Walking cat shark is just one of many unique species found in Raja Ampat and the Bird’s Head Peninsula.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJWqYw3IIM[/youtube] The walking cat shark of Raja Ampat was recently discovered in 2006 and is just one of many incredible species found in this hotspot for diversity. From the video above it is clear where the shark gets its name…

Synchiropus tudorjonesi is a new species of dragonet from Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia

Synchiropus tudorjonesi is a new species of red colored dragonet that is most closely related to Synchiropus morrisoni from the Western Pacific. Synchiropus tudorjonesi is described from four specimens collected in Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia but it is also known from…

Astreopora montiporina is a new species from West Papua that plates like a Montipora

The coral above is not a Montipora but a new species called Astreopora montiporina which is named after the common plating coral. Like A. cenderawasih and A. acroporina the new Astreopora montiporina was also discovered in Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua Indonesia and it…

Astreopora acroporina branches with a real axial corallite tip just like Acropora

The branching Astreopora from Cenderawasih Bay is not alone in its preference of growth form but it’s nothing compared to Astreopora acroporina. If you are a self-professed Acro junkie like ourselves you’ll flip when you see the big honkin’ axial…

Astreopora cenderawasih is a new species of branching Acroporid from West Papua

We’ve seen some Astreopora species exhibit light tubular growth forms in aquariums but it’s nothing compared to Astreopora cenderawasih, a new species described from Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua, Indonesia. Astreopora cenderawasih described by Wallace et. al. exhibits an explicit…