Reef Fishes of the East Indies brought with it 25 new species of previously unknown reef fish, several of which have had their mugshots released by Conservation International. Anthias, clingfish, butterflyfish, gobies and a cornucopia of other new piscine reef dwellers are pictured in exquisite detail in the new book by Drs. Erdmann and Allen.
Pseudanthias mica is a gorgeous new species of anthias from the East Indies which is a favorite of Mark Erdmann who named the basslet after his daughter. Another eye-catching reef fish is the “candy striper” clingfish above which is named Lepidichthys akiko, and it looks like someone took the pattern of a true peppermint hogfish, Bodianus opercularis, and placed it on a tiny little clingfish.
Some other super interesting species featured in the new book include the delicate looking Pteropsaron longipinnis which reminds us of a Yasha Hashe goby with the pelvic fins filamented like the dorsal fin. Another new one is Tryssigobius sarah, a new nano goby which is related to the popular dartfishes. If these pictures are any indication of the quality of what we’ll see for the known species, then Reef Fishes of the East Indies will become an indispensable book for any avid lover of reef fish in the wild and in the aquarium.
