The mesophotic reefs of the Indian Ocean are still quite poorly known. While the Pacific has seen a number of extensive surveys conducted in recent years by the likes of Dr. Luiz Rocha, Dr. Rich Pyle, Brian Greene, and the Okeanos Explorer cruises, the deeper fauna of the Indian has remained largely unstudied.…
The first pygmy seahorse was discovered by accident in 1969. A red and purple gorgonian from the genus Muricella had been brought to New Caledonia’s Aquarium des Lagons, and upon its branches was found a mated pair of specimens, Hippocampus bargibanti, perfectly camouflaged against the coral.…
The Maze Angelfish (Chaetodontoplus cephaloreticulatus) is an inherently unusual fish. It was first described more than 40 years ago in the waters around Taiwan, and, since this initial discovery, it has remained one of the most enigmatic of reef fishes.…
For as colorful and diverse as the Cirrhilabrus fairy wrasses are, we don’t tend to see all that much in the way of intraspecific variation. Sure, larger specimens of a given species might appear a bit more vibrant or have more elaborate finnage, but virtually absent from this group are the sort of wild aberrations we encounter with surprising frequency among the surgeonfishes, angelfishes, anemonefishes, etc.…
One of the most common color aberrations seen in reef fishes results in a piebald, koi-like mix of yellow, white and black. It’s been encountered most regularly among the surgeonfishes, especially those in Ctenochaetus and Zebrasoma, but it also shows up on occasion among triggerfishes and damselfishes and, as seen here, in angelfishes.…
Australia’s reefs are home to a small, but illustrious, collection of endemic pomacanthids. In the warmer waters, we find the spectacular Scribbled Angelfish (Chaetodontoplus duboulayi), along with the Personifer (C.…
Razorfishes are a diverse and highly specialized group of tropical wrasses that aquarists seldom get to see in captivity. They occur almost exclusively in sandy habitat, often far-removed from coral reefs, which naturally makes them quite challenging to collect.…
Ever since it was first discovered in aquarium exports nearly two decades ago, the Golden Fairy Basslet (Gramma dejongi) has kept an air of mystery about it. Sightings of this beautiful yellow fish in the wild have been remarkably few, and, until the recent breeding success by aquaculturist Todd Gardner, aquarium specimens were exceedingly scarce and impossible to find in the US.…
It’s been six whole months since we last saw a new species of Trimma described, which certainly feels like an eternity for this rapidly growing genus of pint-sized reef gobies. But a couple new taxa collected from the mesophotic depths of New Guinea have broken this taxonomic dry spell, upping the total described diversity to 103 species.…
Here’s an unusual variation of the Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula) that’s apparently never been documented before. This familiar species can be highly variable when it comes to the amount of black in its patterning.…