Groupers, hinds, coral groupers, soapfish and the anthias, which are small groupers despite looking like nothing of the kind. Ambush predators that hold still and let a diver come close, then move at the last moment.
The size range in this group is the widest on the site. The anthias hang in clouds over the reef edge at a few centimetres each; the giant grouper and the goliath grouper reach well over two metres and a couple of hundred kilograms. What they share is the method: a wide mouth opened suddenly, which takes the prey in with the water rather than by chasing it.
Several change sex, and the anthias make it visible. A group is females with one male; remove the male and the largest female becomes one within days. Colour follows the change, so the odd-looking fish in an anthias cloud is usually the male.
Many are curious rather than shy, and it has cost them. The Nassau grouper, the goliath grouper and the potato cod all approach divers, all gather predictably to spawn, and all were fished down at those aggregations. Where they are common now it is because a specific site is protected.
The soapfish are the exception in the group: drab, lying on their sides under ledges, and covered in a toxic mucus that lathers in water.
Every one has a page. They are shown as a list rather than as pictures because nothing has been photographed or logged for them yet, and a species with nothing behind it should not sit in front of one that has.
How many of the 42 carry a record at each destination. A species usually carries several, so these do not add up to 42.
All 1316 species in one index, with filters for destination, rarity and hazard.
