Solomon Islands fish

Reef fish

Reef fish

30 species · grouped by family

A 2004 survey led by The Nature Conservancy recorded 1,019 fish species in the Marovo–Tetepare area alone, compared with about 1,500 for the whole Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (UNESCO Tentative List). The table lists the 26 reef fish photographed in the Solomon Islands for this guide in September 2025, plus fish that dive reports single out. There are no REEF surveys from the Solomons behind it. Fish are grouped by family in the style of REEF fish survey sheets, then sorted by common name.

Table 1 — Reef fish photographed or reported in the Solomon Islands, 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	In the Solomons	Profile
Angelfish Pomacanthidae · 2 species
	Flame angelfish	Centropyge loriculusPomacanthidae	Reported at about 40 ft (12 m) at Mary Island (DAN Alert Diver). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Semicircle angelfish	Pomacanthus semicirculatusPomacanthidae	A juvenile: blue-black with narrow white stripes, straight near the head and curving toward the tail; adults are brownish green speckled with blue. Juveniles are timid and live in shallow, sheltered spots (Wikipedia). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Blennies Blenniidae · 1 species
	Red-streaked blenny	Cirripectes stigmaticusBlenniidae	A “red-spotted blenny” is reported in 7 ft (2 m) at Mary Island (DAN Alert Diver). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Butterflyfish Chaetodontidae · 1 species
	Eightband butterflyfish	Chaetodon octofasciatusChaetodontidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Damselfish and anemonefish Pomacentridae · 7 species
	Burt’s damselfish (Solomons demoiselle) · described from the Solomons	Chrysiptera burtjonesiPomacentridae	Described in 2017 from the Solomon Islands, usually near shore in green water. Juveniles are neon blue with orange on the lower rear body; adults turn greenish (Reef Builders 2017). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Clark’s anemonefish	Amphiprion clarkiiPomacentridae	Two white bars and a white tail base, with orange-yellow fins; it uses ten host anemones, more than any other anemonefish (Wikipedia). Photographed sharing its anemone with a porcelain crab (see the Macro page). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Orange clownfish (clown anemonefish)	Amphiprion perculaPomacentridae	Tell it from the false clownfish by the thick black edges on every fin (Wikipedia). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Pink anemonefish	Amphiprion perideraionPomacentridae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Reticulate dascyllus	Dascyllus reticulatusPomacentridae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Saddleback anemonefish	Amphiprion polymnusPomacentridae	Lives in silty lagoons and harbours at 2–30 m, in saddle carpet anemones or Heteractis crispa (Wikipedia). Photographed beside its eggs. Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Spinecheek anemonefish	Amphiprion biaculeatusPomacentridae	Also listed as Premnas biaculeatus. Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Gobies and dartfish Gobiidae, Microdesmidae · 6 species
	Elegant firefish (decorated dartfish)	Nemateleotris decoraMicrodesmidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Fire dartfish	Nemateleotris magnificaMicrodesmidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Neon dwarfgoby	Eviota atriventrisGobiidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Randall’s shrimpgoby	Amblyeleotris randalliGobiidae	White with orange-yellow stripes and an eyespot on the first dorsal fin; lives on coarse sand at about 25–50 m with an alpheid shrimp (Wikipedia). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Silverspot shrimpgoby	Ctenogobiops crocineusGobiidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Stripehead pygmygoby	Trimma striatumGobiidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Hawkfish Cirrhitidae · 2 species
	Dwarf hawkfish	Cirrhitichthys falcoCirrhitidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Freckled hawkfish	Paracirrhites forsteriCirrhitidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Jacks Carangidae · 1 species
No photo yet	Bigeye trevally	Caranx sexfasciatusCarangidae	Bigeye jacks school at Ben’s Point, Mary Island (Dive The World).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Parrotfish Scaridae · 1 species
No photo yet	Bumphead parrotfish	Bolbometopon muricatumScaridae	Reported at Mary Island and at Bego Point in Marovo (Dive The World), and among the fish of the Solomons in DAN and PADI reports (DAN Alert Diver; PADI).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
Puffers and filefish Monacanthidae · 1 species
	Harlequin filefish (longnose filefish)	Oxymonacanthus longirostrisMonacanthidae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Squirrelfish and soldierfish Holocentridae · 1 species
	Whitetip soldierfish	Myripristis vittataHolocentridae	Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Surgeonfish Acanthuridae · 1 species
	Brushtail tang	Zebrasoma scopasAcanthuridae	A juvenile. Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Triggerfish Balistidae · 2 species
No photo yet	Clown triggerfish	Balistoides conspicillumBalistidae	Reported at Ben’s Point, Mary Island (Dive The World).	FishBase · Photos (Commons)
	Gilded triggerfish	Xanthichthys auromarginatusBalistidae	Photographed in open water off the reef. Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
Other Callionymidae, Ephippidae, Serranidae, Sphyraenidae · 4 species
	Blackfin barracuda	Sphyraena qenieSphyraenidae	Barracuda schools are the signature of Barracuda Point at Mary Island (Dive The World; PADI). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Mandarinfish	Synchiropus splendidusCallionymidae	Reported at White Beach in the Russells (Dive The World). Photo from Palau.	FishBase
	Pinnate batfish	Platax pinnatusEphippidae	Juveniles are black outlined in orange, with very long fins, and mimic a toxic flatworm; adults are silvery with yellow fins and shelter under overhangs on steep outer slopes (Wikipedia). Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	FishBase
	Purple anthias	Mirolabrichthys tukaSerranidae	Also listed as Pseudanthias tuka. Photographed in the Solomon Islands in September 2025.	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 the Solomon Islands in September 2025, except the mandarinfish, photographed in Palau.