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SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Reef fish

Clownfish, wrasses, parrotfish, surgeonfish, angelfish and butterflyfish. 56 fish on EveryFish so far.

Reef fish is not a scientific group but a way of life: the many families of fish that live on and around coral reefs. Damselfish and clownfish, wrasses, parrotfish, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, gobies, groupers and snappers make up most of them. Reefs cover far less than one per cent of the sea floor but hold roughly a quarter of all marine fish species, packed together in a small space.

Living together

Reef fish divide the reef finely. Parrotfish and surgeonfish graze algae and keep it from smothering corals. Butterflyfish pick at coral polyps. Cleaner wrasses run cleaning stations where bigger fish come to have parasites removed. Clownfish shelter among stinging anemones, and many reef fish change sex during their lives. Bright colours serve as signals, warnings and camouflage among the bright corals. Most reef fish lay eggs that drift as larvae for weeks before settling on a reef.

Trade and threats

Reef fish feed millions of people in coastal villages of the tropics. The aquarium trade takes many species from the wild, and the film Finding Nemo in 2003 raised demand for clownfish, though most clownfish sold are now bred in captivity. Groupers and humphead wrasse are taken for the live reef fish trade of East Asia. Bleaching from marine heatwaves, overfishing, blast and cyanide fishing, and pollution are the main threats.

Famous reef fish fish

Orange clownfishLives in anemones on Pacific reefsHumphead wrasseA giant reef fish, endangeredGreen humphead parrotfishThe largest parrotfishMoorish idolA striking fish of Indo-Pacific reefsMandarinfishThe mandarinfishBluestreak cleaner wrasseRuns cleaning stationsRegal blue tangThe blue tang

Still to be written: Ocellaris clownfish.

Further reading

WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldRegal blue tang Bright blue reef fish with a yellow tail and black markings.Reef fish · Coral reefs WorldSix-line wrasse Small violet reef fish with six orange stripesReef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1857 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreFrench angelfish A slow-growing Caribbean reef fish known for its sponge diet.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1799 WorldBluespotted cornetfish Long, slender reef fish with a tubular snout and blue spots.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldGiant grouper A massive Indo-Pacific reef fish and one of the largest bony species on Earth.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1790 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreLeopard coral grouper A spotted reef predator prized for food across the Pacific.Perch-like · Coasts and shelves · 1802 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreHumphead wrasse The largest reef-dwelling wrasse, known for its forehead hump and endangered status.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1801 WorldGreen humphead parrotfish The largest parrotfish species, known for its massive head and role in reef bioerosion.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇩 IndonesiaBanggai cardinalfish A small, endangered marine fish from Indonesia known for its unique breeding habits and popularity in the aquarium tradeReef fish · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRainbow parrotfish Largest Atlantic parrotfish found on coral reefs and in mangroves.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldQueen parrotfish A colourful reef fish that turns coral into sandReef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldConvict tang Striped marine surgeonfish found across the Indo-Pacific.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldParrotfish Reef-dwelling wrasses with beak-like teeth that grind coral into sand.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldWrasse A large family of colourful marine fish known for sex change and cleaning symbiosis.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldDamselfish Small marine fish known for aggressive territorial behaviour and reef farming.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldTriggerfish Armoured reef fish with a locking dorsal spineReef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1810 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreRed lionfish Venomous coral reef fish native to the Indo-Pacific and invasive in the Atlantic.Reef fish · Coral reefs · 1758

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.