Better, Biggest and Best Featuring Zebra Moray, Hawaiian Dascyllus and the Blood Crab

   Lots has transpired since the last blog, culminating with a delightful swim today with a few really good pictures.  We will apply the superlatives in a bit.

Pelagic Jellyfish and immature Unicorn Filefish.

    
   The good news is that I was completely full of bologna when I trumpeted the demise of the Pacific Trumpetfish.  Since then we have seen four at City of Refuge and a couple on each side of the pier.  Being the coward that I am, I'm blaming this faux pas on Aubre.  She's young and has broad shoulders.  (And she's not here and she doesn't read the blog.)

   Moving away from my frailties, I'm extremely proud to tell you that John Hoover is going to include our picture of the Pelagic Jellyfish,   Thysanostroma flagelattum, in his revised Sea Creatures book.  When I heard the good news,  I wrote him a glowing reply, commenting that his book presents the biology of these animals in such an understandable and concise fashion that it should be

Longtail Dragonet in the Waikoloa Hilton Lagoon

used as a high school text.  John replied that he wasn't aware that they taught invertebrate zoology in high school, but Hawai'i's Sea Creatures is used as a text by the University of Hawaii!  If he ever revises the Ultimate Guide perhaps he will include the immature Unicorn Filefish that you see cruising among the tentacles.

     In the process of finding those aforementioned trumpetfish, we had a chance to swim with our friends, Bob and Kim Hillis at City of Refuge.  We saw some good stuff, including a Paletail Unicornfish with a nose so long that it would vie with a prevaricating Pinocchio. 

    Bob Hillis has lots of good tales.  When asked about snorkeling Hapuna, he mentioned a dragonet just beyond tne surf line.  Referring to the texts back at the ranch, we were unable to find the fish to which he alluded, but we did find one that had eluded our diagnostic abilities.  After Aubre and Jackie cavorted at great expense with the Waikoloa dolphins (the shame of my association with that junket is almost more than I can bear) we took a dip in the man made lagoon, which is never stocked with fish.  In its own way it is sort of like a bird feeder.  Or perhaps a mist net.  There I saw a fish that I had a hell of a time putting a name on, finally and unhappily deciding it might be a Nebulous Lizardfish. 

Yellowmargin Moray Eel with Cleaner Wrasse,  Kailua Pier

(On numerous occasions, my rivals have stated that nebulous might well describe my taxonomic abilities.)   At any rate, in reviewing the Hawaiian dragonets, what should we find but that species that was peacefully basking on the sand of the Hilton lagoon...the Longtail Dragonet. So one fish off the 2014 list and one (correctly identified) fish onto the list.  Assuming that this unusual, bug-eyed fish is not on your list, it is very likely that it is still camping on the sand in the lagoon.

     This week we went snorkeling with our good friend Anita on consecutive mornings.  The first day we went on the Paul Allen side of the Kailua  pier.  The first part of the adventure did not yield any remarkable sightings.  However the experience was made a tad more interesting by Anita, who, as she goes through life, conducts a bubbling soliloquy about all she sees.  It turns out that when the water is choppy,  it is best not to go on and on about all the beautiful fish.  Such  exclamations may predispose to aspirating seawater.    
    Luckily, we got Anita back before she could drown.  On the way in, under a chunk of  rip rap just beside the heiau, we I saw the largest moray of my storied career.  This guy, which I assume was an enormous Yellowmargin, was as big around as my thigh and about the same color.  This may say more about my thigh than the enormity of the eel, but you get the idea.  The turbulent water was full of debris, not ideal for photography.  After my first effort, Anita noted that the eel had his mouth open.  Another  look revealed that this brute had opened his mouth so that a cleaner wrasse could enter and clean those dagger-like teeth!

The Jantzen Swimmer hovered above the Pool

     When Sandra and I made it back to Casa Ono, we discovered that Anita had left her equipment in our trunk.  She is such a good friend that we decided to rectify this small problem by asking if she would accompany us the following day.  As she had admired the picture of the Hawaiian Dascyllus on the poster at the pier, we suggested Kahalu'u, where I thought we might see the immature dascyllus and a Dragon Wrasse.   She was happy to go along and we saw some nice fish.  So dense was the throng of fellow swimmers, however, that it made observation difficult.  I thought I was back at Jantzen Beach in July.

