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Sea Reef Slope 5 of 5
Spiny Skinned Animals, phylum Echinodermata. The Red Sea has an
abundance of species of all the living classes of echinoderms, with crinoids
(Feather Stars) and if you look close, Brittlestars (ophiuroids) in abundance.
These two groups and the too-large Sea Cucumbers (holothuroideans) from here are
either largely ignored by the trade or incidental in importance. The other
echinoderm classes, the Sea Urchins and Seastars are of more interest.
| Fromia ghardaqana Mortensen 1936,Ghardaqa Brittle
Star. Red Sea endemic. To three inches in diameter. A few other
Fromia spp. Seastars are found here; all make great reef aquarium
specimens. |
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| Gomophia egyptica Gray 1840, Eqyptian Brittlestar. Indo
Pacific; Red Sea to the South Pacific. Needs shade, calcareous rocks which
it feeds on the life on. Here in the Red Sea. |
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| Asthenosoma varium Grube 1866, the
Pinhead Sea Urchin. Family Echinothuriidae. Indo-West Pacific; Red Sea to
Indonesia. Test size to six inches in diameter; spines to twelve.
Nocturnal, not safe kept with other invertebrates or handled with bare
hands. Walks on spines and/or
tube feet. Takes all foods. This one in the Red Sea. |
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| Diadema setosum (Lske 1778), the Hatpin Urchin.
Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to South Pacific, Japan. To about four inches in
diameter. Useful in coral bearing aquariums as these echinoids avoid their
rocks. A frequent "contaminant" on live rock imports. Fiji
nighttime image. |
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| Echinometra mathaei (Blainville 1825), the Common Urchin.
Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to Hawai'i. To about four inches overall diameter.
Hides by day in rocky crannies it helps gouge. Mostly eats algae it rasps
from rocks by night. Here in Oahu, Hawai'i by day and Fiji at night. |
 
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| Echinothrix calamaris (Pallas 1774), the Hatpin
Urchin. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to Hawai'i. Should be kept singly and may
prey on cnidarian livestock. Need large spaces in rock to hide amongst by
day and coarse substrate. Cebu, Philippines and Hawai'i images. |
 
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| Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus 1758), the Priest-Hat
or Collector Urchin. Family Toxopneustidae. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to
Hawai'i. Toxic to the touch to sea life. To about five inches in diameter
overall. Mentioned so hobbyists will avoid it. A specimen in the Red
Sea at night |
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| Microcyphus rousseaui (Agassiz & Desor 1846),
Rousseau's Sea Urchin. Western Indian Ocean; Red Sea to eastern Africa.
Shallow water (0-5 meters), mainly on upper reef slope. Nocturnal, feeds
on algae and sessile invertebrates. To three inches in diameter. Red Sea
image. |
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Sea Squirts, Ascidians.
| Botrylloides species. Row Encrusting Tunicate.
Tropical western Pacific to the Red Sea. Low growing colonies with
distinctive rows of individuals and round chimneys. Red Sea images. |
 
