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Blue Angels (Anges
Bleus) are one of the most striking
jellyfish species that are found on Liza's Reef. Large in size, they have translucent blue domes that sparkle with glowing
white points of light, and shimmering white tentacles that can extend
for over a
meter. And like most jellyfish, they display a perfect radial symmetry
with body parts radiating from a central axis. They have a
fairly wide range, and unlike many of the unique species found on the reef,
are also found on the other coral reefs surrounding VanuaSemia. The
natives on the island claim they are not harmful to man even though
they possess a full complement of stinging nematocysts, and are
considered to be ho'ailona Ho'omaika'i - "a sign of
blessing", whenever they are seen. They seem to
feed mainly on zooplankton, small fish and free floating
crustaceans.
One
of the more common fish on the reef are small
Raie Bleue Chromis, or
Blue Stripe Chromis, shown in the
thumbnail image to the left. Chromis species are extremely abundant on the coral
reefs of the South Pacific, and Liza's Reef is no exception. However,
these small blue striped varieties seem to be indigenous only to
the reef, and to the best of my knowledge are the only striped species
in existence. In
my painting I have shown only a pair, but they are often found in
schools that may number up to several thousand individuals, creating a
fantastic sight as they swim over the corals, turning and gliding in
extreme unison.
Liza's
Reef also has a number of strange animals which resemble insects rather than typical coral
reef fauna. One such creature is a rather large (two inches at least in
length) caterpillar-like animal that displays a luxurious
combination of greens, yellow and purple markings.
They are usually seen crawling slowly on the
Corail Royal
but often encountered them in floating in the water, propelled by the
white and black flagella that were located on their dorsal surface.
