Blackfish
Melichthys niger
Category: Reef Fish
IUCN Conservation Status: LC - Least Concern - species is widespread and abundant, not currently at risk of extinction
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Tetraodontiformes
- Family
- Balistidae
- Genus
- Melichthys
Where to Find
Found in 86 diving areas across 55 countries and 9 regions.
- Christmas Island, Australia - 13 records
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia - 13 records
- Grand Lagoon, New Caledonia - 1 records
- Sandy Island, Anguilla - 2 records
- Antigua South Coast, Antigua & Barbuda - 2 records
- Abaco, Bahamas - 13 records
- Andros, Bahamas - 2 records
- Bimini, Bahamas - 45 records
- Nassau & New Providence, Bahamas - 4 records
- South Coast, Barbados - 8 records
- West Coast, Barbados - 8 records
- North Shore, Bermuda - 4 records
- Klein Bonaire, Bonaire - 6 records
- Salt Island & Cooper Island, British Virgin Islands - 442 records
- Virgin Gorda & Anegada, British Virgin Islands - 185 records
- Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands - 117 records
- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands - 77 records
- Isla de la Juventud, Cuba - 32 records
- Jardines de la Reina, Cuba - 30 records
- María la Gorda, Cuba - 16 records
- Varadero, Cuba - 10 records
- Curaçao Southeast, Curaçao - 5 records
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - 142 records
- Carriacou, Grenada - 1 records
- Southwest Coast, Grenada - 1 records
- Cousteau Reserve, Guadeloupe - 2 records
- Montego Bay, Jamaica - 15 records
- Negril, Jamaica - 5 records
- Ocho Rios, Jamaica - 8 records
- Diamond Rock, Martinique - 2 records
- Saint-Pierre, Martinique - 2 records
- Fajardo & East Coast, Puerto Rico - 274 records
- La Parguera, Puerto Rico - 506 records
- Rincon & West Coast, Puerto Rico - 631 records
- St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis - 87 records
- St. Vincent, St. Vincent & the Grenadines - 1 records
- Tobago Cays, St. Vincent & the Grenadines - 1 records
- Tobago, Trinidad & Tobago - 6 records
- Providenciales, Turks & Caicos - 47 records
- St. Croix, US Virgin Islands - 1191 records
- St. Thomas & St. John, US Virgin Islands - 396 records
- Ambergris Caye, Belize - 96 records
- Lighthouse Reef, Belize - 76 records
- Turneffe Atoll, Belize - 58 records
- Cocos Island, Costa Rica - 537 records
- Caribbean Coast, Guatemala - 24 records
- Utila, Honduras - 74 records
- Corn Islands, Nicaragua - 11 records
- Coiba National Park, Panama - 6 records
- Fakarava, French Polynesia - 13 records
- Moorea & Tahiti, French Polynesia - 30 records
- Rangiroa, French Polynesia - 12 records
- Christmas Island (Kiritimati), Kiribati - 18 records
- Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands - 27 records
- Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon, Micronesia - 2 records
- Yap, Micronesia - 21 records
- Niue West Coast, Niue - 23 records
- Peleliu & Angaur, Palau - 10 records
- Savai'i, Samoa - 2 records
- Upolu, Samoa - 77 records
- Vava'u Group, Tonga - 1 records
- Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu - 1 records
- Okinawa Main Island, Japan - 2 records
- Grande Comore, Comoros - 3 records
- Moheli, Comoros - 2 records
- Lakshadweep, India - 6 records
- Flic en Flac & West Coast, Mauritius - 2 records
- Tofo & Inhambane, Mozambique - 2 records
- Saint-Gilles & West Coast, Réunion - 3 records
- Aldabra & Outer Islands, Seychelles - 108 records
- KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - 4 records
- Sodwana Bay, South Africa - 7 records
- Hikkaduwa & South Coast, Sri Lanka - 1 records
- Trincomalee & East Coast, Sri Lanka - 1 records
- Cozumel, Mexico - 4 records
- Socorro Islands, Mexico - 13 records
- Yucatán Cenotes, Mexico - 33 records
- Salvador & Bahia, Brazil - 1 records
- Santa Marta & Tayrona, Colombia - 2 records
- Galápagos Islands, Ecuador - 34 records
- Los Roques Archipelago, Venezuela - 11 records
- Bali, Indonesia - 4 records
- Apo Reef, Philippines - 4 records
- Tubbataha Reef, Philippines - 76 records
- Atauro Island, Timor-Leste - 62 records
- Dili Coast, Timor-Leste - 71 records