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COAST DIVERS . COM
INTRODUCING THE WORLD TO THE BEST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, ONE DIVER AT A TIME
Last updated:
8/05/2004
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FAMILY LABRIDAE
Common
Name: Senorita
Genus
and Species: Oxyjulis californica
Distinctive
Features: These fish are typically yellow to dark yellow in color with
a distinctive black spot at the base of the tail. They also have a
somewhat subdued white to pink underbelly coloring.
Distribution:
These fish can be found throughout southern and central California.
Behavior:
Senoritas stay somewhat stationary when approached by divers. Even when
closely approached they rarely swim far from an approaching diver.
Habitat:
These fish are typically found from midwater to depths of up to 75 feet.
These fish prefer to reside within and along the fringe of the kelp forest.
Fun
Facts:
Permits
and Regulations:
Common
Name: California Sheephead
Genus
and Species: Semicossyphus pulcher
Distinctive
Features: The specimen pictured to your right is a male sheephead.
The full grown male has a red to pinkish colored mid section with both a black
head and tale. The jaw bone of the male is white. The juvenile
sheephead are all female hermaphrodites. The coloring of the females are
soft purple to pinkish in color.
Distribution:
These fish can be found throughout southern and central California but are only
common in healthy kelp forests.
Behavior:
Sheephead, especially full grown males fear very little in the wild. As
one of the largest inhabitants of the kelp forest the California Sheephead is
very easy to approach. While this makes sheepheads great subjects for
photographs it also makes them VERY easy to hunt. This unfortunately
leads MANY novice hunters to target this species as kill shots are much easier
when the fish does not fear you. Since these fish are predators of
urchins the implications of wiping out these fish is usually followed by a
decrease in the over all health of the kelp forest community. In my
experience the more abundant and large in size the sheephead population, the
healthier the kelp forest. Sheephead can also be seen sparring with one
another with mouths open, facing each other, and occasionally shaking.
Habitat:
These fish are typically found from midwater to depths of up to 75 feet.
These fish prefer to reside within and along the fringe of the kelp forest.
Fun
Facts: The largest female will eventually grow to become the
male.
Permits
and Regulations:
Copyrighted by Ryan Jaeger & Matthew J. Wahlrab 2002 - 2004