Phylliroe bucephala is eating Rhizophysa eysenhardtii or R. filiformis

Phylliroe bucephala is eating Rhizophysa eysenhardtii Peron & Lesueur, 1807 or R. filiformis (Forskål, 1775)
P. bucephala is not so rare planktonic nudibranch. It's found at tropical and subtropical sea throughout the world. Especially, It's found many at the current-rip.

The body is thin and flat. The shape looks like a flounder fish. It has ability to bioluminescence.

Rhizophysa is kind of Siphonophorae jellyfish. They are known stocking strong poison to cnidocyte.

Phylliroe bucephala is eating Bathyphysa conifera or R. filiformis

Location: Kume-Island Okinawa Japan
Time & Date: 20:30, 05, Nov, 2016
Depth: 5m, Sea Temp: 25℃
Specimen Size: 40mm


*Phylliroe bucephala Lamarck, 1816
=Phylliroe bucephalum Peron & Lesueur, 1810

Japanese name"konoha-umiushi"
="konoha" mean leaf.
="umiushi" mean nudibranchs.


<<References>>

WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Phylliroe bucephala Lamarck, 1816

The Sea Slug Forum - Phylliroe bucephalum

Larva of Malacanthus brevirostris Guichenot, 1848

This larva is Malacanthus brevirostris Guichenot, 1848. Taken at Black Water Dive® in Kume island Okinawa Japan.

Total length is about 55mm, relatively large larva. Snout is short protrusion. Frequently to treading water. 

Color: Red horizontal stripes pattern on body. Caudal fin has yellow-green dye, the edge has been framed in white and that outside is transparent. The rim and the base of the dorsal and ventral fins has red and yellow-green spots.

Larva of Malacanthus brevirostris Guichenot, 1848　 TL:55mm

REFERENCES:
Nakabo, T. (ed.), 2013. Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species, third edition. Tokai University Press, Kanagawa, Pp, 2428. (3-Volume Set)  (in Japanese).

Okiyama M. (ed), 2014. An Atlas of Early Stage Fishes in Japan Second Edition Tokai University Press, Japan. :Pp,1912. (in Japanese).

Larva of Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758) - (family:Zanclidae)

This is larva of Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758).
Total length about 50mm. I still have never encountered any more small size. They usually appear near the surface of water. The body is semi-transparent, it has appeared faintly black pattern. 3rd spine of dorsal fin is extended. Perceptible bumps of located above adult eye does not exist.

Larva of Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758) TL:50mm

Larva of Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758) TL:50mm

REFERENCES:
Nakabo, T. (ed.), 2013. Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species, third edition. Tokai University Press, Kanagawa, Pp, 2428. (3-Volume Set)  (in Japanese).

Okiyama M. (ed), 2014. An Atlas of Early Stage Fishes in Japan Second Edition Tokai University Press, Japan. :Pp,1912. (in Japanese).

Brief report to Larva of Pseudochromis sp. (Perciformes, Pseudochromidae)

Somehow, larva of the Pseudochromidae has been no report so far at Japan. Pseudochromidae has been missing also at *Okiyama, 2014.

This photo was shooting at Iriomote Island of Okinawa to early June 2016.

TL; about 25mm. Depth about 3m.

Meristic Characters - D Ⅲ, 22; A Ⅲ 13; P¹ 17(this photo)

Pigment - This larva has orange pigment, it's dispersed throughout over the head and each scale, base of dorsal and anus fin, caudal fin base.

Study - Maybe, I'm thinking either species of Genus Pseudochromis from the Meristic character. Genus Pseudochromis are known six species of the following in sea of Japan. Above all, it seems to be one of the following two.

Pseudochromis tapeinosoma Bleeker, 1853 - (Japanese name : Katsuiro-nise suzume)
D Ⅲ, 21-23; A Ⅲ 12-14; P¹ 17-19; LLp 20-27+4-11; Pred.S 10-15. 

