These three angelfishes form an unexpected clade within the phylogeny of Pomacanthidae. Note the placement of narcosis’ spot versus arcuatus’ stripe and colini’s back. Photo credit: Lemon TYK. In gross review of the vast piscine fauna distributed around the globe, there are perhaps few [...]
"Sarcophyton" ehrenbergi, the False Toadstool Coral. Credit: Dr. Yehuda Benayahu Zoological taxonomy is not for the feint of heart. Take, for instance, the humble Toadstool Coral— a stalwart soft coral recommended to every rookie reef aquarist. Despite the ubiquity and importance of these [...]
Source: Futuyma, 2009 Although commonly regarded as the most primitive multicellular animal group, sponges – members of the phylum: Porifera, are both diverse and interesting. Currently, this phylum is described as consisting almost completely of 3 distinct classes: Demospongea, Calcarea, and [...]
There are new species of fish being discovered all the time. In the last year alone, the discovery of nine new species of handfish (a group related to anglerfish) off the coast of Australia, and two new anglers in the Gulf of Mexico (now endangered by oil spills) have all made headlines in the [...]