Philippines

Tony Vargas’ Cirrhilabrus brunneus: a diabolical looking fairy wrasse

Our very own Tony Vargas recently scored with a most unusual lab rid. The unusually colored fairy wrasse appears to be C. brunneus, a species recently described and previously thought to be a dark color form of Cirrhilabrus lunatus, which…

Updates on the divine new Paracentropyge multifasciata x P. venustus hybrid

Few days ago, we shared with you the world’s newest Paracentropyge hybrid to hit the reefing scene. This natural hybrid between the two Indo-pacific Paracentropyge angels (P. venustus and P. multifasciata) is possibly the most stunning creations mother nature has…

RVS 4 Star Mariculture Coral Farm is the first of its kind in the Philippines

RVS 4 Star Mariculture Coral Farm has just struck ground on coral and frag farming in the Philippines, the first project of its kind which promises to have a huge impact on wild and aquarium reefs. Located inside the marine park of Lubang…

Giant Clams live in fields at the Bolinao Marine Laboratory, Philippines

Tridacna gigas, the largest of all the giant clams can grow to four feet across and even if most specimens never reach more than three feet long, the weight and size of these bivalves is massive. Once extinct in the Philippines,…

SEASMART sets up Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund restart in the Philippines

The SEASMART program is taking to Indigogo — a crowdfunding website — to raise funds for its goal to transform the aquarium trade. You might remember EcoEZ SEASMART’s pilot program from Papua New Guinea that helped change the trade over there but…

Myrichthys paleracio is a gorgeous new species of snake eel from the Philippines

Peri’s snake eel, Myrichthys paleracio, is a remarkable new species of snake eel in an otherwise unremarkable group of fishes. We actually do have a soft spot for snake eels – they’re hardy, attractive and they have a lot of personality…

Pseudochromis ammeri and P. eichleri add to the dizzying array of dottyback species

Pseudochromis ammeri and Pseudochromis eichleri are two new species of dottybacks which have just been described from the Philippines and Indonesia. Both Pseudochromis ammeri and P. eichleri are described as species of striped dottybacks, similar to each other in appearance as well…

Over 200 new invertebrates and 11 new fish discovered in Philippines

The California Academy of Sciences recently concluded a biodiversity expedition in the Philippines discovering over 300 new species including 200 marine invertebrates and 11 new fish. The six-week expedition focused most of the marine exploration on the Verde Island Passage, a deep-water…

Massive coral reef, twice the size of Manila, destroyed in Philippines by poachers

A tragic crime that is being described as “the rape of the ocean” took place in the Philippines where poachers decimated an entire reef area almost twice the size of Manila harvesting over 21,000 pieces of black coral and killing 161 endangered sea turtles and…

Predator Starfish Threaten Coral Reefs In The Philippines

The spiny and toxic crown-of-thorns starfish are voracious predators that can wipe out large areas of coral; an individual can consume up to 6 square metres of living reef per year. Outbreaks of the species often occur when ocean temperatures…