Pocillopora bairdi is a new species of small polyp stony coral from the popular genus that includes the highly varied Pocillopora damicornis. This latter species is so diverse in shape, color and form that it has been quite hard to distinguish other…
Two new species of Vanderhostia sport flamboyant tails
Vanderhorstia is a group of little known gobies in the aquarium world, which is a shame because the genus contains many interesting and eye catching species, with two more recently added to the group. Vanderhorstia cyanolineata and V. fulvopelvis are two new…
Cycloseris boschmai is the smallest free living disc coral to date
There’s a new species of Cycloseris on the block and this one is distinguished by how small it remains. Growing up to only two inches (50mm) in diameter, Cyloseris boschmai was recently, finally described after more than three decades of…
Favites monticularis is a spikey new species of stony coral
The moon brain corals of the family Faviidae have yielded some interesting new species lately, but the newly described Favites monticularis will stand out in your mind, literally. Favia camranensis was certainly neat with its shingle-like corallites but the spiny corallite walls…
Pempheris flavicycla sweeper is endowed with a brilliant yellow eye
The yellow eye sweeper, Pempheris flavicycla is new species of a group that gets no airtime in the aquarium, but just because we don’t acknowledge them doesn’t exist in beautifully colored species. For the unfamiliar with sweepers, their overall shape is…
Introducing the coffee basslet, Acanthoplesiops cappuccino
Apparently, Acanthoplesiops cappuccino didn’t get the memo that Reef Builders already did their round up of the top new reef fish species of 2013. The cool little coffee-themed and coffee-named basslet is a new species from the Red Sea by Anthony…
The five best new reef fish species of 2013
As in previous years, 2013 has been an excellent year for new species of reef fish being discovered, and described. As usual there’s been a lot of Eviota and Trimma gobies, the dwarf gobies are plentiful, and there’s been a…
Favia camranensis, a new species of moon coral with corallites like shingles
Favia camranensis is a new species of moon brain coral recently described by Yuri Latypov from colonies discovered in Vietnam. Found living in monospecific aggregations of five to twenty colonies at Hon Nai Reef in Cam Ranh Bay, Favia camaranensis differs…
Ctenactis triangularis, a new coral species from Andaman Islands, India
Just when we thought 2013 was going to be mediocre for new coral species descriptions, along comes Ctenactis triangularis to show us there’s still some surprises in stony corals this year. Described from three specimens in the Andaman Sea, Ctenactis triangularis…
Paracheilinus rennyae, a new flasher wrasse from Flores Indonesia
Paracheilinus rennyae is a new species of flasher wrasse recently described with a very unique and distinct outline to its profile. Looking not unlike the smooth edged Paracheilinus octotaenia from the Red Sea, Paracheilinus rennyae comes from southwestern Flores Island in the…
