A brilliantly-colored coral cod (Cephalopholis miniatus) next to an equally-bright sea fan. I'd always found these medium-sized groupers to be a bit elusive — the kind of fish that darts for cover just before the shutter's released — so was happy when I developed my film and found this one so politely posing (I'd forgotten about taking the picture). (Ann Sophie's, Kimbe Bay)
Forgot about this one, too — closer view of a coral cod from one of Kimbe Bay's famed seamounts. (Inglis Shoal, Kimbe Bay)
Another coral cod from another fairly isolated reef, at or beyond the outer limits of Kimbe Bay. This individual was in particularly sharky waters but, like most of the fishes with which it shared the reef, seemed to pay the larger predators little attention (although such a happy coexistence can change in a heartbeat, perhaps some unlucky fish's last one). (Kilibob's Knob, Kimbe Bay)
A coral cod waits patiently on a shallow reef, perhaps for an unwary meal to swim past. Groupers, in general, tend to be visually adapted to have the greatest predatory advantage at morning and evening twilight but — like most other predators on the reef — are opportunistic and will eat whenever they can. (Ann Sophie, Kimbe Bay)
A bluespotted grouper (C. cyanostigma) waits on a coral shelf on one of a string of picture-perfect reefs that start in very shallow water and plunge to great depth. (Susan's Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A bluespotted rockcod (aka grouper) seeking shelter within coral. (Susan's Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A strawberry grouper (C. spiloparaea) surveying the passing parade of fishes from the sanctuary of a handy 'lettuce leaf'-type coral. (Joelle, Kimbe Bay)
A six-banded grouper (C. sexmaculata) nestles into a cosy corner of the reef. (Kilibob's Knob, Kimbe Bay)
The same fish on the move above the reef. (Kilibob's Knob, Kimbe Bay)
A large camouflage grouper (Epinephelus polyphekadion) enjoying the attentions of a cleaner wrasse in the shade of a tabletop coral just downstream of a pass in the barrier reef, on the lagoonal side of the barrier. (Milinat Pass, Madang)
A thinspine grouper (Gracila albomarginata) on the same reef. (Kilibob's Knob, Kimbe Bay)
A highfin grouper (Plectropomus oligacanthus) slowly patrols its domain atop a coral-dense bommie, a site at which this species seems particularly abundant. (South Ema Reef, Kimbe Bay)
The same highfin grouper. These groupers, that grow to about 65-cm length, were the species that I saw most frequently and abundantly in Kimbe Bay. (Kilibob's Knob, Kimbe Bay)
A highfin grouper,typically vigilant, on a deep seamount so choked with an abundance of diverse fishes that the predator is spoiled for choice. (Joelle, Kimbe Bay)
A whitelined grouper (Anyperodon leucogrammicus) resting on a seamount at night. (Inglis Shoal, Kimbe Bay)
A male squarespot anthias (Pseudanthias pleurotaenia), flitting about on the margins of a pass in the reef. Members of the grouper family (family Serranidae, that is probably in dire need of taxonomic revision because it's become kind of a dumping ground for animals that don't fit anywhere else), anthias go through what is called sequential hermaphroditism, in which a 'harem's' dominant female changes inside and out (within two weeks!) to become fully male if the group's male disappears. Females of this species are bright yellow and you'll typically see many of them associated with a single male. These small and very busy fishes can be phenomenally hard to get pictures of and I look forward to one day actually getting one to fill the frame! (Magic Passage, Madang)
A male scalefin anthias (P. squamipinnis) in front of some green tree coral on the edge of a high-current pass in the barrier reef. The female's coloration is basically gold, with an orange-red cheek-bar. (Magic Passage, Madang)
Another scalefin anthias. Identifying this one was a bit tricky because some of the colors were wrong — a male scalefin should be more purple than orange — but the likely explanation is that this fish is in a transitional stage between female and male and has yet to fully assume the male's coloration. (Milinat Pass, Madang)