There are dozens of anthias species found throughout the Indo-Pacific and nearly all of them are of exceptional beauty, but some clearly shine brighter than the rest. For the Aurora Anthias (Pseudanthias calloura), the combination of its vibrant, sumptuous coloration...
The deepwater reefs of Micronesia have yielded a pair of incredible new species from a poorly studied group known as Groppos. These pint-sized basslets are revered for their vibrant colors and flamboyant fin morphologies, and this certainly holds true for these newest...
It has been a VERY busy week for rare fish finds (see: here, here & here), but today I get to feature what is easily my favorite discovery yet… a big, blue pufferfish. Scoff if you must, but I would take this fish over a hundred Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus. Dear...
Of the many species of fairy wrasse which make their way into the aquarium trade, few can rival Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus for its sheer beauty, rarity, and desirability. This species is one of the true holy grails for labrid collectors, with only a small number of...
The collectors at Dynasty Marine might very well have stumbled upon the first record of hybridization among the deepwater basslets in the genus Liopropoma. The fish seen here combines an interesting mix of traits found in two closely related species from South...
There are numerous examples of scientifically undescribed reef fishes (e.g. the Whitemargin Anemonefish... the Magma Wrasse... the Japanese Velvet Angelfish), but arguably the most attractive of the lot is a colorful dwarf anthias found in Micronesia. While...
For the evolutionary biologist, there are certain species of reef fish which are inherently more fascinating and enigmatic than the rest—those which possess a mystery defying easy explanation. For me, near the top of this list is the Convict Tang Acanthurus...
The world of taxonomy is, more often than not, a stolid and staid affair, but every now and then a species comes along that gets everyone’s blood a-boiling. Such is the case with the beautiful and enigmatic Cocopeel Angelfish. It wasn’t long ago that this vibrantly...
Two of the most spectacularly colored mesophotic fishes of the Central Pacific were just filmed for the first time, as part of the ongoing expedition to American Samoa by the Okeanos Explorer. These are some of the true holy grails for rare fish collectors and neither...
Every aquarist knows that the Multispined Angelfish is a hideous creature and an utter embarrassment within the illustrious genus Centropyge, but, every once in a great while, an interesting specimen comes along with just enough panache to make it somewhat tolerable....