18 fish commonly seen in the sea of Miyako Island!

Hello everyone!

Miyako blue extends around Miyako Island, which was formed by uplifted corals.

The clear, nutrient-rich waters are home to a wide variety of fish.

Many brightly colored fish and other fish that cannot be seen in the coastal waters of the mainland can be seen here.

This article introduces such fish of Miyako Island.

Click here to go snorkeling in Miyako Island.

18 fish from Miyako Island

Fish of Miyako Island 1.

Nettie's Sparrowhawk is a species of sparrowhawk that is abundant in shallow coral reefs.

They live amongst the branching corals and schools of sparrowhawks.

The body color is bright yellow with a black spot on the upper pectoral-fin basal edge.

Juvenile fish are as brightly colored as live fish.

Fish of Miyako Island (2) Red goatfish

The red goatfish is most commonly found in areas with tidal currents, such as coral reefs and the outer edges of coral reefs at depths of about 20 meters.

During the day, they school together and swim in the middle of the ocean, but at night they disperse.

The body color is varied from red, yellow, and white, and there is a single yellow longitudinal band in the middle of the body side.

Fish of Miyako Island (3) Mysid butterflyfish

The mysid butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish that lives in coral reef areas at depths shallower than 15 meters.

They are more difficult to find than other butterflyfishes because they are less abundant.

The head has a single black band, and the body color is yellow with a reticulate pattern.

The dorsal-fin soft-stripe has a thicker black band running along the outer edge.

The length of the body is around 11 cm.

Miyako Island Fish 4: Ukeguchi ittoidai

Ukeguchi ittoidai are found in shallow water in coral areas and rocky areas, often lurking in their pores during the day.

The body has large black spots and numerous longitudinal bands.

The length of the body is about 20 cm.

Fish of Miyako Island (5) Sea turtles

Sea turtles are marine turtles that originally lived on land and have now expanded into the sea.

Unlike land turtles, sea turtles have fin-like hands to enable them to swim underwater.

In addition, the carapace is streamlined to reduce water resistance.

Although they live in the sea, they also have remnants of land turtles and breathe through their lungs, so they visit sandy beaches to lay eggs.

They spawn only in the sea with low city light and rich nature, and visit some natural beaches in Miyako Island to spawn.

Six species of turtles live in Japan: loggerhead, green, hawksbill, leatherback, leatherback, and black sea turtles, but only three species can be found on Miyakojima: the green, loggerhead, and hawksbill turtles. For more information on sea turtles, please refer to the article below.

Fish of Miyako Island (6) Clownfish

The clownfish made famous by the Disney movie "Finding Nemo".

In fact, it is said that the fish that Nemo was modeled after is a closely related species, the orange clownfish.

Such clownfish are marine fish that are famous for their orange-ground body color with black and white bands running across it, and for their symbiotic relationship with sea anemones.

Because they are found in shallow water, even snorkeling beginners can easily spot them.

If you join a snorkeling tour on Miyako Island, you have a high probability of encountering them.

Fish of Miyako Island (vii) Yellow tang

The yellow-bellied hagfish is a species of hagfish about 15 cm long that inhabits coral reefs and rocky reefs and feeds on attached algae.

As the name implies, the yellow-bellied hogfish is all yellow in body color, with white movable spines on the caudal peduncle.

Similar to the yellow-bellied hogfish, there are also the finned hogfish and the sesame hogfish, but they can be distinguished by their yellow body color, height, and high dorsal and gluteal fins.

It is used as an ornamental fish because of its beautiful colors.

Fish of Miyako Island (8) Black sea cucumber

The black sea cucumber, as its name suggests, is a sea cucumber whose entire body is black.

They have a habit of releasing mucus from the surface of their bodies and hiding by covering themselves with sand.

They live by filtering organic matter from the sand on their bodies.

Miyako Island Fish (9) Gomamongara

The sesamoa is a large marine fish, up to 50 cm in length, that lives in shallow waters where corals grow in colonies.

As juveniles, they are found attached to current algae or in tidal pools.

A dark band extends from the head to the anterior portion of the gills, and the outer edges of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are bordered with black.

