Pacific Creolefish

Family: Sea Basses & Groupers (Serranidae)
Size: Up to 35 cm (14 in) | Common: 25 cm
Depth: 3 – 100m (10 – 330ft)

Distribution: Gulf of California to Peru (including Galapagos & Malpelo).

Identification: A grouper that thinks it's a snapper, with distinct day and night phases.

• Daytime Phase: When actively schooling in the water column, their torpedo-shaped bodies are a sleek silvery-blue with striking red fins and a deeply forked red tail.
• Night / Resting Phase: To hide from predators in the dark, they change their skin to a reddish-brown or pinkish-grey camouflage. The key feature in this phase is a row of 4 or 5 distinct white/pale spots along the back.

Behavior: The "Wall of Mouths."

• Schooling & Feeding: During the day, they are planktivores. They form massive walls of thousands of fish hovering above the reef, facing the current to snap up passing zooplankton.
• Nighttime: When the sun goes down (or when threatened by a predator), they instantly dart down into the reef crevices, shutting down their bright silvery colors to blend in with the rocks.
• Ecological Role: They are a primary food source for larger predators like Snappers, Jacks, and Sharks.