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| Didemnum moseleyi Herdman 1886, Moseley's Sea Squirt.
Tropical Indo-West Pacific, including the Red Sea. Encrusts rocks in
brightly lit areas to 25 meters depth. Not easily kept. Must be collected
with substrate attached. Red Sea image. |
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Principal Fishes of the Red Sea Sandy Reef Slopes:
(Species commonly available, and
useful for aquariums.)
Per the general "rule" of greater habitat
diversity, the more species abundance, the reef slopes are the areas of greatest
mix of species and density. When planning and selecting your livestock mix, bear
in mind the "sub-niches" of the fishes available to you, and provide
space, habitat accordingly. Again, this is not an exhaustive listing, but
only a guide to the species mainly found on Red Sea reef slopes that are of use
and generally available to aquarium hobbyists.*
Moray Eels, family Muraenidae: Though of the 27 species
recorded from here there are some small members, really only Gymnothorax
griseus is common, appropriate for aquarium use.
| The Gray Moray, Gymnothorax (Siderea)
griseus (Lacepede 1803), is a
small (three foot max.) compatible species, though expensive; hailing from the Red Sea and
west Indian Ocean. Red Sea photo. |
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Soldierfishes, family Holocentridae. Fifteen Red Sea Species. Two species are common,
often on offer: Myripristis murdjan and Neoniphon sammara. Sargocentron
spiniferum is a regular resident, but gets too large for most aquarium
use.
| Myripristis murdjan (Forsskal 1775), the Pinecone
Soldierfish. Indo-Pacific through Oceania. This one photographed in the
upper Red Sea where it is caught for the European hobby. To one foot total
length. |
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| Neoniphon sammara (Forsskal 1775), the Sammara
Soldierfish. Indo-Pacific, Red Sea to the Hawaiian Islands. To about a
foot long. An occasional import. Red Sea image. |
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Lion- or Scorpionfishes, family Scorpaenidae: Of the more common
species in the Red Sea, the Radiata Lion is the one most often encountered
(within rock caves by day, hunting about them and the bottom edge of the slope
by night).
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Pterois radiata Cuvier 1829, the Two-Bar Lion is
the Radial Firefish. The
most chameleonic of lions showing overtones of green, black and various shades of red over
shocking white. The salient identifying characteristic of this species is the two while
horizontal bars on the caudal peduncle, the part of the body right before the tail.
Red Sea specimen. To nine inches.
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Basses, family Serranidae. Cephalopholis argus, C.
miniata, Epinephelus fasciatus, Variola louti and others are regularly
found in pet fish stores. Others like members of the genus Plectropomus
get way too big.
| Cephalopholis argus Bloch & Schneider 1801, the
Peacock or Argus Hind or Blue-Spotted Grouper. Indo-Pacific, Red Sea to
French Polynesia. Introduced into Hawai'i and the tropical eastern Pacific
coast as a food and game fish. To a foot and a half in length. Make excellent aquarium
specimens for large fish-only systems. |
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| Cephalopholis miniata (Forsskal 1775), the
Miniata Grouper, Coral Hind. Indo-Pacific: Red Sea to the Line Islands. To
eighteen inches in length. Undoubtedly the most prized, frequently used
member of the genus for aquariums. A beauty that is intelligent, and
capable of gulping up small fishes and motile invertebrates. Red Sea
image. |
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| Variola louti (Forsskal 1775), the Skunk or
Yellow-Edged Lyretail Grouper. Indo-Pacific to the Pitcairn Islands, and
including the Red Sea. To thirty inches in length. Pictured are a four
inch juvenile, eighteen inch and two foot individuals in the Red Sea. |
Basslets, subfamily Anthiinae: These are the "signature fishes" of
the Red Sea. If you're in the Red Sea on the Reef, you're looking at Basslets.
Two species in particular:
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis (Peters 1855), the Lyretail
Anthias. Red Sea to western Pacific. To four and a half inches in length.
A tough, but sometimes mean aquarium species. Male and females shown
Aquarium and Red Sea. |
 
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| Pseudanthias taeniatus Klunzinger 1884, the Striped
or Red Sea Anthias. A Red Sea endemic. To five inches overall length. A male (with
the white lateral stripe) and female shown, photographed at Sharm el
Sheik. Formerly placed in the genus Anthias. |
 
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Soapfishes, family Grammistidae. Diploprion drachi
and Grammistes sexlineatus are sold in the trade, and though
secretive, stay small, are pretty.
| Diploprion drachi Roux-Esteve 1955, the Yellowfin
Soapfish. Red Sea (where this picture was taken) and Gulf of Aden. To five
and a half inches in length. Shy species that hides near rocky reefs and
masks behind larger fishes to sneak up on fish prey. |
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| Grammistes sexlineatus (Thunberg 1932), the Sixline
Soapfish or Grouper. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. To twelve inches
in length. For calm surroundings with caves, of adequate size, that are
well-filtered . A juvenile in the Red Sea and adult in captivity. Monotypic genus. |
 
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Roundheads, family Plesiopsidae. Of the four species of the
family found here, Calloplesiops altivelis is readily available to
aquarists. Do keep your eyes open for the gorgeous C. coeruleolineatus
which may be ordered from specialty dealers like Marine Center.
| Calloplesiops altivelis Steindachner 1903, the Comet
or Marine Betta. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. To a bit over six
inches. A shy species that requires a dark cave and peaceful tankmates to
thrive. Aquarium image. |
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Cardinalfishes, family Apogonidae. Fifty four species are
described from the Red Sea. Of these, Apogon aureus is a beauty
that schools, stays out in the open, is readily found in the hobby...
Other more secretive, solitary, but occasionally available Cardinals from
here are A. fraenatus, A. kallopterus, A.
leptacanthus and A. macrodon. The first two and last best kept
in a group of several individuals, fraeatus and kallopterus find singly.
| Apogon aureus (Lacepede 1802), the Ring-Tail
Cardinalfish. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea, east Africa to New Caledonia. To
nearly five inches in length. This mouthbrooding male in the Gulf of
Aqaba, Red Sea. |
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| Apogon fraenatus Valenciennes 1832, the Bridled
Cardinalfish. To four inches in length. Indo-Pacific; from Durban, South
Africa to Tuamotus. Image from Fiji at night. |
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| Apogon kallopterus Bleeker 1856, the Iridescent
Cardinalfish. Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea (where this one was
photographed at night while foraging). To six inches in length. A larger
specimen out during the day in the Maldives also shown. |
 
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| Apogon leptacanthus Bleeker 1856-57, Threadfin
Cardinalfish. Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea. To a little over two
inches in length. Found in dense school in the wild. This group in a
friends aquarium. |
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