Pseudojuloides labyrinthus is an exciting new species of pencil wrasse from the Western Indian Ocean. The labyrinth pencil wrasse joins a fresh crop of Pseudojuloides wrasses which have been described in recent years, many of them being discovered by a fellow aquarist.
Jason Edward of Greenwich Aquaria has been a pioneer in procuring rare and unusual fish for going on a decade now, being one of the first to bring us such saltwater aquarium hits like Plectranthias pelicieri, P. nanus, Joculator angels, Vivienne’s leopard wrasse, Rose Island dottyback, and many more, before they were cool in the hobby.
More recently, Jason has sought out to discover unknown marine fish from obscure parts of the world. His efforts have resulted in the discovery of an unusual species of sleeper goby from Mauritius, and some great pictures of a still undescribed flasher wrasse from Kenya, Cirrhilabrus sp. 3. Furthermore, prior to today’s unveiling Jason’s work has resulted in two new species of pencil wrasses that have been described, Pseudojuloides edwardi and Pseudojuloides zeus.
If you thought of the the double electric lightning stripes of the Zeus pencil wrasse was exciting, the new Pseudojuloides labyrinthus is even more exciting. The new labyrinth pencil wrasse has at least three neon blue stripes the length of its body and is contrasted nicely with a yellow-green base body coloration.
Pseudojuloides labyrinthus is most closely related to P. edwardi, both of which are found in Kenya in the Western Indian Ocean, and females of both species are mostly pink with a slightly reddish colored head and face and a white upper jaw. The new Labyrinth pencil wrasse is described by Victor & Edward in the most recent volume of the Journal of Ocean Science Foundation. [JOSF]
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