Venice Beach Florida Fish ID Challenge

Hi!

I did a morning beach dive off Venice Beach Florida looking for sharks teeth. I brought my camera and took VERY bad photos of fish I couldn't readily ID. I was in 16' of water near concrete blocks over sand. Visibility was 8' and water temp was 85.

The blennies I saw were very darkly shaded. They could be seaweed, but I don't think so. They could be barred or something else. They were about 1" to 1.5" and not too shy.

Later I saw this flounder. It was about 8" long. I think it's a channel but not sure.

Then I cam across this searobin. It was about 9" and I think it's a bighead.

I then came across to what I think is a burfish based on the blotches along its body.

I also saw what I believe to be a juvenile black seabass (about 2") resting on the sand.

And finally, I saw these small fish (just over about 1") more or less hovering over some seaweed/algea. There's a juvenile lane snapper in the upper left corner. These fish that I have no clue about have two dorsal fins.

I appreciate any confirmation on these fish (black seabass, channel flounder, bighead searobin, and burfish) and a better guess for the blennies and small fish. Sorry to post so many fish, but I need the help. And I VERY much appologize for the poor photo quality - the photographer (me) sucks.

Thanks in advance!!

I know these are lousy photos for ID, but nobody has any suggestions on these IDs? Oh well.

BTW, I should have typed barbfish and not burfish for the above fish.

Dave

My best guess on this one is a Croaker (Odontoscion dentex) though they also remind me of Cardinalfish.

Later I saw this flounder. It was about 8" long. I think it's a channel but not sure.

Then I cam across this searobin. It was about 9" and I think it's a bighead.

I then came across to what I think is a burfish based on the blotches along its body.

I also saw what I believe to be a juvenile black seabass (about 2") resting on the sand.

The only one of thouse that I would have ID'd differently is your "Burfish" The problem with common names is that many are unclear, so Burfish may be used for that fish as well, but when I hear burfish I think of a spiny pufferish which looks nothing like the fish in your picture. The fish in your image looks much more like a Scorpionfish. (Scorpaena plumieri).

The blennies I saw were very darkly shaded. They could be seaweed, but I don't think so. They could be barred or something else. They were about 1" to 1.5" and not too shy.

Blennies are often a challenge even with clear images. Biased on your pictures I really can not begin to guess.

I then came across to what I think is a burfish based on the blotches along its body.

This looks like what I call a scorpion fish to me...but I could be wrong.

You should try fixing them up abit is some graphics program.

Add some colour and adjust the contrast.

I hadn't thought that it might have been a juvenile reef croaker. I didn't think they were cardinalfish because there was no hint of red and the second dorsal fins weren't the usual shape of a cardinalfish.

I typed the wrong name for the scorpionifish - not a burfish but a barbfish. I agree it's in the scorpionfish family, but I didn't think it was a spotted scorpionfish.

Thanks for the confirmation on the other fish.

Hi Dave!

Carol here - I learn a lot on this forum about photography but still do remember a bit about Gulf Coast Fish too....

I figured you wanted someone more "expert" than so I waited to "chime in". But here's goes....

First of all I do think you can positively ID that blenny pretty easily - maybe not from the first photo but possibly the other three. Right off the bat I thought it was the oyster blenny - Hypleurochilus aequipinnis - I think we saw those together at the Old Phosphate Dock, Boca Grande in '04? That is pretty close to Venice Beach and fairly similar habitat. You can take a close crop of your blenny dorsal and see if it has the markings Paul Humann mentioned to me in an email (quoted below) as that alone would distinguish it from any other blenny (except the orangespotted blenny - Hypleurochilus springeri - and other distinguishing info on that blenny that distinguishes it from the similar oyster blenny is available on the ReefNet DVD - which has my Sony P10 "point and shoot" photos of the oyster blenny on it so it is possible to get some ID photos with a small point and shoot camera but it is a challenge. I don't think you "suck" as a photographer... , it is just very hard to get decent pics with a small point and shoot/internal flash in those, quite low-viz, conditions):

Quote from Paul Humann, June 2004:

"HI Carol,

You did a good job of researching this "mystery species." I think that all the pictures of the entirely exposed blennies are the Oyster Blenny, Hypleurochilus aequipinnis. The pale bars on the back are the first clue and the white/whitish area between the 1st and 2nd dorsal spines with 1-3 spots on the 1st dorsal spine are the clinchers! Those pictures with only the head exposed are probably the same, at least the pale lines below the eye are similar, but I'd rather see the whole animal."

Dave I won't get involved on some of the others. Honestly these guys, to positively ID, need a little more help in the photos....... .

For instance if you have a photo of the dorsal of the flounder that would help.

Some of my searobin photos went on the ReefNet Fish DVD. But I learned that searobin descriptions aren't really uniform amongst experts which multiplies the difficulty in IDing them. Dave, the pic you have here of the searobin is not bad. It is just that you need a couple of more "views" of the fish and most importantly you need to photo the dorsal raised. That is because a couple of the common Gulf Coast searobin species are IDed by position of spots in the first several dorsal rays (barred searobin vs. northern searobin), etc. Plus a top shot of the "wings" spread helps also. I don't think it is a bighead because supposedly that one has pretty dark pectoral fins. I have seen and photoed the barred searobin Prionotus martis on the Fla Gulf Coast but it took several photos of it to ID and you must have a photo of the dorsal raised among the ID pics in the searobins that are tougher to ID.

I think Les Wilk did some more research on how to ID some of the harder searobins so you might want to send the pic here and any additional pics you have of it to him.

Good Luck with the rest!!! Nice to see you on this forum - belated welcome - and all the best always, Carol

PS - and yes I agree with you that your scorpionfish is a barbfish Scorpaena brasiliensis

PPS - and yes I agree with you that the single juv fish is a juv black seabass Centropristis striata as the main "stripe" is in the exact same position in the adult female and the black seabass is pretty common on Fla Gulf Coast.

Carol;

Thanks very much for the post - most helpful! Although the blennies were numerous on the dive, it's my first sighting of an oyster, so I very much appreciate the feedback. I was hoping I could get an ID on the searobin, but it doesn't appear likely now (since I didn't get any shots of the raised dorsal).

Happy diving!

What is so great about Dave's post here is that he shows us there is a lot more to Venice Beach than sharks' teeth for sure!!

Cool fish there too!

Thanks Dave, Carol