The contents in this container is worth more words. Koji’s latest attempts at stunning the general public with his amazing capability of obtaining rare fish did not end in futility. Nearly every popular Hawaiian deepwater twilight zone inhabiting reef fish is in this box, proving two things; Rufus Kimura is one of the most skilled deepwater fish collectors around, and Koji Wada being one of the biggest rare fish powerhouse in the market right now.
Therein the box lies a trio of Orange margined butterflyfish (Prognathodes basabei), with one of the three appearing to be a beautiful small sized juvenile. Joining the entourage are a pair of Roa excelsa, a single Odontanthias fuscipinnis, a miniscule juvenile Bodianus sanguineus and the hyper rare Liopropoma aurora. That’s quite a mouthful, a very expensive mouthful. Roa excelsa and Prognathodes basabei are two gorgeous butterfly demigods from Hawaii and command a resounding price. The hogfish and the anthias are the only two that are probably mainstream enough to be sold off the shelf, especially with a juvenile B. sanguineus at that size.
The superstar fish in this teaser photograph however, is the really rare Liopropoma aurora. It has been years since one appeared. Unlike many reef basslets, L. aurora belongs to the larger side of the Liopropoma genus and can grow to around 6 inches. If you are feeling rich, the large salmon colored basslet would make for a sensational display in a dedicated deepwater display, lit with a single blue LED fixture perhaps. In all typical Koji Wada fashion, expect to see HD photos and video updates on these fishes soon, and you’ll be sure we’ll be on top of it. Until then, this teaser photo shall suffice.
