Fish that can be found in Madeira Archipelago undersea

Copyright of all photos is by Dr. Peter Wirtz

Eleven species of fish are endemic to Macaronesia, this means they can only be found in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Madeira, the Azores and the Canary archipelagos. It is debatable if the Cape Verde Islands belong to Macaronesia, as there are many species there more similar to tropical mainland Africa than to the other three archipelagos.

There are about 550 fish species around Madeira. The considerable distance of the Madeira archipelago from the continent is one of the main reasons why there are not more species using this rich habitat as their own. The best example for this fact is the family Sparidae (sea breams) : at the Azores, the archipelago most distant from the continent, there are only 7 species of this family, while in Madeira there are 15 and in the Canaries, the archipelago closest to the continent, there are 24.

All 7 islands that form the archipelago of Madeira, from which only 2 are populated, have volcanic origin and this is why SCUBA diving there is so interesting.

Here you have a list of the main species that can be seen at Madeira when SCUBA diving in its crystal waters and some information that can be useful to identify each species:

Devil Rays
Manta ray (Manta birostris)

• depth: 0 to >30 meters
• seen during: daylight

Small devil ray (Mobula mobular)

• depth: 0 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Eagle Rays
Eagle ray (Myliobatis aquila)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Stingrays
Round stingray (Taeniura grabata)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Common stingray (Dasyatis plastinaca)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Butterfly Rays
Butterfly ray (Gymnura altavela)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Electic Rays
Marbled electic ray (Torpedo marmorata)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Skates
Madeiran ray (Raja madeirensis)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Lizard Fish
Green lizardfish (Synodus saurus)

• depth: 7 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Brown lizardfish (Synodus synodus)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Moray Eels
Black moray (Muraena augusti)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Mediterranean moray (Muraena helena)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Brown moray (Gymnothorax unicolor)

• depth: 6 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Fangtooth moray (Enchelycore anatina)

• depth: 6 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Sorcerer Eels
Sharpnose sorcerer eel (Faciolella oxyrhyncha)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Finless snake eel (Apterichthus caecus)

• seen on: night-time

Conger Eels
Conger eel (Conger conger)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Golden Balearic conger (Ariosoma balearicum)

• depth: 10 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Garden eel (Heteroconger longissimus)

• depth: 12 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Needlefish
Garfish (Belone belone)

• depth: 0 to ? meters
• seen on: daylight

Codfish
Larger forkbeard (Phycis phycis)

• depth: 8 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Sand Smelts
Sand smelts (Atherina presbyter)

• depth: 1 to 10 meters
• seen on: daylight

Trumpetfish
Trumpetfish (Aulostomus strigosus)

• depth: 8 to ? meters
• seen on: daylight

Pipefish and Seahorses
Seahorse (Hippocampus ramulosus)

Great pipefish (Syngnathus acus)

Snipefish
Snipefish (Macroramphosus scolopax)

• depth: 1 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight?

Herrings
Gilt sardinella (Sardinella aurita)

• depth: 0 to ? meters
• seen on: daylight

Barracudas
Striped barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Mullets
Boxlip mullets (Oedalechilus labeo)

• depth: 0 to ? meters
• seen on: daylight

Groupers
Comb grouper (Mycteroperca fusca)

• depth: 10 to >30 meters
• seen on: twilight

Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus)

• depth: 8 to >30 meters
• seen on: twilight

Painted comber (Serranus scriba)

• depth: 10 to >30 meters
• seen on: twilight

Blacktail comber (Serranus atricauda)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: twilight

Brown comber (Serranus hepatus)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: twilight

Swallowtail seapearch (Anthias anthias)

• depth: 25 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Cardinalfish
Cardinalfish (Apogon imberbis)

• depth: 4 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Bigeyes
Glasseye (Heteropriacanthus cruentatus)

• depth: 8 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Breams
Two-banded bream (Diplodus vulgaris)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

White bream (Diplodus sargus)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Zebra bream (Diplodus cervinus)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Black bream (Spondyliosoma cantharus)

