Suezitchthys is a genus of slender wrasses which is hardly known in home aquariums, but we’ve got details about a second possible new species discovered in under a month. A few weeks ago we told you about the colorfully adorned new species of slender wrasse collected by the deep diving supergroup of Pyle & Greene, and now we’ve got another Suezichthys looker coming to us from another location in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
Deep Sea Challengers is a deep fish collecting outfit out of Japan which has given us close encounters with many of Japan’s craziest deepwater fish, not the least of which is the Tattoo Jawfish, a supermale of true pintail fairy wrasse, and a sometimes it’s a huge assortment of fish they show off all at once. This past week they brought up a glowing orange slender wrasse which is almost certainly an undescribed species, but it’s possible that it may have been spotted by Japanese divers before.
This specimen of Suezichtys was collected off of Izena Island, Japan at the abyssal depth of 240 meters, or 787 feet deep. The prominent orange coloration of this wrasse is reminiscent of Suezichthys arquatus from the Southwest Pacific Ocean, but its golden yellow bars is more akin to Suezichthys gracilis which is well known from all around Japan.
However it’s the pattern of spots on the head which sets this species of slender wrasse apart, virtually clinching its status as an undescribed species which is new to science. The pinkish orange coloration of this individual also hint that it is probably a female and that the mature male coloration for this fish could be even more stunning.
