by Reef To Rainforest | Nov 22, 2013 | Conservation, Events, Fish, Science
Paracheilinus rennyae, endemic in the waters of Komodo National Park. Image by Mark Erdmann, Conservation International. Although best-known as the home of the world’s largest living lizard, Komodo National Park in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia is also a noteworthy dive destination that attracts biodiversity researchers doing marine species surveys in the Coral Triangle. One of those scientists, Dr. Mark Erdmann of Conservation International, has found and described a gloriously pigmented new species of Flasher Wrasse, Paracheilinus rennyae. The fish, distinguished by its rounded dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, is named in honor of Renny Kurnia Hadiaty from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and in recognition of her scientific contributions to Indonesian fish taxonomy. Erdmann, Conservation International’s (CI) senior adviser to the Indonesian Marine Program, says that Renny’s Flasher Wrasse is endemic to East Nusa Tenggara, the province in southeastern Indonesia where Komodo Island National Park is located. Conservationists are hopeful that such discoveries will help protect such areas from development. Northern tip of Komodo Island, home to a living “dragon” and a diversity of marine life. “East Nusa Tenggara has more endemic species of flasher wrasses, which will hopefully encourage more tourists to come to Indonesia, since they can only see the endemic species here, including the new flasher wrasse,” Erdmann said on Wednesday. According to Erdmann, the first picture of a new, unknown wrasse was taken by a diver in Nusa Tenggara Timor (NTT) in 2010. “When the diver showed us the picture, we assumed it was a new species of flasher wrasse. Scientists from Udayana University [in Bali] later confirmed the species was genetically distinct from other flasher wrasse species,” he said. Following collaboration between scientists from Udayana University, Papua State University in Manokwari, Diponegoro University in Semarang, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Conservation International Indonesia, a description of the new species by Dr. Gerald Allen, Dr. Erdmann, and Ni Luh Astria Yusmalinda was published in the year-end edition of aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology. Popular among reef aquarium keepers and divers alike, flasher wrasses are known for their gaudy mating displays, in which the males flare their fins and “flash” electric-blue colors to attract females and initiate spawning events. Paracheilinus rennyae is genetically distinct from other known flasher wrasses in the Coral Triangle, with its closest relative being Paracheilinus angulatus from East Kalimantan, Brunei, Sabah and the southern Philippines. “The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is increasingly aware of the need to generate more revenue from underwater tourism due to the country’s marine biodiversity, rather than solely depending on fishing,” Erdmann said. “But we haven’t yet calculated the value of these endemic flasher wrasse to NTT’s tourism,” he continued. Sources Jakarta Post Image, Northern tip of Komodo Island: Jon Hanson/Wikipedia/Creative Commons Abstract Gerald R. Allen, Mark V. Erdmann and Ni Luh Astria Yusmalinda: Paracheilinus rennyae, a new species of flasherwrasse (Perciformes: Labridae) from southern Indonesia, aqua, Volume 19, Issue 4 – 25 October 2013, pp. 193-206. The Indo-Pacific labrid fish Paracheilinus rennyae is described from four male specimens, 52.2-60.4 mm SL, collected in 15-21 m depth off southwestern Flores Island in the Lesser Sunda island chain of Indonesia. It is distinguished from most congeners by the lack of filamentous extensions of the dorsal fin rays in males and a rounded caudal fin margin, a combination of features shared only by P. octotaenia (Red Sea). It differs from the Red Sea species in having 13-14 rakers (vs. 16-18) on the first gill arch and several colour pattern differences. Genetic analysis (CO1) indicates it is closely related to P. angulatus from the Philippines and northern Borneo (Brunei, Sabah, and Kalimantan), but the two species exhibit marked differences in the shape of the median fins. by Reef To Rainforest | Nov 20, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Science
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxXcTBmYW6w Checking back in on Nathan’s Mixed Reef Aquarium – 2013 Update Very impressive 210-gallon (795-liter) reef aquarium created by Nathan Gist, with narration by Than Thein of Tidal Gardens in Copley, Ohio. The same tank, one year earlier below. Says Than: “Nathan’s tank is a custom 210-gallon Aquarium Glass Exhibits (AGE) mixed reef. It measures 72″ x 30″ x 22″ and contains a wide variety of both fish and corals. Nathan has excellent taste in both fish and coral evidenced by a plethora of uncommonly seen inhabitants. There are some incredibly rare fish such as blue star wrasses and orange-spot file fish as well as some of the most interesting color morphs of beautiful corals such as Pavona, Leptoseris, and Blastomussa. “It is amazing that Nathan is a relative newcomer to the reef aquarium hobby having started only two years ago. I think most will agree that he has put together a wonderful display tank that is sure to be the envy of many a seasoned aquarist.” Credit: Tidal Gardens | YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpm9owuXT0U by Reef To Rainforest | Nov 11, 2013 | Fish, Science
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uUk9K9TQhg Nick Hope’s Bali Diving Scuba diving in Bali, Indonesia, in September 2007 with AquaMarine Diving. We travel to the USAT Liberty shipwreck at Tulamben, see Mola Mola at Crystal Bay, a Whitetip Reef Shark at Nusa Penida, and lots of underwater macro critters such as nudibranchs and shrimps from Coral Garden, Seraya Secrets and Puri Jati. Shot in September 2007 with http://www.AquaMarineDiving.com, an excellent scuba diving operator in Bali. Editor: To see ID Captions of the species shown, click the small [CC] Icon at the bottom right of the screen. Recommended. by Reef To Rainforest | Nov 11, 2013 | Fish, Photography, Science
