Roatán fish

Reef fish

Reef fish

51 species · grouped by family

Roatán lies on the southern edge of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (Wikipedia). In the 2024 Healthy Reefs report card, herbivorous fish such as parrotfish and surgeonfish had increased in the Bay Islands, except at Guanaja, part of the first improvement in reef health across the region in five years (Coral Reef Alliance 2024).

The table lists common reef fish of the Caribbean that divers meet at Roatán, grouped by family in the style of REEF fish survey sheets, then sorted by common name. The “Look for” notes come from each fish’s FishBase or Wikipedia page, with Roatán notes where a source gives them. Fish with a photo were photographed by Megan Applegate at Roatán.

Table 1 — Common reef fish at Roatán, 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	Look for	Profile
Angelfish Pomacanthidae · 3 species
No photo yet	French angelfish	Pomacanthus paruPomacanthidae	Black, with most scales rimmed golden yellow, a yellow ring round the eye, a whitish chin and a yellow filament on the dorsal fin.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Queen angelfish	Holacanthus ciliarisPomacanthidae	Tail and pectoral fins all yellow, and a black spot ringed in electric blue on the forehead, the “crown”.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Rock beauty	Holacanthus tricolorPomacanthidae	Yellow front and yellow tail, the rest black. Juveniles are yellow with a blue-ringed black spot.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Butterflyfish Chaetodontidae · 2 species
No photo yet	Banded butterflyfish	Chaetodon striatusChaetodontidae	Two broad black bars on the side, a third from the soft dorsal fin onto the tail base, and black bands near the fin edges.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Foureye butterflyfish	Chaetodon capistratusChaetodontidae	A large white-ringed black eyespot near the tail, dark diagonal lines forming forward-pointing chevrons, and a black bar through the eye.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Damselfish Pomacentridae · 4 species
No photo yet	Bicolor damselfish	Stegastes partitusPomacentridae	Head and front half of the body dark grey or black, the rear half pale, usually with some yellow; up to about 10 cm (Wikipedia).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Brown chromis	Chromis multilineataPomacentridae	Greyish brown above, silvery grey on the sides, a black spot at the pectoral-fin base, a white spot just behind the dorsal fin, and yellow edges on the dorsal fin and tail lobes; up to 20 cm (FishBase).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Sergeant major	Abudefduf saxatilisPomacentridae	Greenish-yellow above, white below, with five black bars; nesting males turn dark blue. Its egg nests are a feature of the Bud wreck (Divernet 2023).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Yellowtail damselfish	Microspathodon chrysurusPomacentridae	Adults dark brown with a bright yellow tail. Juveniles dark blue with electric-blue spots and a clear tail.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Eels Muraenidae · 2 species
	Green moray	Gymnothorax funebrisMuraenidae	Very large, up to 2.5 m, and uniformly dark green to brown. A large green moray lives on the El Aguila wreck (Divernet 2023). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
No photo yet	Spotted moray	Gymnothorax moringaMuraenidae	Pale white or yellowish, covered in small, overlapping brownish to purplish-black spots.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Groupers, seabasses and hamlets Epinephelidae, Serranidae · 5 species
No photo yet	Barred hamlet	Hypoplectrus puellaSerranidae	Cream to pale yellow with six brown bars, the first through the eye, and blue lines on the head. A pair of its relatives, indigo hamlets, were seen courting at Half Moon Bay (Divernet 2023).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Coney	Cephalopholis fulvaEpinephelidae	Red, brown or yellow phases, all with many small black-edged blue spots and two black spots on top of the tail base.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Graysby	Cephalopholis cruentataEpinephelidae	Pale with reddish spots and four white or black spots along the base of the dorsal fin.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Nassau grouper	Epinephelus striatusEpinephelidae	The third and fourth dark bars join above the lateral line in a “W”, with a forked dark stripe on top of the head. Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. A curious one was met at Half Moon Bay (Divernet 2023).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Tiger grouper	Mycteroperca tigrisEpinephelidae	About eleven narrow pale lines slanting down and forward across the back, unique among Caribbean groupers. Megan photographed tiger groupers at Roatán in 2022 and 2023. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
Grunts Haemulidae · 2 species
