Every year we look forward to all kinds of new corals, reef fish and products in the marine aquarium hobby but 2012 was an especially rich year for new taxa of various bony reef fish. Like most years we saw new species of nano gobies, especially species of Eviota and Trimma, a few new dottybacks, and a smattering of damsels and basslets.
Not only were we graced with two actually new species of Liopropoma basslets, one of the papers teased a third as of yet unknown species. Additionally, we got our first look at no fewer than three new species of the uber popular Cirrhilabrus wrasses, one of them discovered but not actually described. Between the new species of longnose butterflyfish and a new Odontanthias from the Caribbean, there were lots and lots of new fish for aquarists to love.
We look forward to learning more about the new reef fish species of two thousand twelve and hope that the twenty-teens yield as much abundance and richness of new fish. Which one was your favorite?
Histiophryne pogonius frogfish has a face only a marine aquarist could love
Pomacentrus maafu is Tonga and Fiji’s newest species of damselfish
Forcipiger wanai is a new longnose butterflyfish species from Cenderawasih Bay
Liopropoma randalli just described from from Kochi India and Lombok Indonesia
Hypoplectrus floridae & H. ecosur: two new species closely related to the barred hamlet
Liopropoma emanueli is a stunning pink and yellow basslet from Africa
Cirrhilabrus squirei: First specimen caught and shipped to BlueHarbor
More titillating pictures of the illustrious Cirrhilabrus nahackyi
Cirrhilabrus humanni “Stubby-fin Fairy Wrasse” from Alor, Indonesia officially described
Pseudochromis ammeri and P. eichleri add to the dizzying array of dottyback species
Synchiropus tudorjonesi is a new species of dragonet from Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
Giganthias serratospinosus is a new anthias from Lombok, Indonesia
Odontanthias hensleyi is the first species of this genus from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico
Trimma matsunoi, T. fasciatum and Gobiodon winterbottomi join a long list of cool new nano gobies
Trimma tauroculum from Palau is a really unique and gorgeous species
Eviota jewettae & E. pinocchioi are a pair of peppermint nano gobies