CORAL Magazine’s REEF LIFE Calendar, a perennial favorite of marine aquarists since 1999. Stay amazed. Stay inspired. NOW SHIPPING Order the REEF LIFE 2014 Wall Calendar today! With images by renowned underwater photographers Denise Nielsen Tackett and Larry Tackett, the 2014 Reef Life Calendar brings a dazzling profusion of world-class reef images that will fuel the enthusiasm of any marine reefkeeper. The perfect gift for all reef and marine aquarists on your gift list and you get FREE SHIPPING (to U.S. Addresses). 9″ x 9″ (9″ x 18″ open) Full color photography throughout Just $10.95 each Special Offer: $8 each for 2 or more Reef Life — Live it 365 in 2014! CLICK TO ORDER TODAY Free Shipping! REEF LIFE Back Cover showing all 12 glorious monthly images. Click to enlarge. by Reef To Rainforest | Nov 10, 2013 | Fish, Photography, Science
Young Ambon Damselfish on the reef, small and extremely vulnerable to predation. Image: Oona Lonnstadt. The old proverb about a leopard not being able to change its spots now has a new biological footnote after researchers in Australian recently found that fish exposed to predatory danger can, indeed, transform their spots to make them less vulnerable to attack. Working with young Ambon Damselfish, Pomacentrus amboinensis, researchers from Australia’s ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) have made the remarkable discovery that, when constantly threatened with being eaten, the fish not only grow a larger false ‘eyespot’ near their tail–but also reduce the size of their real eyes. Small prey fish with bigger “false eyes” on their rear fins dramatically boosted their chances of survival on the reef, they found. Relationships between eyespot size and eyeball size and body length. The relationship between standard length and eyespot diameter (A) and standard length and eye diameter (B) in presence and absence of predators. All prey fish exposed to predator cues over a 6 week period had significantly larger eyespots (F,H) and smaller eyes (F,G) than fish from the control treatments (C–E). The changes were not evolutionary—over a succession of generations—but rather a relatively rapid response by individual fish tracked over a period of six weeks. The enlargement of the eyespots results in a fish that looks like it is heading in the opposite direction–potentially confusing predatory fish targeting them to be eaten, says Oona Lönnstedt, working toward her Ph.D. at CoECRS and James Cook University. These spots are known as ocelli, and for decades scientists have debated whether false eyespots, or dark circular marks on less vulnerable regions of the bodies of prey animals, played an important role in protecting them from predators–or were simply a fortuitous evolutionary accident. The widely accepted theory is that these spots, found in the juveniles of many species, tend to cause predators to strike at the eyespotted tail or fin rather than the much more vulnerable head region. Researcher and lead author the paper, Oona Lonnstadt. The CoECRS team has found the first clear evidence that fish can change the size of both the misleading spot and their real eye to maximise their chances of survival when under threat. “It’s an amazing feat of cunning for a tiny fish,” Lonnstedt says. “Young damsel fish are pale yellow in colour and have this distinctive black circular ‘eye’ marking towards their tail, which fades as they mature. We figured it must serve an important purpose when they are young.” “We found that when young damsel fish were placed in a specially built tank where they could see and smell predatory fish without being attacked, they automatically began to grow a bigger eye spot, and their real eye became relatively smaller, compared with damsels exposed only to herbivorous fish, or isolated ones. “We believe this is the first study to document predator-induced changes in the size of eyes and eye-spots in prey animals.” When the researchers investigated what happens in nature on a coral reef with lots of predators, they found that juvenile damsel fish with enlarged eye spots had an amazing five-fold increase in survival rate compared to fish with a normal-sized spot. “This was dramatic proof that eyespots work—and give young fish a hugely increased chance of not being eaten,” says Lonnstedt. Comparison of depth to length ratio. The relationship between standard length (SL) and body depth (BD) of P. amboinensis when in the presence and absence of predators (A). Fish had significantly deeper bodies when exposed to predator cues (B) compared to the shallow bodied controls (C). “We think the eyespots not only cause the predator to attack the wrong end of the fish, enabling it to escape by accelerating in the opposite direction, but also reduce the risk of fatal injury to the head,” she explains. The team also noted that when placed in proximity to a predator the young damsel fish also adopted other protective behaviours and features, including reducing activity levels, taking refuge more often and developing a chunkier body shape less easy for a predator to swallow. “It all goes to show that even a very young, tiny fish a few millimetres long have evolved quite a range of clever strategies for survival which they can deploy when a threatening situation demands,” Ms Lonnstedt says. Their paper Predator-induced changes in the growth of eyes and false eyespots by Oona M. Lonnstedt, Mark I. McCormick and Douglas P. Chivers appears in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports. ABSTRACT The animal world is full of brilliant colours and striking patterns that serve to hide individuals or attract the attention of others. False eyespots are pervasive across a variety of animal taxa and are among natures most conspicuous markings. Understanding the adaptive significance of eyespots has long fascinated evolutionary ecologists. Here we show for the first time that the size of eyespots is plastic and increases upon exposure to predators. Associated with the growth of eyespots there is a corresponding reduction in growth of eyes in juvenile Ambon damselfish,Pomacentrus amboinensis. These morphological changes likely direct attacks away from the head region. Exposure to predators also induced changes in prey behaviour and morphology. Such changes could prevent or deter attacks and increase burst speed, aiding in escape. Damselfish exposed to predators had drastically higher survival suffering only 10% mortality while controls suffered 60% mortality 72 h after release. Sources From materials released by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS). http://www.coralcoe.org.au/ Featured Image credit: http://www.ibrc-bali.org/research/project/pomacentrus-amboinensis/ Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center Images this page: Oona Lonnstadt, top.
