A smoothskin scorpionfish with a few baby red-chested sea cucumbers hanging on.
Detail of the baby sea cucumber.
A field of red-chested sea cucumbers (and a few mauve sea cucumbers - the bigger ones) with a smoothskin scorpionfish - it is barely visible in this image, and is magnified in the next one - it is right in the middle of the picture.
Little fish, big sea cucumbers.
All photos Guido Zsilavecz
Divers in False Bay will recognize the vast fields of red/orange-bodied-topped-with yellow red-chested sea cucumbers (Pseudocnella insolens) which cover many of the slightly deeper reefs. Those who look carefully will be able to find the small, 5cm short, smoothskin scorpionfish (Coccotropsis gymnoderma). They are generally smaller than the sea cucumbers around them, as one of the pics show. These small fish do not move much as a rule, except when disturbed, in which case they escape with quick, short bursts of speed. Currently the red-chested sea cucumbers are giving birth to their live young, and these appear in even greater numbers than the adults - and they cling to everything. So, now we find a bit of a role reversal: a few young hanging onto the fish! Thus, we have a smoothskin scorpionfish surrounded, and covered, by sea cucumbers.
Of course, this arrangement does not last - the sea cucumbers simply settle anywhere, and the stationary fish was clearly a convenient enough spot!
For more details on these species, see "A field guide to the Marine Animals of the Cape Peninsula" and "Coastal Fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay" available directly from SURG or better dive and book stores in Cape Town.
Coastal Fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, A Diver' Identification Guide, G. Zsilavecz, 2005
A field guide to the Marine Animals of the Cape Peninsula, G Jones, 2008
Two Oceans, A guide to the marine life of Southern Africa, GM Branch, CL Griffiths, ML Branch and LE Beckley, revised edition 2010