Pseudochromis cyanotaenia Bleeker, 1857 - (Japanese name : Ryukyu-nise suzume)
D Ⅲ, 21-23; A Ⅲ 12-14; P¹ 16-20; LLp 23-31+6-11; Pred.S 11-19.

According to the Jeffrey M. Leis & Brooke M. Carson-Ewart(ed.), 2004. Other, following species has similar Meristic characters in Pseudochromidae. but, both those are not been reported from Japan.

genus Assiculus
   Assiculus punctatus Richardson, 1846

genus Cypho
   Cypho purpurascens  (De Vis, 1884)
   Cypho zaps Gill, 2004

REFERENCES:
Jeffrey M. Leis & Brooke M. Carson-Ewart(ed.), 2004. The larvae of Indo-Pacific coastal fishes : an identification guide to marine fish larvae. Brill Academic Publication, London. Pp,850.  (second Revised).

Nakabo, T. (ed.), 2013. Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species, third edition. Tokai University Press, Kanagawa, Pp, 2428. (3-Volume Set)  (in Japanese).

Okiyama M. (ed), 2014. An Atlas of Early Stage Fishes in Japan Second Edition Tokai University Press, Japan. :Pp,1912. (in Japanese).

FAMILY Details for Pseudochromidae - Dottybacks - FishBase
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=291

Juvenile of Polydactylus sp.(Family:Polynemidae)

This is a Juvenile of Polydactylus sp. It's a fish of Family Polynemidae. Polynemidae species is rare fish at Scuba Diving.  It inhabits the sandy bottom, sand, mud bottom of the bay. Sometimes entering the brackish water. and It's often observed around the beach. But, probably, they are doing "abortive migration" at Japanese sea. Because, Adult is not a lot in Japan.

Juvenile of Polydactylus  TL:50mm

Juvenile of Polydactylus   TL:50mm

Meristic Characters - D Ⅷ-Ⅰ,13; A Ⅲ, 12; P¹ 13+6; P² Ⅰ, 5; (This picture)

I could not getting the specimen of this species. In Japan so far, Polynemidae is known only 4 species from 2 genera of Eleutheronema and Polydactylus. I did think that it's Polydactylus sexfilis of these four from”Meristic Characters”, but there was a difference in the number of pectoral fine. Since the measurement of the pectoral fin is such from the image, it might not be accurate. It is very similar to the Polydactylus sexfilis, but perhaps It's a possibility other than known distribution and species. In recent years, the Polynemidae are known 8 genera 43 species in the world. Of these, have been known 21 species at the Polydactylus.

Polydactylus sexfilis (Valenciennes, 1831) - (Japanese name: Nanyo-agonashi)
D Ⅷ-Ⅰ,12-13; A Ⅲ, 11-12; P¹ 15-16+6; P² Ⅰ, 5;

Related species; (in Japan)

Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804)  - (Japanese name: Minami-konoshiro)
D Ⅷ-Ⅰ,13-15; A Ⅲ, 14-16; P¹ 17-19+4; P² Ⅰ, 5;

Polydactylus plebeius (Broussonet, 1782) - (Japanese name: Tubame-konoshiro)
D Ⅷ-Ⅰ,12-13; A Ⅲ, 11-12; P¹ 15-18+5; P² Ⅰ, 5;

Polydactylus sextarius (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) - (Japanese name: Kataguro-konoshiro)
D Ⅷ-Ⅰ,12-13; A Ⅲ, 11-13; P¹ 13-15+6; P² Ⅰ, 5;

Pectoral filaments is very long and It reaches the anal fins.

Pectoral filaments 6

Pectoral soft rays does not branch

REFERENCES:
Motomura, H. 2004. Threadfins of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of polynemid species known to date. Family Polynemidae. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 3. Rome, FAO. 117 p., 151 figs, 6 pls.

Nakabo, T. (ed.), 2013. Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species, third edition. Tokai University Press, Kanagawa, Pp, 2428. (in Japanese).

Fishbase.org
Family Polynemidae - Threadfins
Polydactylus sexfilis,  Sixfinger threadfin  : fisheries, aquaculture, gamefish, aquarium