No photo yet	French grunt	Haemulon flavolineatumHaemulidae	Yellow, with enlarged scales in slanting rows below the lateral line, which no other grunt has.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Smallmouth grunt	Haemulon chrysargyreumHaemulidae	Six straight, evenly spaced bronze-yellow stripes and mostly yellow fins.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Jacks Carangidae · 2 species
No photo yet	Bar jack	Caranx ruberCarangidae	Silver, with a dark stripe along the back that turns down across the tail base onto the lower tail lobe.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Horse-eye jack	Caranx latusCarangidae	Dusky to blackish scutes near the tail, a yellow tail, and little or no spot on the gill cover. Seen along the West End Wall (Scuba Diving 2018).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Parrotfish Labridae (Scarinae) · 4 species
	Midnight parrotfish	Scarus coelestinusLabridae (Scarinae)	Deep blue with light blue patches on the head and sides, and always a light blue patch under the beak; the colours stay the same from juvenile to adult, and males and females look alike. Usually 30–60 cm, close to 1 m at most. It often feeds in mixed schools with blue tang (Wikipedia). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
No photo yet	Queen parrotfish	Scarus vetulaLabridae (Scarinae)	Initial phase dark grey with a broad white stripe below mid-side; terminal phase has a brownish-orange band near the tail edge.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Rainbow parrotfish	Scarus guacamaiaLabridae (Scarinae)	Dull orange fins with green, blue fin margins and blue-green tooth plates. Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Stoplight parrotfish	Sparisoma virideLabridae (Scarinae)	Terminal males green with three orange bands on the head and a yellow spot at the top of the gill cover; initial phase brown above with a bright red lower third.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Puffers, porcupinefish and boxfish Diodontidae, Ostraciidae, Tetraodontidae · 5 species
No photo yet	Balloonfish	Diodon holocanthusDiodontidae	Dark blotches on the back with spots between them, unspotted fins, and brown bars above and below the eye.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Porcupinefish	Diodon hystrixDiodontidae	Tan to light brown with many small dark spots and no large blotches; white belly. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Sharpnose puffer	Canthigaster rostrataTetraodontidae	Small, up to about 12 cm, with a pointed snout: white with a darker brown back, bright blue spots and a yellow tail edged with a dark line (Wikipedia). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Smooth trunkfish	Lactophrys triqueterOstraciidae	A boxfish, dark with small white spots grouped in a honeycomb across the middle and yellowish fins; up to about 47 cm, usually about 20 cm. Juveniles are dark with large yellow spots. It blows jets of water at the sand to uncover prey (Wikipedia). Divers call baby trunkfish “peas” for their small, round shape (Scuba Diving 2018). Megan’s photo shows a juvenile. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Spotted trunkfish	Lactophrys bicaudalisOstraciidae	A whitish to golden boxfish covered in regular black spots, tail included, with three white spots in a diagonal row behind the eye and a plain white snout. Its skin releases a toxin when touched, harmful only if eaten (Wikipedia). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
Snappers Lutjanidae · 3 species
	Mutton snapper	Lutjanus analisLutjanidae	Olive-green above, reddish lower down, with a black spot between the lateral line and the spiny dorsal fin and two blue stripes under the eye; typically about 50 cm. Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (Wikipedia). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
No photo yet	Schoolmaster	Lutjanus apodusLutjanidae	Olive-grey with about eight narrow pale bars and a blue line under the eye.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Yellowtail snapper	Ocyurus chrysurusLutjanidae	A bright yellow stripe from snout to tail, a blue-violet back with yellow spots, and a yellow tail.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Surgeonfish Acanthuridae · 1 species
No photo yet	Blue tang	Acanthurus coeruleusAcanthuridae	Adults bluish-grey with faint wavy lines and a yellowish tail spine; juveniles bright yellow. A large school was met at Tavianna’s Wall (Divernet 2023).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Triggerfish and filefish Balistidae, Monacanthidae · 6 species
No photo yet	Black durgon	Melichthys nigerBalistidae	Dark brown to black, with a thin white line along the bases of the dorsal and anal fins.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Orangespotted filefish	Cantherhines pullusMonacanthidae	Up to about 20 cm: broad brown bands separated by narrow pale bands that meet at the tail base, small orange and white spots over the body, a white spot on top of the tail base, and wavy yellowish lines on the snout. It hides among tall corals and sea fans and eats mainly sponges and algae (Wikipedia). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
