Two reef lizardfish (Synodus variegatus) rest on a shelf of coral and Halimeda algae deep on the wall. Lizardfishes are successful predators and the odds are good that these two were waiting for potential prey to stray close. (Hole in the Wall, Northeast PNG Coast)
Another pair of reef lizardfish, laying in wait on a thick bed of Halimeda algae. The rearward one is incredibly well-matched to its background and, if not for its eye, would be almost impossible to see in this view. These two were among dozens of lizardfishes that I always saw in dense concentration near a staghorn thicket I used to regularly visit. The staghorn was home to groups of small yellowtail barracuda but also provided refuge to several species of cardinalfishes, damselfishes, and other small fishes that would be perfect lizardfish food. (Pig Island, Madang)
At the same location, a few meters away, a lizardfish lays concealed within a sand patch. If you're a small fish, what you don't see can definitely hurt you, and lizardfishes are experts at camouflage and concealment. This may be a reef lizardfish but — although it's hard to tell for sure from this limited view — because this individual's teeth are showing even with its mouth closed it's probably safe to ID it as a slender grinner (Saurida gracilis), a lizardfish species typically seen in sand and rubble areas. (Pig Island, Madang)
Still at the same spot, just on the lagoonal side of the barrier reef, a lizardfish surveys the passing parade of fishes from the comfort of an encrusting soft coral (Briareum sp.). (Pig Island, Madang)
A lizardfish perches on a small coral colony in the middle of a large sand-and-rubble chute on an island's steep fringing reef. (Restorf Island, Kimbe Bay)
A reef lizardfish on alert (as always) at night on its oceanic reef home. (May Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A reef lizardfish poised for action on the edge of a deep, high-current pass in the barrier reef. (Rasch Passage)
Two lizardfish taking care of business on a little perch on the edge of another pass. (Milinat Pass, Madang)