Murmillo's Fascinating Blog Adventures

Dragon moray (Enchelycore pardalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)) taken at Jōgasaki-Kaigan, around 10 m depth. The hornlike projections at the front of the snout and on top of the head are actually hollow nostril tubes that they use to sniff out smaller fishes, their main food source. I recently upgraded my camera and I'm so thrilled to have found one of these, the colors show up so vibrantly with my new equipment.

Fried egg nudibranch (Phyllidia varicosa (Lamarck, 1801)) taken at Molokini Crater, around 15 m depth. Like many nudibranchs, the bright color serves as a warning to predators that the organism is toxic. Eggs of this species can occasionally be found as a colorless, spiral-shaped mass attached to rock.

On April 19th, I made bread.

Dwarf moray (Gymnothorax melatremus Schultz, 1953) taken at Makena Landing, Maui, around 7 m depth. This is the smallest known species of moray; the pictured individual was about the diameter of my index finger. Owing to their size and secretive habits, these fish are very hard to spot.

Blackside hawkfish (Paracirrhites forsteri (Schneider, 1831)) taken at Polo Beach, Maui, around 10 m depth. These fish are ambush predators that usually live within heads of branching coral. Since they spend long periods of time sitting without moving, they make excellent photo subjects!

Cobalt-based sludge!

Ornate butterflyfish (Chaetodon ornatissimus Cuvier, 1831) taken at Polo Beach, Maui, around 3 m depth. These beautiful fish eat live coral and can't be kept in aquariums, so the only way to see one is in the wild!