Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz
Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz
There are about 80 species in the family parrot fishes. In almost all of them, the male is colourful and the female drab grey or brown or green. It is the opposite in the European parrotfish: the male is gray (upper photo, in the foreground, being cleaned by two young Turkish wrasses), while the female is colourful (upper photo in the background and lower photo). The colour of juveniles (below) is quite variable. The teeth of parrot fishes have fused to form a beak resembling that of a parrot. With these beaks they are able to bite off fairly hard organisms (animals and plants). Most parrot fishes are prototogynous sex changers (female first, later in life male) but the European parrot fish is not: juveniles turn into either females or males. Large territorial males own a harem of females. Non-territorial males occasionally move in groups. Reproductive season July to September. All photos Peter Wirtz. 114 Weevers (Trachinidae) Greater weever (Trachinus draco) photo top right Up to 35 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands. 1 – 200 m depth. Streaked weever (Trachinus radiatus) photo bottom right Up to 42 cm long. Canary Islands. 1 – 100 m depth. Lesser weever (Echiichthys vipera) photo below Up to 15 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores. 1 – 20 m depth. Weevers usually are buried in the sand and wait for fish to catch. The Streaked weever also often lies quite openly on sandy bottom. The first dorsal fin of weevers consists of strong spines with poison glands at the base. Normally, to be stung by a weever is not dangerous but incredibly painful. Photos Peter Wirtz.
116 Stargazers (Uranoscopidae) Stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber) Up to 35 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands. 10 – 400 m depth. Usually, stargazers are buried in sand and very difficult to see: only the eyes and the mouth are discernible (small photo). To attract small prey, the Stargazer uses a small red or white skin flap on the lower lip (not the tongue, as one can sometimes read) that can be moved like a wriggling worm. It can even wipe its head with this skin flap. Stargazers can produce electric shocks of up to 50 Volt to stun the prey. The spines at the rear of the gill cover are poisonous but the sting normally is not dangerous. Photos Peter Wirtz. Triplefins (Tripterygiidae) Yellow Triplefin (Tripterygion delaisi) Up to 7 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores. 5 – 40 m depth. Triplefins are related to blennies (next pages). In contrast to the scalelless blennies, however, triplefins do have scales. They owe their name to the presence of three dorsal fins (a short and two long ones). This is the only triplefin species at Madeira, the Canary Islands and the Azores. During the reproductive season, in spring and early summer, territorial males are a bright yellow with a black head. Females and non-territorial males are grayish brown. After depositing the eggs in a male’s territory, the female leaves. It is the male that cleans and defends the eggs until the larvae hatch. The larvae drift in the plankton for about two months, before they change to a bottom-living lifestyle. The Yellow triplefin reaches an age of only two and a half years. Photo Peter Wirtz.
- Page 1 and 2: Madeira Canary Islands Azores - Fis
- Page 3 and 4: Skorpion fishes (Scorpaenidae) 50 G
- Page 5 and 6: 6 Devil rays (Mobulidae) Manta ray
- Page 7 and 8: The Round sting ray is easily told
- Page 9 and 10: Up to 55 cm long. Madeira, Canary I
- Page 11 and 12: Reproduction in May. The golden pat
- Page 13 and 14: they sleep in their tubes. At dawn,
- Page 15 and 16: As the name implies, this fish has
- Page 17 and 18: the myth of giant sea snakes. Photo
- Page 19 and 20: The first dorsal fin of rocklings i
- Page 21 and 22: Up to 15 cm long. Madeira, Canary I
- Page 23 and 24: also has such white skin flaps but
- Page 25 and 26: lighter in colour and much rarer th
- Page 27 and 28: At Madeira and the Azores, this spe
- Page 29 and 30: 66 Cardinal fishes (Apogonidae) Car
- Page 31 and 32: Pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) Up to
- Page 33 and 34: One of the most common shore fish t
- Page 35 and 36: to be very rare but have now increa
- Page 37 and 38: Young animals (insert, below) are c
- Page 39 and 40: Usually silvery but they can also b
- Page 41 and 42: Up to 1 m long. Madeira, Canary Isl
- Page 43 and 44: Up to 18 cm long. Madeira, Canary I
- Page 45: eproduce. Juvenile Rainbow wrasses
- Page 49 and 50: Most blennies feed on small animals
- Page 51 and 52: Up to 12 cm long. Madeira, Canary I
- Page 53 and 54: Up to 2.1 m long. Madeira, Canary I
- Page 55 and 56: Soles (Soleidae) Four-eyed sole (Mi
- Page 57 and 58: Brown filefish (Stephanolepis hispi
- Page 59 and 60: Sunfishes are unmistakeable. But lo
- Page 61 and 62: Diplodus sargus 76 Diplodus vulgari
- Page 63 and 64: Pagellus erythrinus 84 Pagrus aurig
- Page 65 and 66: Symphodus mediterraneus 106 Symphur
116<br />
Stargazers (Uranoscopidae)<br />
Stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber)<br />
Up to 35 cm long. <strong>Madeira</strong>, <strong>Canary</strong> <strong>Islands</strong>. 10 <strong>–</strong> 400 m depth.<br />
Usually, stargazers are buried in sand and very difficult to see: only the eyes and the mouth are discernible<br />
(small photo). To attract small prey, the Stargazer uses a small red or white skin flap on the lower lip (not the<br />
tongue, as one can sometimes read) that can be moved like a wriggling worm. It can even wipe its head with<br />
this skin flap. Stargazers can produce electric shocks of up to 50 Volt to stun the prey. The spines at the rear<br />
of the gill cover are poisonous but the sting normally is not dangerous. Photos <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Wirtz</strong>.<br />
Triplefins (Tripterygiidae)<br />
Yellow Triplefin (Tripterygion delaisi)<br />
Up to 7 cm long. <strong>Madeira</strong>, <strong>Canary</strong> <strong>Islands</strong>, <strong>Azores</strong>. 5 <strong>–</strong> 40 m depth.<br />
Triplefins are related to blennies (next pages). In contrast to the scalelless blennies, however, triplefins do<br />
have scales. They owe their name to the presence of three dorsal fins (a short and two long ones). This is the<br />
only triplefin species at <strong>Madeira</strong>, the <strong>Canary</strong> <strong>Islands</strong> and the <strong>Azores</strong>. During the reproductive season, in spring<br />
and early summer, territorial males are a bright yellow with a black head. Females and non-territorial males<br />
are grayish brown. After depositing the eggs in a male’s territory, the female leaves. It is the male that cleans<br />
and defends the eggs until the larvae hatch. The larvae drift in the plankton for about two months, before they<br />
change to a bottom-living lifestyle. The Yellow triplefin reaches an age of only two and a half years. Photo<br />
<strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Wirtz</strong>.
Change language