This is the Cantherhines dumerilii or barred filefish
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You may notice the vertical bars towards the back of this fish, and that is why we call it the barred filefish. Scientific name is Cantherhines dumerilii, named after the French naturalist Auguste Dumeril.
There are 7 filefish that can be found in Hawaii and 2 of them are endemic. This particular one is not! It is distinguishable with its grayish-brown body, vertical bars, orange colored tail, the large eyes outlined in matching orange, and itʻs strong jaw with powerful teeth.
Their scales are very fine but extremely rough much like the texture of sand paper.
This fish is found in 10-20 feet of water on the coral reefs. They are omnivores that can be seen and heard eating coral, algae, or invertebrates. The Hawaiian name ʻōʻili means to “sprout” or “come up” referring to its spine that happens to be down in this picture. It is just right before itʻs dorsal fin. Filefish are relatives to the triggerfish. They both possess a dorsal spine or bone that they can raise when threatened or triggered. It also acts as a defense mechanism for the fish. Filefish have the ability to find a hole/crevice on the reef and then lock that trigger bone into place thus wedging it into place. Often times found in pairs or solitary. Like the triggerfish, the filefish will swim by undulating their dorsal and anal fins. A behavior that is pretty to watch as they are swimming away from us.
The image above was taken during a Private Ocean Project Maui Snorkel Tour.
This colorful image was taken off a West Maui Beach by the dedicated staff of Ocean Project Maui. They offer custom, private snorkel tours around the island of Maui, Hawaii. Each #COLORSOFTHEOCEAN image you see in our monthly blog, was captured during a private guided snorkel tour. These amazing images, as well as images above and below the water of the clients/supporters are included in every tour at no additional cost.
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