Hen's Teeth at Honokohau!

    Yesterday was a beautiful day in Hawaii.  Guy Hagi, the beloved meteorologist on Channel 7,  said we

Bubba and Todd at the Kailua Pier

had the best weather on the planet.  It was cool, dry and blue skies.  Sandra and I enjoyed the day by going to Costco for pupus and party supplies.  After shopping, we tucked her purchases into the large cooler, as it isn't safe to leave anything unprotected in a sweltering car.  With the groceries safe,  we back tracked just a little to the Dog Beach near the Honokohau Marina. 

    On our way over the rough lava trail, we encountered our friends Todd and Bubba (the Blue and Yellow Macaw).  On this day Todd introduced us to his wife, Marilyn.  They not only had their parrot, but a dog, as well.  Todd told us he puts Bubba on a branch near the beach while they play with their hound in the lagoon.   Pretty cool, I'd say.

    Shortly there after, Sandra and I were in the water.  the conditions were not nearly as mild as the storm wave app had predicted, and we found ourselves swimming through  breaking waves as we left the lagoon. 

Yellowtail Filefish,  Pervagor aspricaudus,  Honokohau

(Good thing Sandra is such an intrepid swimmer!)  On the outside, we were just getting ourselves situated when I spotted a pair of Yellowtail Filefish.  They were in an area of rich coral growth about twelve feet deep.  I watched them for about ten seconds before making sure Sandra was on them, as well.   They were a beautiful pair, swimming together with their handsome orange tails fully extended.

    By the time I got my camera out, the pair had split.  One had totally disappeared and the other was taking evasive action.  Getting a picture in this deep, turbulent water was a bit of a trick.  However, between the fish dodging in and out of the coral, the deep water and the wave action, I seem to have come up with a couple serviceable pictures.  Maybe not suitable for framing, but their is no doubt as to the identification.

Yellowtail Filefish,  Honokohau,  April 2013

    The only other time I have, with complete certainty, seen aspricaudus in Hawaii, it was here at the Honokohau dive site.  That fish was harboring amid the boulders, providing peek a boo view.  The water that day was calm and clear, but their was no hope of photographing that shy individual.  Isn't it delightful that today we saw a pair?  One can only hope that this pair is part of a breeding population at this site.  I regret that I was not quick enough on the draw, to capture a photo of the pair for science. 

     In a blog in January, I showed you a couple pictures of the immature Barred Filefish,  C. dumerlii.  In that blog,  we saw the dark chocolate fish with the orange tail.  A novice could easily be forgiven some confusion, especially if he was using a guide book that didn't show the Barred immature.  Note here what a different profile the Pervagor presents. 

Immature Barred Filefish

 In my second picture, with the fish adjacent to a sea urchin, you get a clear idea of just how small these fish are.  I was struck by that in Bali, especially when looking at my photographs.  Randall states that this species attains less than five inches, while the Barred Filefish can reach 15!  Even the immature barred, pictured here again for your perusal, was  twice as large as the yellowtail.

     In that January blog, I noted that in Hawaii the Yellowtail Filefish is rare as hen's teeth.  Perhaps this finding of a pair at Honokohau will change that status just a little.  And now I have a picture of my own  to show my loyal readers!

jeff