In our recent article on rare dogface pufferfishes, we were able to cover every species except for the one which inspired the article. The image below is of an Australian pufferfish which has recently made its way to Blue Harbor in Japan,…
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Cyphastrea kausti, a new stony coral species from the Red Sea
Cyphastrea kausti is a newly described species from the Red Sea, present in the central and northern parts but seemingly absent from the south end of the Red Sea. The new species C. kausti is readily distinguished from all other species of Cyphastrea…
Heart Cockle: living Giant clam ancestor observed in the wild
Corculum cardissa, better known as the heart cockle, doesn’t seem like it would have anything in common with our beloved giant clams. Except, maybe for the fact that it’s a bivalve. It may not be a direct ancestor, but the…
Neon green Psammocora discovered living as a rollolith in Australia
A couple of neon green Psammocora have just been discovered to be living unattached, as free living coral colonies known as ‘rolloliths’. Psammocora is just the latest stony coral genus to be documented living as a rollolith, a growth form in…
Pair of rare orange Cantharellus imported from Fiji
Cantharellus is a genus of Fungiid coral that you’ve probably never heard of, but which is actually kind of really common and widespread on reefs around the world. Whereas the majority of disc corals that we get for our aquariums…
Cirrhilabrus marinda, a cryptic new species of fairy wrasse similar to C. condei
Cirrhilabrus marinda is the newest species of fairy wrasse to be described, with the new fish being a very close offshoot of the common aquarium favorite, Cirrhilabrus condei. Marinda’s fairy wrasse looks very similar to Conde’s fairy wrasse with a nearly identical…
Plating Astreopora randalli discovered in a green-splattered color morph
Over the last couple of years we’ve had the distinct great privilege of visiting exotic coral reefs, many of which have never been seen by divers, or at least visitors with such a strong focus on the corals that actually…
Waikiki Aquarium management has head in the sand about recent animal deaths
The Waikiki Aquarium has been a bleeding edge aquarium institution in the world for the better part of a decade. We aquarists have revered and longed to see this world-famous display of marine life in Hawaii ever since it was…
At the source of black dogface puffers in the Solomon Islands
Dogface puffers are some of the most popular fish for fish tanks, with their lovable faces, pointed doglike snouts, and their cute and human-like eyes. On a scale of 1-10, pufferfish rate at about a 0 on the rarity scale…
Back from the Solomon Islands with a new personal view of the reefs
When I first agreed to join a major aquarium fish and coral importer on a trip to the Solomon Islands, I blindly agreed knowing that there would be lots of reef fish and corals and diving involved, but I really…