It’s been far too long since we last welcomed a new fairy wrasse into the taxonomic world. Until today, the most recent addition happened way back in December, when Cirrhilabrus greeni was unexpectedly described from the Timor Sea.…
Joe Rowlett
Recent Content
Heteroconger fugax, An Unexpected New Species Of Garden Eel
It’s been nearly a decade since the world has been introduced to a new species of garden eel. The large colonies formed by these fishes tend to be easily noticed, and the species themselves are usually strikingly patterned, making this an easily classified and well-studied group.…
Abudefduf nigrimargo, the Sergeant Majors Have A New Species
The Abudefduf damselfishes are a challenging group in many ways. Aquarists know these to be some of the meanest of pomacentrids, but these fishes can be just as confounding to those brave souls seeking to understand their complex evolutionary interrelationships.…
First Live Images Of A Very Rare Anemone, Thalassianthus hypnoides
[EDIT: This article originally identified this specimen as T. dendrophora. That was likely incorrect. After reviewing the literature for this genus a second time, it seems more probable that this is Thalassianthus hypnoides, a species which was described in 1893 by William Saville-Kent from the Great Barrier Reef and which has rarely been reported since.…
This Anemone Is A Very Convincing Xenia Mimic
Truth be told, the first time that I saw this photograph I was completely fooled. Surely it had to be a soft coral of some sort… those large fluffy polyps must belong to a xeniid, right?
When I was then told by Cameron Bee at Monsoon Aquatics that it was, in fact, an anemone collected from the shallow waters around Darwin, Australia, it was a revelation.…
Conglomeratusclera Is The Fun New Name For “Blue Xenia”
The taxonomy of xeniid corals has in recent years become almost indecipherable. Thanks to the increased use of genetic sequencing and SEM microscopy, we now have a better understanding of this group’s true biodiversity, but it’s had the consequence of rendering our old systems of classification obsolete.…
An Astoundingly Rare Hybrid Surgeonfish From Dynasty Marine
A general rule among most hybrids is that the two parent species need to be closely related to produce progeny. We see this maxim pop up again and again among reef fishes. This is why we can get a Bluespicuous Angelfish or a Lamarckispilos Angelfish, but not, for...
The Sexy Shrimp Is A (Sexy) Species Complex
Thor amboinensis, the Sexy Shrimp, is a colorful and highly erotic crustacean familiar to aquarists and divers alike, beloved for the sensual manner with which it shakes its derriere. This tiny caridean is typically encountered in close proximity to sea anemones and is alleged to be one of the few reef organisms to have a worldwide distribution in tropical waters.…
John Whitchurch Bennett’s Forgotten Reef Fish Masterpiece
The 19th century was an extraordinarily prolific period for the study of coral reef biodiversity, but the names and accomplishments of the pioneering naturalists who made these early discoveries are today often forgotten.…
Five New Species Of Blanket-hermit Crabs
Hermit crabs are famed for the snail shells that they so dearly love, but the group is in fact highly diverse and known to occupy a wide variety of structures (the general term for these tenements being “carcinoecia”).…