3.1 Fairy Wrasses: The rubrimarginatus group

The rubrimarginatus group is home to some of the most well-known (and well-loved) of the Fairy Wrasses. The group can be divided rather equally into two clades, each with their own separate diagnostic features. The males attain fairly large sizes,…

The speciation, biogeography and hybridization of Zebrasoma

The family Acanthuridae boasts of charismatic, charming and iconic reef fishes that are immediately recognizable both in the field and in the trade. All eighty or so species spanning the six various genera have a single unifying trait, and that is…

2.2 Fairy Wrasses: The cyanopleura group

The cyanopleura group is the next collection of fairy wrasses from the second major Cirrhilabrus clade (whose member taxa share the trait of mid-length pelvic fins) and is sister to the scottorum group. In the latter, certain traits that were diagnostic to the members will be…

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…

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.…

Distribution of the Trochocopus subgenus with a new range extension for the neopercularis complex

The largely puerile and often intimidating Bodianus is a large genus of labrid most noted for their belligerent and mischevious behaviour. While a large portion of the genus are often teeth bearing invertebrate hunters, a handful are minimally problematic and…

Cooper the sterling Siganus is the new Silver Fox in town

Move aside Casper. Cooper’s the new silver fox in town and he’s giving the real Anderson Cooper a run for his money. Off-coloured piebald aberrations are uncommon, but can be seen from time to time especially in certain genera of fish.…

Awesome Fish Spotlight: Solar Flare, the hypomelanistic flame angelfish

This is the first time we’re featuring an aberrant fish for Awesome Fish Spotlight, and today’s featured fish is a hypomelanistic flame angel. Unlike many of the funky koi mutations which often manifest as unusual and unknown transient colour changes,…

There’s something fishy with some of the Clown Tangs of the Seychelles

Part of the excitement about being a fancier of marine life is the ability to follow leads of curiosity, no matter how improbable the odds of success in finding something meaningful, even when you don’t really know what you are…

Monochrome magnifica, the almost magnificent fire fish

Somewhere along the primeval soup of genetic crossing and embryonic development, a magnificent fire fish decided to break free from the metaphorical cloning factory and decided to be different. The concept of massed produced factory clones is not limited only…