The dwarf lionfish of the Dendrochirus genus are some of the most popular for the aquarium, no doubt due to their smaller size. The fuzzy dwarf lionfish Dendrochirus brachypterus and its relative D. zebra are recognizable to scorpionfish lovers and the new Ogasawara lionfish Dendrochirus koyo will be very familiar.
Hailing from the fabled stretch of Ogasawara islands off the Japanese coast, the Ogasawara lionfish joins other unique species as being discovered and described from this unique ecoregion in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Consisting primarily of a deep, submerged seamount, the Ogasawara Islands are very isolated and Dendrochirus koyo is so far only known from this location.
The holotype was collected at a depth of 143 meters or almost 470 feet, so this species’ isolation and extreme depth will preclude most people from every seeing this species alive.
