A new species of snapping shrimp has been described based on two specimens collected in the Maldives. Alpheus octocellatus appears to be morphologically most similar to Alpheus edwardsii, pareuchirus and leptochirus so the paper’s authors have placed it in the…
New Species
Gilmorei is the first Polylepion wrasse to be found in the Atlantic
A new species of small, deep-water wrasse has been described from the Atlantic Ocean. Members of the Polylepion genus have previously been restricted to the Indian and Pacific Oceans but this one, named Polylepion gilmorei after Grant Gilmore, formerly of…
Terelabrus toretore is a New Species of Striped Hogfish from Tahiti
A new species of deepwater hogfish has been described in the journal Zoological Studies. Terelabrus toretore is now the fifth species within the genus Terelabrus, and was discovered in the mesophotic zone in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Mesophotic zones range from…
Synchiropus flavistrigatus is a new species of dragonet from the tropical eastern Atlantic
A new species of dragonet has been described from the deep waters between Guinea Bissau and Angola. Named the Guinea Dragonet, the new species averaged 90mm in length and was described based on 15 specimens obtained from bottom trawls at…
New Tubastrea Species Discovered in Hong Kong: T. dendroida, T. violacea & T. chloromura
It’s not everyday we get to learn about new species of corals, most of the recent description being of newly discovered soft, Octocoral species, but today we celebrate three new inductees to the Scleractinia hard corals. The three new described…
Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa: a New Name for the Rosey Scale Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa is the new name of a popular aquarium favorite the rose scale fairy wrasse which, according to type material, has never been formally described! This Indian Ocean species is very common and you may already have this fish…
Coris flava, a New Species of Large Wrasse from Réunion
Coris flava is a new species of large wrasse from Réunion in the western Indian Ocean which belongs to a genus that we thought had been well documented already. Unlike other species of Coris wrasses, the new ‘Yellow Coris’ has…
Chromis sahulensis & C. norfolkensis, Two More New Damselfish Species
Chromis norfolkensis and C. sahulensis are two new species of one of our favorite group of reef animals, the damselfishes. Like several of the most recently described species of Chromis especially, the new species have been teased apart from other common and well…
Cirrhilabrus apterygia, the Mutant Comes Home to the Fairy Wrasses
Cirrhilabrus apterygia is the new name for a fish that’s been known to science for many years, but is so bizarre that one of its common names is the mutant wrasse. First described as Conniella apterygia in 1983 this particular wrasse…
Thor dicaprio, the Caribbean Sexy Shrimp is Its Own Species
Thor dicaprio is the first new species of Sexy Shrimp since the original description of Thor amboinensis over 100 years ago in 1888. Just to bring you up to speed, the Sexy Shrimp as we know it is is a…