1.
Reef lobster - Enoplometopus occidentalis
- Living in crevices and caves, these nocturnal marine
crustaceans that live on the sea bottom scavenge for dead animals but also eat live
fish, seaweed, small mollusks and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates.
2.
Star coral - Montastrea cavernosa
- One of many marine invertebrates in the class Anthozoa,
it has stinging cells and internal or external skeletons of a stonelike, horny, or
leathery consistency. The term "coral" is also applied to the skeletons alone,
particularly the stonelike ones. See 6, 7, 8, 9, 28, and 67.
3.
Tube sponge - Phylum Porifera
- A tube sponge may be 3 to 6.5 feet tall. Size within a
species may vary with age, environmental conditions, and food supply. See 26, 27,
and 38.
4.
Gorgonian - Gorgonia species
- A "soft coral" composed of polyps that grow together to
form a flat structure instead of a rocky reef, it has a central internal skeleton,
composed of a flexible, horny substance supporting the colony. See 21.
5.
Butterflyfish - Family Chaetodontidae
- Most often found on reefs and in warm waters, the precise
number of species in this family is unknown, but exceeds 150. Their bright colors are
usually patterned to provide protection from predators. See also 12 and 17.
6.
Long-tentacled anemone - Heteractis magnifica
- A member of the invertebrate order made up of
sedentary marine animals resembling flowers but closely related to jellyfish, anemones
occur in all oceans from the intertidal zone to depths of more than 33,000 feet.
See 2, 7, 8, 9, 28 and 67.
7.
Brain coral - Diploria strigosa
- This species forms boulders that are ridged and
shaped like the surface of the brain. See 2, 6, 8, 9, 28, and 67 .
8.
Boulder coral - Porites species
- Another of the many forms taken by corals. Corals are
closely related to anemones. See 2, 6, 7, 9, 28, and 67.
9.
Plate coral - Agaricia tenuifolia
- Stony corals form reefs that can extend only a few feet
or thousands of miles. See 2, 6, 7, 8, 28, and 67.
10.
Sea grass
- One of the non-algal plants living in
salt water, sea grasses are most common in very shallow waters near shore. They
provide food and shelter for the larvae and juveniles of many species of fishes
and invertebrates.