No photo yet	Queen triggerfish	Balistes vetulaBalistidae	Two curved bright-blue bands from the snout to the pectoral fin and a blue bar across the tail base. Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Scrawled filefish	Aluterus scriptusMonacanthidae	Long and flat, olive-brown to grey with small black spots and blue lines and spots. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Slender filefish	Monacanthus tuckeriMonacanthidae	Small, usually 5–8 cm and at most about 10 cm: slender, with a long head and pointed snout, yellow-brown with brown spots, and able to change colour. It often hides among gorgonians. The scrawled filefish, which it can be confused with, is covered in blue-green spots and lines (anemoon.org). Named on the El Aguila wreck (Scuba Diving 2018). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Whitespotted filefish	Cantherhines macrocerusMonacanthidae	Brown, with or without many white spots; males have an orange patch of bristles in front of the tail-base spines. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
Wrasse and hogfish Labridae · 4 species
No photo yet	Bluehead wrasse	Thalassoma bifasciatumLabridae	Terminal males with a blue head, green body and two black bars around a light-blue band; initial phase yellow above a black mid-side stripe.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Creole wrasse	Clepticus parraeLabridae	Juveniles almost all violet-purple; adults develop a yellow patch on the rear of the body; males reach about 30 cm. Feeds on plankton in groups along reef slopes (Wikipedia). Named at Mandy’s Eel Garden and on the West End Wall (Scuba Diving 2018). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
No photo yet	Hogfish	Lachnolaimus maximusLabridae	The first three dorsal spines long and filament-like, an arched profile, and a black spot at the rear base of the dorsal fin. Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
No photo yet	Spanish hogfish	Bodianus rufusLabridae	Head and upper front of the body blue (red in deep water); the rest of the body and the tail yellow.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Other Aulostomidae, Bothidae, Ephippidae, Grammatidae, Holocentridae, Mullidae, Sciaenidae, Scorpaenidae · 8 species
	Atlantic spadefish	Chaetodipterus faberEphippidae	A very deep, flat silver body with four to six black bars that fade with age, and long trailing lobes on the dorsal and anal fins (Wikipedia). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Blackcap basslet	Gramma melacaraGrammatidae	Up to about 10 cm, purple to magenta with a black, slanted cap from the lips to the front of the dorsal fin. Lives on upright rock faces with gaps to hide in, at about 10–180 m, most often 20–60 m (Wikipedia). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Longspine squirrelfish	Holocentrus rufusHolocentridae	Slender and red with white stripes, a very large eye and a white spot at the tip of each dorsal spine (Wikipedia (ES)); the third anal-fin spine is very long, which gives it its name (Wikipedia). It hides in holes and caves by day and forages at night (Wikipedia (ES)). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Peacock flounder	Bothus lunatusBothidae	A flatfish, grey-brown with many light-blue rings and dots and two or three diffuse black spots along the lateral line. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Spotted drum	Equetus punctatusSciaenidae	White with dark bars and a very tall first dorsal fin; the second dorsal fin and tail are dark with white spots. Megan’s photo shows a juvenile. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
	Spotted scorpionfish	Scorpaena plumieriScorpaenidae	Reddish brown with many brown and black spots, especially on the fins; up to 43–47 cm. It lives on the bottom and has venom in its spines (Wikipedia). Scorpionfish are named at Mandy’s Eel Garden (Scuba Diving 2018). Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase
No photo yet	Trumpetfish	Aulostomus maculatusAulostomidae	Very long and thin, with a chin barbel and a row of separate spines in front of the dorsal fin.	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Yellow goatfish	Mulloidichthys martinicusMullidae	Pale tan with a single yellow stripe from the eye to the yellow tail, the only Caribbean goatfish with one yellow stripe. Photographed at Roatán (photo on this page).	FishBase

Invasive

Lionfish

An Indo-Pacific fish that should not be here

Lionfish were first recorded in the Bay Islands in 2009. Roatán Marine Park and the Bay Islands Conservation Association train divers to cull them: a licence, a spear and an hour of training cost about US$70. Divers and local groups report fewer lionfish at popular sites where spearing goes with managed areas, though deep reefs still hold many large ones, and lionfish are on the menu at about 40 restaurants on Roatán and Utila (Reef Resilience).

Credits

Fish photo credits

Photos and where they were taken

All the fish photos on this page are Megan Applegate’s, © Megan Applegate, all rights reserved, taken at Roatán in 2022 or 2023 (dates in the table). Fish without a photo link to photos on Wikimedia Commons.