405_April_24

MARINE BIOLOGY WITH MIKE SCOTLAND - FISH IDENTIFICATION

A Tasselled leatherjacket, Chaetodermis penicilligera. The name Chaetodermis literally means skin with spines.

Both images below: Radial leatherjacket, Acreichthys radiatus. They are found in white soft coral or in the case of the photo below, amongst the arms of a red sponge under the wharf at Kavieng, New Ireland in PNG.

Puffers. Take note of the very short dorsal fin so that you can identify the difference between the Mimic leatherjacket and the Mimic puffers. This incredible and rich family contains some of the weirdest and most colourful of all the fishes. Australian divers are fortunate to have possibly the richest bio diversity of Leatherjackets of any marine ecosystem anywhere on planet Earth. It is yet another case of Sydney diving making a claim to be a really great dive location in its own right. Then again, Sydney diving has world rated Cephalopods, Sea Slugs, Sea Stars, Seahorses, Rays, Sharks and many other forms of marine life that easily challenge some of the so called best dive spots in the world. Every time I come home from exotic tropical dive destinations, I continue to be amazed at the wonderful marine life we have right here on our doorstep.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #405 - April ‘24