These extraordinary macro-photography of pelagic plankton come from Solvin Zanki’s Flickr photo set. The only thing more awe-inspiring than Solvin’s photographic skills are his photo subjects.
From the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
How tiny fish larvae travel away from the reef, then know how to navigate their way back home is a scientific mystery.
“The yellow tang is far and away the most important species in the aquarium fishery comprising 73 percent of the total fish catch and 67 percent of the total value, or nearly $1 million.Â
We don’t want to steal their thunder, so please head over to Anna’s blennywatcher article for more photos and descriptions of their Dominica trip.Â
Pethia sahit
Pethia sahit is a new barb species from the Krishna River system in the Western Ghats mountain ranges of India. These barbs are brilliant metallic gold in coloration with large and very well-defined scales.
Odontonia bagginsi sp. n
The scientists decided to name the shrimp after fictional characters, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, the hobbit family from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings book (and movie) universe.
Particularly fascinating is the formation of the radial (side) corallites (skeletal cup where the polyps sit within). As the axial (tip) corallites lay down new skeleton, new radial polyps emerge from the sides and develop into the Acro branches we’re all familiar with.
Fishes collected in the twilight zone. © 2015 California Academy of Sciences Bart Shepherd inserts the collection jar into the chamber housing. © 2015 California Academy of Sciences
From the California Academy of Sciences:
Strange and beautiful fishes from the ocean’s deep and lesser-known twilight zone reefs are hitching a ride to the surface thanks to the newly invented SubCAS (or Submersible Chamber for Ascending Specimens).
Most aquarists start their journey in fishkeeping by simply mixing random animals into an aquarium and decorating the aquarium to suit their personal aesthetics. As we learn more, some of us endeavor to recreate natural habitats instead of mish-mash communities of species from different parts of the world because there is a special appeal watching animals interact with their environments as nature intended … saying nothing of creating healthier natural environments for fishes.
