The eponymous flasher wrasses are so named for their dazzling courtship displays, in which males flash iridescent neon colours to attract females and to ward off rival males. This behaviour is best appreciated about an hour before sunset, or as…
Meet Iniistius bakunawa, the wrasse that devoured the Moon
New species can be discovered through a multitude of avenues, from thrilling expeditions in faraway places to the loud hustle and bustle of wet markets, or even the quiet halls of museum collections. More often than not, careful examination of…
Indonesian Acropora tenuis has been renamed Acropora bifaria
A team of 11 coral researchers has used phylogenomic techniques to resolve the taxonomy of the genus Acropora. Historically, coral taxonomy was based almost exclusively on skeletal morphology, resulting in the description of some 400 species of Acropora, with two-thirds…
Heterodontus marshallae is a New Species of Hornshark from Northern Australia
A new species of Hornshark has been hiding in plain sight off the coast of northwestern Australia. Named the Painted hornshark, Heterodontus marshallae, was previously considered to be an Australian population of the Zebra bullhead shark, Heterodontus zebra, but it…
Megasiphon thylakos is a new species of Tunicate from 500 million years ago
Paleontologists have discovered the fossil of a 500 million-year-old tunicate in the Marjum Formation of Utah. Named Megasiphon thylakos after its two large, prominent siphons and sack-like body, the discovery is important because tunicates have a poor fossil record (due…
Scientists Discover New Deep-sea Octopus Nursery in Costa Rica
A team of international scientists has discovered a new deep-sea octopus nursery at a low-temperature hydrothermal vent off Costa Rica. The discovery of the brooding site brings the number of the world’s only known octopus nurseries to three. The octopus…
Eviota taeiae is a New Species of dwarfgoby from Samoa
A new species of dwarfgoby has been described from Nuusafee Island, Samoa. Named Taei’s Dwarfgoby, Eviota taeiae, it becomes the fourth species of the Eviota guttata species complex and takes the total number of valid Eviota species up to 129.…
Trimma longispinum is a New Species of Pygmygoby from the Northwestern Tropical Pacific
A new species of Trimma goby has been described from Tabuaeran and Kirimati Atolls, Kiribati. The Long-Spined Pygmygoby, Trimma longispinum, is a tiny goby just one inch long or smaller (24.8mm Holotype,) and was collected from a coral reef near…
Alpheus octocellatus is a New Species of Pistol Shrimp from the Maldives
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…
Ocean Census seeks to find 100,000 New Marine Species in the next 10 years
The largest program in history to discover life in our ocean has been unveiled with the ambitious target of finding at least 100,000 new marine species in the first decade. The number of species we currently know of stands at…