    Jantzen Beach was an amusement park on Hayden Island on the Portland side of the Columbia River.  The park was somehow affiliated with the company that made swimsuits in Portland.  One of the Jantzen swim models graced the sign by the freeway advertising the park.  The park contained two large pools that spread out beneath the Jantzen Swimwear model on her sign.  In the summer those pools attracted a

Zebra Moray Eel,  Gymnomuraena zebra  Kailua Kona 2014

crowd, mostly over sexed teenagers, that could rival K Bay on a day in March.  The amusement park, with its wonderful wooden roller coaster, an authentic midway and the marvelous pools was closed in 1970, purchased, legend has it, by Judge Doom and his weasels.  By 1972 there were acres of box stores, which metropolitan Portland desperately needed.  The merry go round is preserved in the mall, but the rest is just memories...   But I digress. 

     Today my beloved took a break from all this snorkeling to visit the box stores of Kailua and I was dropped off at the pier.  Swimming on the Ironman side I had the chance to photograph several cooperative animals.  On the way out, I got a chance at the resident Bluestripe Butterfly.  As usual, he was a little too fast for me to get an excellent shot.

    Out in front of the Palace, I had a chance at a large, free swimming Zebra Moray.  Unklike Mr. Bluestripe, this guy was exceedingly cooperative, affording me several good shots, the best of which you see

Hawaiian Dascyllus, Kailua Pier 2014

 here.  This and the following shots were taken with the Canon D 10.  I would like to take complete credit for this work.  Cearly, one has to recognize the shot, get in the correct position and hold still during the exposure.  But isn't it incredible how crisp the camera will focus when given the opportunity?  The zebra moray is far from rare, but it is unusual to see one free swimming during the middle of the day.

    On the way back in I stopped for a chance at the Hawaiian Dascyllus that has been maturing by the first swim buoy.  I would say that he is now an adolescent.  I can not account for his brothers and sisters, but this remaining individual is certainly handsome.  I was able to hold onto a chunk of coral to gain stability and the little guy did his best to pose for me.  Again, a nice crisp focus from the D 10 and the best pic I have of this handsome adolescent dascyllus.  Note that the black eye is clearly seen in the black face, a result that I have not previously achieved.

Episcopal Miter on the coral, Kailua Pier

      And were not done yet.  Before heading to the barn, I took a spin over the coral near the pier on the far side of the swim buoys.  Oooh, am I bad?  On the way out, I didn't see anything, but on the way back my eye spotted this long miter on top of a coral head.  This shell was between five and six inches in length and I wondered, "How did I miss this?"
 
    When I am asked, "How do you find hermit crabs?"  I reply,  "Look for a shell that doesn't belong."  Often this is a rather small shell coated with corlaline algae.  This long Episcopal Miter represented the epitome in shells that don't belong; there had to be a hermit inside to account for this beautiful shell sitting on top of the coral.  Either that or the shell was placed there by aliens.  Or possibly, given the religious connotations of the shell's name, by the ghost of Henry the eighth.

Episcopal Miter and Blood Hermit Crab, Kailua Pier 2014

    Setting aside all those other possibilities, I was certain that there was a hermit inside.   I positioned the

 shell a bit differently on the coral, hoping that the crab would emerge to reposition the shell.  Five minutes of swimming in circles yielded nothing.   So I picked up the shell and soon out came a handsome Blood Crab.

   To get this picture I held the shell in one hand and the camera in the other about ten inches away.  As this was near the surface, the underwater setting on the D 10 over compensated for red.  In producing this wonderful picture, I took a bit of red away by adding a hint of turquoise and reducing the saturation, creating a pretty nice picture of one of our most handsome hermits, if I do say so myself. 

   I wanted to ask Mr. Blood why he chose such a large, colorful shell.  Certainly it makes getting around more difficult than a smaller shell, that would certainly have fit his torso.  We noticed this behavior (larger, ornate shell choosing) in smaller hermits when we kept the aquarium.  The only logical conclusion is that it makes the wearer of the larger, prettier shell a more attractive mate.  Sort of like a Texan with a big belt buckle down in the Long Branch Saloon.

    Well, that's our news from Kailua for the 25th of March, the year of our Lord 2014.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the stories and lots of good critters are in your future.

jeff