Philippines Photo Gallery: other Anilao fish

We took an underwater photography trip to the Philippines in December 2016. We returned in November 2024.

"Grouper" comes from the Portuguese "garoupa". Groupers have a stout body and a large mouth. They swallow prey rather than biting pieces off. Groupers eat fish, octopuses, and crustaceans.

Longfin grouper, Epinephelus quoyanus

Peacock grouper (rockcod), Cephalopholis argus

Coral grouper, Cephalopholis miniata

Squirrelfish are ray-finned fish. Most of them are red.

Three-spot squirrelfish, Sargocentron comutum

Parrotfish are found in relatively shallow tropical and subtropical oceans. Their teeth are a tightly-packed mosaic on the external surface of the jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak with which they rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates.

Indian parrotfish, Chlorurus captistratoides

A trumpetfish is a long-bodied fish with an upturned mouth. Trumpetfish often swim vertically while trying to blend in with vertical coral such as sea rods, sea pens, and pipe sponges.

(Chinese) Trumpetfish, Autostomus chinensis

Lizardfish are bottom-dwelling marine and estuarine fish. They have slender, somewhat cylindrical bodies with heads that superficially resembled those of lizards. They prefer sandy environments.

Redmarbled lizardfish, Synodus rubromamoratus

Blackblotch lizardfish, Synodus jaculum

Clearfin (Grey-streak) lizardfish, Synodus dermatogenys

Bluntnose lizardfish, Trachinocephalus trachinus

Bigeyes have unusually large eyes. They are nocturnal carnivores.

Bloch's bigeye, Priacanthus blochii

Snappers are active carnivores, feeding on crustaceans and other fish.

Checkered snapper, Lutjanus decussatus

Bigeye snapper, Lutjanus lutjanus

Juvenile yellow-striped whiptail, Pentapodus aureofasciatus

Breams are narrow, deep-bodied fish.

Bridled monocle bream, Scolopsis temporalis

Dragonets are generally very colorful small marine fish with cryptic patterns. Their bodies are elongated and scaleless. A large preopercular spine is characteristic of this fish, and has been reported to be venomous in some species. All fins are large, showy and elongated; the first high dorsal fin usually has four spines; in males, the first of these spines may be further adorned with filamentous extensions.

Fingered dragonet, Dactlylopus dactylopus