Ctenophora is a phylum of marine animals most commonly referred to as comb jellies. You may have seen these in various documentaries, manifesting themselves as gelatinous geometric shapes fringed in movable cilia and psychedelic disco lights. This phylum is huge and…
Magazine
1.4 Fairy Wrasses: The bathyphilus group
The bathyphilus group, despite being a very small congregation, is by no means any less interesting or provocative compared to its congeners. In 1997 during the Indo-Pacific Fish Conference held in New Caledonia, five unidentified specimens of Cirrhilabrus were brought…
Tryssogobius Tuesday: A guide to the genus of fairy gobies
Amongst the giddying myriad of nano-sized gobies suited for the home aquarist, few genera exuberates brilliance and mystique quite like Tryssogobius. The genus comprises of delicate dainty gobies, of which seven are scientifically recognized. There are invariably many more waiting…
1.3 Fairy Wrasses: The lanceolatus group
The members of the lanceolatus group are some of the largest and showiest fairy wrasses, collectively celebrated for their grandiose caudal fin and chromatic brilliance. The group spans most of the Indo-Pacific, with its various species occupying a series of…
The rarely seen Striking Sea Star
Despite the diversity of sea stars that abound in tropical waters, relatively few species find their way into aquariums with any regularity. One of the most interesting species—morphologically, behaviorally and evolutionarily—is also one of the most seldomly encountered: the “Striking…
Rare species of Arothron pufferfishes
Dogface pufferfishes are as common a marine fish as you’ll find in the aquarium hobby, but this is by no means true of all the species in this diverse group. The genus Arothron, as currently classified, contains fifteen species, several…
1.2 Fairy Wrasses: The lunatus group
Cirrhilabrus johnsoni was first described in 1988 based on specimens collected in the Marshall and Caroline islands. This small species served as the twentieth member of a rapidly expanding genus, and was decidedly different with a crescent shaped caudal fin adorned…
Peanut Worms in the Reef Aquarium
A well-stocked reef aquarium can be a diverse place, full of invertebrate surprises. But identifying the fauna traipsing about on live rock can be a challenge for the average aquarist and few creatures are quite so confusing as the Peanut Worm.…
1.1 Fairy Wrasses: The lubbocki group
The lubbocki group houses six members divided evenly into two separate but closely related clades. They are the lubbocki clade and the marjorie clade. All members of this group are small to medium sized species with a recurring red and white…
Destination De Jong
There are a handful of fish and coral powerhouses spread around the world in isolation, each with their special niche and prowess responsible for procuring some of the hobby’s most sought after. Most recently on our little tour of Europe,…