Palau fish

Reef fish

Reef fish

25 species · grouped by family

More than 1,300 fish species are recorded in Palau (Pew 2015), 746 of them in the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (UNESCO). The table lists the reef fish photographed in Palau for this guide in January 2023, plus the fish that dive reports single out, such as the spawning snappers and groupers. Fish are grouped by family in the style of REEF fish survey sheets, then sorted by common name. Each row says where the fish has been reported, with the source.

Table 1 — Reef fish reported or photographed in Palau, grouped by family in the style of REEF survey sheets (Other last), then sorted by common name. Each fish’s family is shown under its scientific name. Fish marked “No photo yet” link to photos on Wikimedia Commons.

Photo	Common name	Species	At Palau	Profile
Angelfish Pomacanthidae · 1 species
	Regal angelfish	Pygoplites diacanthusPomacanthidae	Angelfish are among the fish of the Big Drop-off wall (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Butterflyfish Chaetodontidae · 1 species
No photo yet	Pyramid butterflyfish	Hemitaurichthys polylepisChaetodontidae	Reported on Peleliu Wall and the New Drop-off (Dive The World).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Damselfish and anemonefish Pomacentridae · 3 species
	Blue-green chromis	Chromis viridisPomacentridae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Golden damselfish	Amblyglyphidodon aureusPomacentridae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Pink anemonefish	Amphiprion perideraionPomacentridae	Lives in magnificent sea anemones. Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Eels Congridae, Muraenidae · 2 species
	Giant moray	Gymnothorax javanicusMuraenidae	Moray eels are reported at the New Drop-off (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Spotted garden eel	Heteroconger hassiCongridae	Garden eels live on the sand at German Channel (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Groupers Serranidae · 2 species
No photo yet	Camouflage grouper	Epinephelus polyphekadionSerranidae	Spawns at Ulong once a year in June or July, in the days before the new moon, and sharks gather to feed on the spawning fish (ISRA Ulong); spawning dives are run from June to August (Fish ’n Fins).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Humpback grouper (barramundi cod)	Cromileptes altivelisSerranidae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Jacks Carangidae · 1 species
	Bluefin trevally	Caranx melampygusCarangidae	Large schools of jacks are reported at Blue Corner (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Parrotfish Scaridae · 1 species
No photo yet	Bumphead parrotfish	Bolbometopon muricatumScaridae	Gathers to spawn at dawn on shallow reefs around the new moon each month (Fish ’n Fins).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Puffers and filefish Monacanthidae, Tetraodontidae · 2 species
	Reticulated pufferfish	Arothron reticularisTetraodontidae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Scrawled filefish	Aluterus scriptusMonacanthidae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Snappers and fusiliers Caesionidae, Lutjanidae · 4 species
	Bluestripe snapper	Lutjanus kasmiraLutjanidae	Large schools of snappers are reported at Blue Corner (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Redbelly yellowtail fusilier	Caesio cuningCaesionidae	Yellowtail fusiliers school along the New Drop-off (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
No photo yet	Sailfin snapper	Symphorichthys spilurusLutjanidae	Spawns at Peleliu Corner from March to May, 4–5 days at a time on the waxing moon, from dawn until about 10 am; grey reef sharks feed on the spawning fish (ISRA Peleliu Corner).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Two-spot red snapper	Lutjanus boharLutjanidae	Spawns at Peleliu Corner early in the morning every month, from just after the quarter moon until a few days before the full moon (ISRA Peleliu Corner).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Surgeonfish and unicornfish Acanthuridae · 1 species
	Bignose unicornfish	Naso vlamingiiAcanthuridae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Triggerfish Balistidae · 1 species
No photo yet	Red-toothed triggerfish	Odonus nigerBalistidae	Reported at Ulong Channel (Dive The World).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Wrasse Labridae · 1 species
	Humphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)	Cheilinus undulatusLabridae	Reported at the New Drop-off (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
Other Cirrhitidae, Ephippidae, Priacanthidae, Pseudochromidae, Zanclidae · 5 species
	Arc-eye hawkfish	Paracirrhites arcatusCirrhitidae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Glasseye	Heteropriacanthus cruentatusPriacanthidae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Longfin batfish	Platax teiraEphippidae	Batfish are reported at Ulong Channel (Dive The World). Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Magenta dottyback	Pictichromis porphyreaPseudochromidae	Photographed in Palau in January 2023.	FishBase
	Moorish idol	Zanclus cornutusZanclidae	Spawning Moorish idols drew more than 200 grey reef sharks to Siaes Corner in January 2017 (ISRA Siaes Corner); also reported on Peleliu Wall (Dive The World).	FishBase

Pelagics

Open water

Seen in the blue, not on the reef

Credits

Fish photo credits

Photos and where they were taken

All photos on this page are Megan Applegate’s own and are © Megan Applegate, all rights reserved. They were taken in Palau in January 2023, except the Moorish idol, photographed at Malpelo.