Take the Plunge with Mana Divers

At Mana Divers we inform our guests on the marine life they will encounter on their dive. Today, we feature our "fish of the month" to give you some idea of the extensive marine life information given each day for our eco-informed guided tours.

At the dive site, our guests are briefed prior to the dive tour on Kauai's endemic and rare species and their interactions with other marine life. At many of our dive sites, encounters with the endangered Hawaiian monk seals, turtles, spotted eagle rays, sometimes even dolphin and shark, are not unlikely. However, we do not feed the fish and discourage hunting and any type of harassment. Doing so, could result in aggressive behavior and may interfere in the delicate balance of their habitat. Kauai's waters are wonderfully decorated with a myriad of colorful marine life and all of our tours are thoroughly eco-guided.

This month's fish is: Pebbled butterflyfish
Also know as: Multiband butterflyfish
Hawaiian name: Kikakapu
Scientific name: Chaetodon multicinctus
Distribution: only known to be in Hawaiian waters and Johnston Atoll
Size: 4½ to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters)
Diet: Omnivorous, diet of coral polyps, polychaete worms, small crustaceans, and algae.
One of the more common Butterflyfish in Hawaii, Pebbled Butterflies are beautiful marine fish that are found in the Hawaiian Island chain as well as around the Johnson Atoll.

At maturity, Pebbled Butterfly Fish have a deep, compressed body, whitish in color, with four to six narrow brown or gold-brown bars and many faint olive spots on both the body and the fins; a gold-brown eye bar on the head, a black and gold bar on the caudal peduncle, and a solid black bar on the caudal fin. They are speckled, which give them their name.

The Pebbled Butterflyfish is commonly found paired or in small groups seaward or in lagoon coral reefs, usually with considerable stands of Porites and Pocillopora corals. Pebbled Butterflies are seen at depths between 16 and 100 feet (5 to 30 meters).

M A N A D I V E R S
PO Box 500
Ele'ele, Kauai, Hawaii 96705
877-DIVE-NOW (348-3669) * 808-335-0881 * fax 808-335-0462
email-manadive@manadivers.com