The Island of New Guinea is an absolute treasure trove of new marine fish species not the least of which are cool Chrysiptera damselfishes and unique Pseudochromis dottybacks.
To the untrained eye the Chromis cymatilis above may appear like just another blue demoiselle but to small damselfish junkies like ourselves, Chrysiptera cymatilis is a treasure unto itself and wholly unique from other blue Chrysiptera like C. niger, C. springeri, C. arnazae and so on. From Papua New Guinea in the East to the Bird’s Head Peninsula in the West, the island of New Guinea is literally crawling with innumerable new species which we would love to see enter the trade; not only for our enjoyment but also to begin providing a sustainable source of income to those island communities.
The fresh waters of New Guinea are also teeming with previously unknown species like the Chilatherina alleni rainbowfish at left. We can only hope that at least the government of Papua New Guinea is able to revive the sustainable collection efforts of the SeaSmart program so that some of these new species eventually become a reality for the aquarium trade
