Peri’s snake eel, Myrichthys paleracio, is a remarkable new species of snake eel in an otherwise unremarkable group of fishes. We actually do have a soft spot for snake eels – they’re hardy, attractive and they have a lot of personality – but their special needs for substrate to burrow in and through precludes them from being kept in most fish and reef tanks. However, Myrichthys paleracio is exceptionally colorful with yellow-edged brown blotches which makes the markings really stand out on a pale cream-white body. Peri’s snake eel was discovered by a dive guide working in the Philippines who had seen the species for years believing it to be a local variant or known species, but he collected and sent specimens to the California Academy of Sciences who described the new snake eel and named it after its discoverer. [GMA News]
