Bubbles from the Naturalist Jerry's tank - by Jerry Ligon

August 2007: Photos of Unbelievable Wee Ones on Bari (all images in this article can be clicked to enlarge, please do so to enjoy the full beauty of them!)

« Yellow-faced Pikeblenny photo showing the talents of Jim Platz.  This species was initially found by the lady that I've written about before in this forum- Marge Lawson, the lady with the Surplus Attention Disorder- because she lets nothing get past her on a dive. So, what does one expect when you combine a tiny pikeblenny, a lady with all-seeing eyes, and a photographer with immaculate skills?  The pikeblenny belongs in the same family as the tube blennies, like Secretary Blenny, but the relationship is not often apparent.  I think I know what ambitions the pikeblenny has-it wants to grow up and become a real DRAGON.  Watching them jostle, and bite and push their neighbors leaves one with little doubt as to their intent.  Perhaps if they could get their hands on a supple of growth enhancing drugs from Balco, like Barry Bonds has been accused of doing. . .  You can find them between the mooring blocks for the Samur and the Reef Balls, in about 10 feet of depth, but you must be an excellent and experienced naturalist with exceptional eyesight in order for these 3 inch long creatures to show themselves.

Dusky Cardinal hides in the coral recesses during the daytime and comes out at night, but does not go very far from their daytime hiding places as they are prey for many nighttime predators.  In cardinalfish, the males incubate the fertilized eggs in their mouths and some of the more easily found species the males can be seen to have a distended mouth. »

Harlequin Pipefish is infrequently seen on Boniare dives, but we know where one is likely to be found right here on Bari. Go to Marge's Sponge and search diligently with a flash light.  There are things which I must be content with in not knowing-like how in the world did Jim get this outstanding photo?

Long-finned Damselfish juvenile, are actually found almost everywhere in the shallow coral just a bit deeper than the rubble field.   Their shyness shows the price one must pay when you are so obvious in bright yellow and streaks of electric blue, and living on a predator endowed habitat.  Yellow, in fact, is one of the last wave lengths of light that disappears as sunlight filters through the water column.  Yellow is the color of most of the active cleaners, because almost all cleaners must attract attention in order to get clients to see them and then approach for a cleaning.  I have actually seen fish in a cleaning frenzy approach this shy juvenile damsel and open their mouths which is supposed to be taken as non threatening and meaning that the client fish is wanting to be cleaned.  However, the hapless juvenile Longfin has no idea what this behavior means and immediately ducks for cover.

« This is another species of pipefish, which we think is a Banded Pipefish, and again can be found in Marge's Sponge.  All pipefish belong to the same family as Seahorses and like their relatives, the pipefish also reproduce rather strangely considering other modes of reproduction in the animal world.  The males actually incubate the young ones until they hatch in an incubation pouch associated with their abdomen.  In fact, when the young are born, the males in this particular family are the only males in the entire animal world which do not loose sleep over the age-old question- Are these really my own?  It is 100% assured.

An amazing photo of a Fairy Basslet by Jim which leaves you with no question as to what other fish are the basslets related.  The predatory groupers.  Just a glance at the tiny teeth reveals that they are very grouper-like. »

This one I must take a little credit for.  It is Bari Reefs newest species that I discovered, again in Marge's sponge.  It is a Smootheye Blenny and I first found it in January of 2007, but I had to wait until Jim and Candace returned to Bonaire from their home in Maine before I could be assured of the identity through Jim's photo and Candace's sharp eye.  Sure enough, it was a Smootheye.  They had been seen and recorded on other fish surveys on Bonaire, but not before my sighting on Bari.

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