The trumpetfish (Aulostomus chinensis) is a voracious predator on damselfishes and other small fishes and is adept at hiding in and skulking through soft corals and other concealing cover in search of a predatory opportunity. This trumpetfish species basically looks and acts exactly like the one familiar to divers in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean but is a different species. (B-25 Mitchell wreck)
The same trumpetfish, on the port wing of an American bomber that was shot down in 1943 — another picture of this trumpetfish is on my PNG wreck Web page. (B-25 Mitchell wreck)
Trumpetfish have one particularly sneaky way of getting close to their potential prey — they will sometimes 'shadow' (more often, basically sit right on top of) innocuous fishes like this female bluebarred parrotfish (Scarus ghobban) and use them as mobile cover in an effort to sneak up to within striking range of dinner. Atlantic trumpetfish have the same behavior but I've seen some there that seemed to be following large groupers — anything but innocent cover — so the system may not be perfect. The trumpetfish has probably changed its body color to gold so that it can blend better with the parrotfish that it's shadowing. In general, trumetfishes tend to be very sneaky hunters, and this Trojan-horse approach epitomizes their use of stealth and guile. Watching a trumpetfish wend its curious way about the reef can be a very interesting way to spend a bit of time on SUBA or snorkel. (Barracuda Point, Madang)
A group of razorfish (Aeoliscus strigatus), also known as shrimpfish, in a sea fan deep on the slope of an inshore reef. These unusual fish swim around all day in a head-down position — their fins have migrated tailward, that helps. This behavior, combined with their extremely laterally-compressed bodies (hence the 'razor' part of their name), allows them to blend well with sea fans, sea whips, and similar microhabitats in which they're found. (Elizabeth's Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A flounder (possibly Bothus mancus, the flowery flounder, but more like the plate fish, B. lunatus — hard to tell from this picture, not least because the colors and patterns of flounders are so variable) does its disappearing act on a coral on the steep slope of the barrier reef. (Barracuda Point, Madang)