fishes text index | photo index
Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrate > fishes
Photo index of fishes on Singapore shores
Globular and boxy fishes, and fishes that look like stones


Spotted-tail frogfish
Lophiocharon trisignatus

Black frogfish
awaiting identification

Painted scorpionfish
Parascorpaena picta

False stonefish
Scorpaenopsis diabolus

Hollow-cheeked stonefish
Synanceia horrida
6-10cm to 18cm. Globular body, well camouflaged. Coral rubble and reefs. Sometimes seen on some of our Southern shores. 6-10cm. Globular body, all black with pale lure. Some have sandy-coloured markings. Coral rubble and reefs. Sometimes seen on some of our Southern shores. 10cm, grows to 17cm. Has a pair of small spines on the upper jaw in front of the eyes that curves forward. Coral rubble. Sometimes seen on some of our shores. 15-30cm. Small eyes, tiny depression near the eyes, horizontal mouth. Coral rubble. Sometimes seen on some of our shores. 15-20cm, grows to 30-40cm. A bony ridge between the small eyes, hollow 'cheeks', downturned mouth, stout dorsal spines. Coral rubble. Sometimes seen on our Southern shores. HIGHLY DANGEROUS.

Longnosed stargazer
Ichthyscopus lebeck

Three-spined toadfish
Batrochomeous trispinosus

Longspined scorpionfish
Paracentropogon longispinis

False scorpionfish
Centrogenys vaigiensis
 
15-30cm. Smooth body. Eyes and mouth at the top of the head facing upwards. Entire fish usually buried in sandy areas near seagrasses. Sometimes seen on our Northern shores. 10-20cm, grows to 30cm. Round head, small body, well camouflaged. Under stones and among coral rubble. Common on many of our shores. 5-7cm. Dorsal fin begins above eyes, no flaps over the nose. A pair of large backward pointing spines above mouth. Coral rubble and seagrasses. Commonly seen on many of our shores. 4-10cm. Fringed flaps over nostrils, no spines at the mouth, dorsal fin stars well after the eyes. It is NOT a true scorpionfish. Coral rubble. Commonly seen on some of our shores.  

Yellow boxfish
Ostracion cubicus

Shortnose boxfish
Ostracion nasus

Longhorn cowfish
Lactoria cornuta
   
4cm, to 45cm. Cubical body, yellow without horns. Among seagrasses. Seen once on Pulau Sekudu. To 30 cm. Cubical body, without horns. Hexagonal body pattern with brown spots. Seen once on Cyrene Reefs. 10cm, grows to 40cm. Boxy body, a pair of 'horns' above the eyes. Among seagrassess. Sometimes seen on some of our shores.    

Milk-spotted pufferfish
Chelonodon patoca

Spotted green pufferfish
Tetraodon nigroviridis

Yellow eye pufferfish
Arothron immaculatus

Porcupinefish
Family Diodontidae
 
8-12cm, grows to 30cm. Smooth body. When uninflated, oval shaped. Coral rubble near reefs. Sometimes seen on some of our shores. 3-6cm, grows to 14cm. A green back with black spots. The tail fin has dark bars. Sometimes seen in our mangroves. 8-10cm. Body plain without markings, tail fin yellowish with a dark brown rim. Sometimes, the eyes are yellow. Living reefs and seagrasses. Sometimes seen on our Southern shores. 15-50cm. Body covered with sharp spines. Seldom seen on our shores.  

Blue-spotted pufferfish
Arothron caeruleopunctatus

Map pufferfish
Arothron mappa

Reticulated pufferfish
Arothron reticularis

Starry pufferfish
Arothron stellatus
 
80cm. Blue lines circle the eye. Rarely seen. 60cm. Pale and dark streaks radiating from the eye. Sometimes seen on our Southern shores. 45cm. Dark and pale lines circle the eye. Rarely seen. 50cm to 1m. Black spots around the eye. Rarely seen.  

how to tell apart fishes that look like stones



photo index of
fishes on this site
all fishes

typical fish-shape

  small < 5cm
medium 5-10cm
large > 10cm

globular
boxy, stone-like

flattened fishes
flattened downwards
  sting rays
others

disk-shaped
flattened sideways

long
  eel-, worm-like
stick-like

others

  mudskippers
odd shaped
living w others
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