When we first reported on the existence of a common firefish with a large, unusual pink spot on its side, we thought for sure this was a fluke. Like the metallic green-faced goby, we thought that since the pink spot is completely out of character, this was one aberration that was a fluke, and never to be seen again.
However this is one occasion where we are delighted to be proven wrong, as another pink spot firefish has just been collected in the Philippines by RVS Fishworld. Just like the first specimen, the new pink spot firefish has this very unusual, somewhat shiny patch of pink coloration right on the midsection of the fish.
This shade of pink and the metallic appearance of this pink spot is completely out of character for the normal coloration of the common firefish, Nemateleotris magnifica, so we therefore struggle to explain how it has come about. Our first guess on the origin of this pink patch was that it resulted from some kind of physical injury early in the life of the fish.
However, the mid-body position of the pink aberration on both specimens seems to be too similar to be coincidence. What we do know is that if two specimens have been documented, even if they were five years apart, means that more are going unnoticed, and that this is probably a phenomenon that we’re likely to see in the common firefish again.