Fish of Miyako Island ⑩Shimahagi

Both juveniles and juvenile striped surgeonfish are common species that inhabit the Pacific Ocean from Honshu to the coast of Kyushu, living on coral reefs and rocky reefs where they feed on attached algae.

Both juveniles and adults are abundant in tide pools and form large schools.

The body color is generally pale, with about five or six black transverse bands.

The scales have no patterns or colors, and when exposed to light, the fish glows silver and is very beautiful.

The length of the body is about 20 cm.

Fish of Miyako Island (11) Seguro butterflyfish

The seguro butterflyfish is mainly found in coral reefs and is one of the largest butterfly fish species, reaching up to 30 cm in length.

It prefers inner bays and is distributed along the Pacific coast.

As juveniles, a black band runs through the eye, but becomes indistinct as adults. The back and underside of the body are edged in white, and the tip of the tail is reddish.

The rump fins are yellow and the abdomen has several blue longitudinal lines.

Miyako Island Fish⑫Senazi wrasse (Thalassoma lunare)

Senasji wrasses are found in shallow coral areas and reefs.

At night they rest behind rocks and corals and become active during the day.

As the name suggests, the upper part of the body, the back, has several black or peach-colored oblique bands.

The head has a red mottled pattern.

The length of the body is about 15 cm.

Miyako Island Fish ⑬Thornfish

Although the horned fish looks very similar to the butterfly fish, they are completely different species.

This species is closely related to the Nizadidae family and has similar morphological traits, but lacks the spines on the caudal peduncle.

The third spine of the dorsal fin is long and extended, which gives the appearance of a horn, hence the name hornfish.

Juvenile fish are found from southern Honshu southward.

It has a small projection on the septum of the eye and a black caudal fin.

They can be easily distinguished from other species because they can form groups.

The length of the body can reach up to 20 cm.

Miyako Island Fish ⑭Debas Chromis

The debasseled sparrowfish is a common species with a bright blue-green body color that can frequently be seen in coastal coral reef areas.

It is similar to the blue-bellied sparrowhawk, but easily distinguished from the blue-bellied sparrowhawk because the blue-bellied sparrowhawk does not have black spots on the axils of its pectoral fins.

Adults are only about 7 cm in length, and as juveniles they live near large branching corals, where they hide when they sense danger.

Fish of Miyako Island (15) Hamakumanomi

Hamadryas are marine fish that live symbiotically with anemones near coral reefs, about 12 cm in length.

It is a member of the bear family, but has no white transverse band on the body and a broad white transverse band on the head.

Miyako Island Fish ⑯Honome Wrasse Bara (Bara.)

The reef inhabitant, the Honsome Wavefish, lives in reef areas and feeds on attached algae.

They are known for cleaning and are not preyed upon by larger fish.

It is about 10 cm long and has a single longitudinal band from the eyes to the tail.

Miyako Island Fish ⑰Murasame Monogara

Murasame mongara is a common species, about 20 cm long, that inhabits coral reefs in shallow waters.

They are especially abundant in sandy and rocky reefs, and can be found by snorkeling in those areas.

A blue band extends behind the maxilla, and a triangular yellow band runs further back, below the pectoral-fin base.

The caudal peduncle has three rows of small spines and three blue lines from the eyes to the pectoral fins.

Miyako Island Fish

The misshapen sparrowhawk is a species of sparrowhawk that lives in coral reef areas and on sandy bottoms, sometimes living on branching corals and forming schools with other species of sparrowhawks.

It is about 7 cm long, white in color, and has three black transverse bands running from the head to the body.

The dorsal fins are black from the margins to the center of the fin membrane, with the dorsal portion paler.

Although it is very similar to the yellow-bellied sparrowhawk, the misshapen sparrowhawk can be distinguished by its light-colored caudal fin and the absence of a black transverse band.

in the end

We have introduced the fish of Miyako Island. How was it?

You saw colorful tropical fish as well as some familiar fish that live in the mainland ocean.

You can take a closer look at the island by snorkeling, or taste island cuisine at some of the popular sushi restaurants on Miyako Island!

Thank you for reading to the end.

Click here to dive in Miyako Island.