• depth: 7 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Cow bream (Sarpa salpa)

• depth: 0 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Bogue (Boops boops)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Axillary bream (Pagellus acarne)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Common bream (Pagrus pagrus)

• depth: 8 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Saddled bream (Oblada melanura)

• depth: 1 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Pandora (Pagellus erythrinus)

• depth: 10 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Lump-headed bream (Dentex gibbosus)

• depth: 20 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Sea Chubs
Bermuda sea chub (Kyphosus sectator)

• depth: 1 to 25? meters
• seen on: daylight

Goatfish
Stripped mullet (Mullus surmuletus)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Grunts
Bastard grunt (Pomadasis incisus)

• depth: 10 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight?

African stripped grunt (Parapristipoma octolineatum)

• depth: 6 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Bluefish
Bluefish (Pomatomus saltator)

• depth: 0 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Jacks
Amberjack (Seriola dumerili)

• depth: 8 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana)

• depth: 8 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Blue runner (Caranx crysos)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Guelly jack (Pseudocaranx dentex)

• depth: 4 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

• depth: 0 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Horse mackerel (Trachurus picturatus)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Damselfish
Atlantic damselfish (Chromis limbata)

• depth: 1 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Bluefin damselfish (Abudefduf luridus)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Wrasses
Red hogfish (Pseudolepidaplois scrofa)

• depth: 15 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Rainbow wrasse (Coris julis)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Turkish wrasse (Thalassoma pavo)

• depth: 1 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Axillary wrasse (Symphodus mediterraneus)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Atlantic wrasse (Centrolabrus trutta)

• depth: 2 to 10 meters
• seen on: daylight

Cleaver wrasse (Xyrichthys novacula)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Parrotfish
Parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Weevers
Streaked weever (Trachinus radiatus)

• depth: 0,5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight?

Stargazers
Stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight?

Sharksuckers
Common remora (Remora remora)

• depth: 0 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Mackerels and Tunas
Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Triplefin Blennies
Yellow triplefin (Tripterygion delaisi)

• depth: 3 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Blennies
Red blenny (Parablennius ruber)

• depth: 1 to 20 meters
• seen on: daylight

Grey blenny (Lipophrys trigloides)

• depth: 1 to 2 meters
• seen on: daylight

Brown blenny (Parablennius incognitus)

• depth: 0 to 10 meters
• seen on: daylight

Redlip blenny (Ophioblennius atlanticus)

• depth: 1 to 12 meters

Scaled Blennies
Hairy blenny (Labrisomus nuchipinnis)

• depth: 0 to 10 meters
• seen on: daylight

Gobies
Leopard spotted goby (Thorogobius epphipiatus)

• depth: 5 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Rock goby (Gobius paganellus)

• depth: 0 to 5 meters
• seen on: daylight

Gurnards
Streaked gurnard (Trigloporus lastoviza)

• depth: 10 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Scorpionfish
Red scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa)

• depth: 15 to >30 meters
• seen on: twilight

Madeira scorpionfish (Scorpaena maderensis)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Left-eye Flounders
Wide-eyed flounder (Bothus podas)

• depth: 1 to ? meters
• seen on: daylight

Soles
Eyed sole (Microchirus ocellatus)

• depth: 15 to >30 meters
• seen on: night-time

Tonguesoles
Spotted tonguesole (Symphurus insularis)

• depth: 5 to ? meters
• seen on: night-time

Triggerfish
Gray triggerfish (Balistes carolinensis)

• depth: 10 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Filefish
Brown filefish (Stephanolepis hispidus)

• depth: 4 to ? meters
• seen on: daylight

Pufferfish
Sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster capistrata)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Brown puffer (Sphoeroides marmoratus)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Clingfish
Purple clingfish (Lepadogaster candollei)

• depth: 2 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight

Pearlfish
Pearlfish (Carapus acus)

• seen on: night-time

Frogfishes
Frogfish (Antennarius nummifer)

• depth: 6 to >30 meters
• seen on: daylight?