The Sail-finned Clade: Pseudanthias evansi, tuka, pascalus, & cf pascalus “Fiji” & “Tahiti” It is clear that P. tuka, P. pascalus and P. evansi form a single group, as they share a number of unique characters: 1) The elongated “forehead” between the eyes and...
The Arc-finned Clade This well-defined grouping has a number of features setting it apart from other Mirolabrichthys. Most readily observable to an aquarist is the smooth edge to the dorsal fin. This is due to the interspinal membranes of the fin extending to the tips...
The genus Pseudanthias, known commonly as fairy basslets, is a diverse group of colorful schooling reef fishes popular amongst aquarists. It has traditionally been split into three subgenera—Franzia, Mirolabrichthys, and Pseudanthias sensu stricto—based on differences...
In recent years, there has been a flurry of published research into the causes of speciation in coral reef fishes. For many Indo-Pacific groups, geography seems to be the main driver of diversity, but it isn’t always well-known how this regional diversity was formed...
My little nerd heart just about burst with excitement when I stumbled upon these delightful 4-D puzzles of tropical marine life. Available in everything from seahorses to moorish idols to lionfish and more (19 sets to choose from here!), these are a must have for all...
Hybrids Like most pomacanthids, a fair bit of interspecies intermingling takes place in Apolemichthys, with the Flagfin Angelfish being especially adulterous. Longtime ichthyophiles will be familiar with the famed Armitage Angelfish—a wallet-emptying abomination whose...
The Flagfin, Goldflake and Tiger Angelfishes A. trimaculatus, xanthopunctatus & kingi This pomacanthid triumvirate ranges widely in cost and availability, from the cheap and common trimaculatus, to the extraordinarily rare and punitively pricey kingi. The...
The Yellow-ear, Yellowtail and Griffis’ Angelfishes A. xanthotis, xanthurus & griffisi These three species form a clear and cohesive group that can be diagnosed by: 1) The mostly-black Chaetodontoplus-like patterning of juveniles. 2) The darkening of the face...
Among the marine angelfishes, the handful of species classified in Apolemichthys represent some of the more underappreciated members of their family available to the home aquarist. Despite their being hearty, attractive and oftentimes highly affordable, these fishes...
I’d like to call your attention to one of the more unusual groups of shrimp to be found around coral reefs, an animal of peculiar morphological novelty and considerable evolutionary isolation. These obscure creatures are seldom discussed outside the scientific...