Purple Tangs in Jamaica

[Dewman]

Just got back from a trip to Sandals Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
While we were there, we snorkeled around the piers and in the edge opf the swimming area, just for fun.

I saw a ton of Sargeant Majors, and some Carribean Blue Tangs. Lots of Yellowtail Damsels and some other blue Damsel species I was not able to ID. We saw what I thought were squirrel fish, but cannot find in any of the ID books. There were tons of Goat Fish and Needlefish, Slippery Dick Wrasse, and some sort of large angel fish that was yellow and black/blue. ( maybe Rock Beauty? )

Anyway, after being able to identify most of these fish right off the bat I was stumped by what I was about to see.
While snorkeling around a floating platform away from the main pier, I saw a ton of baby fish all swimming around this floating platform using it for cover. I watched as damsels darted back and forth, and some type of hawkfish backed up into the open end of a pipe.

Then I saw two tangs. One was Pure yellow. I was not aware that yellow tangs were native to the waters of the Carribean.
I then saw, what I could only Identify as a Purple Tang. It had the characteristically high dorsal fin and a shorter body. It was about 2 inches in length, purple, with a yellow tail.
Are these fish known to Southern Carribean?

 

[bgoode]

According to Fishbase:
Distribution: Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea to the Persian Gulf; recorded from Maldives
So, no, it is not native to Jamiaca.

 

[Anonymous]

You were seeing color variations of Acanthurus coeruleus.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Fastmarc]

They are correct.
What you are seeing is the various colour variation of one of our local tang/surgeon fish (Acanthurus coeruleus).

 

[Anonymous]

You did see squirrel fish. There are many types of squirrel fish that hail from the caribbean.

 

[Anonymous]

Blue Tang

I have notice many adult blue tangs in the Florida Keys that have a real lavender tint to their blue color. Oddly, some retain their juvenile colors until they are quite large.

Louey

 

[Dewman]

Oh wow, I had no Idea that a Blue tang could come in so many color variations. Even to the extreme of being completely yellow.

Wouldn't that be cool to have a completely yellow, Blue Tang in your 180?

As for squirrel fish, I did see some that were sort of an Orange i think. It's hard to tell because they were a little out of my range of color perception. I saw them when I took off my life vest and dove down on to the reef. They asked us not to do that, but I am a very good swimmer with combat dive training, and I can get around under water without bumping into the reef.
At that depth, the color spectrum washes out because of the blue light and oranges and reds just become browns. That's why I say I "think" he was orange.
I also saw some rays on the bottom.
The day before, the guys diving said they saw 3 Barracuda off the reef. I was hoping for Barracuda and a couple of sharks. They said the Barracuda where bigger than the sharks.
It's strange, no one in Jamaica is worried about sharks. Must be nice.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, here's a blue tang (I believe, correct if wrong) that I took in Cozumel, Mexico.

~wings~