Coral reef fish superstars Gerald Allen and Mark V. Erdmann are at it again, this time participating in a “reef crawl” in Lembeh that was focused on sighting as many reef fish as possible. The reef life survey turned up an additional 43 new species records for Lembeh, bringing the total number to 1101 species in the area, making Lembeh second only to Raja Ampat in terms of total number of reef fish recorded.
The 43 new sightings of reef fish from Lembeh included some never before seen such as two species of Stalix jawfishes, and the first picture of a live Neamia cardinalfish which looks incredible in living photos. Other notable rare reef fish sightings include a delicate specimen of Vanderhorstia cyanolineata, a hybrid flasher wrasse, and a rare blue-belly blenny, Ecsenius caeruliventris, and an undescribed species of Discordipinna goby.
As more fish geeks dive in Lembeh, its total number of documented reef fish will likely risein the future. Although Lembeh will probably never catch up to Raja Ampat’s 1500+ documented species of reef fish, it’s a given that the region still holds untold surprises of unknown reef life to wow us in the future. [Lembeh Resorts]
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