swirl of tan and peach zebra stripes that extend from its aqua eyes to its tail _ was initially discovered by scuba diving instructors working for a tour operator a year ago in shallow waters off Ambon island in eastern Indonesia.

The operator contacted Ted Pietsch, lead author of a paper published in this month's edition of Copeia, the journal of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, who submitted DNA work identifying it as a new species.

The fish _ which the University of Washington professor has named "psychedelica" _ is a member of the antennariid genus, Histiophryne, and like other frogfish, has fins on both sides of its body that have evolved to be leg-like.

But it has several behavioral traits not previously known to the others, Pietsch wrote.

Each time the fish strike the seabed, for instance, they push off with their fins and expel water from tiny gill openings to jet themselves forward. That, and an off-centered tail, causes them to bounce around in a bizarre, chaotic manner.

Mark Erdman, a senior adviser to the Conservation International's marine program, said Thursday it was an exciting discovery.

"I think people thought frogfishes were relatively well known and to get a new one like this is really quiet spectacular. ... It's a stunning animal," he said, adding that the fish's stripes were probably intended to mimic coral.

"It also speaks to the tremendous diversity in this region and to fact that there are still a lot of unknowns here _ in Indonesia and in the Coral Triangle in general."

The fish, which has a gelatinous fist-sized body covered with thick folds of skin that protect it from sharp-edged corals, also has a flat face with eyes directed forward, like humans, and a huge, yawning mouth.

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On the Net:

University of Washington: uwnews.org/article.asp

Read more at: www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0...24.html
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From www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0...24.html

On youtube www.youtube.com/watch

Thanks Lisa :)

Doctor fish!

www.youtube.com/watch
www.smh.com.au/travel/fis...7-6js3.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_fish

let these little suckers go to town on your toes...