If there’s just one thing we really long to see every year it’s the description of new and unknown reef critters and especially corals. The prospect of learning about new and unknown coral species is particularly exciting, especially when the…
Top 10 New Fish Species of 2021
We’re getting down to the last few days of this year’s fabulous Blue Harbor catalog which means it’s high time we start rounding up the best news of 2021, beginning with the new fish that came to light over the…
Sympodium Grows by a Whopping Seven New Species
The vast majority of our generic coral ‘bandwidth’ is focused at the Scleractinian stony corals and to a lesser degree at corallimorphs and zoanthids with very little fanfare for too much else. But as we’ve said repeatedly every time we…
Chromis sahulensis & C. norfolkensis, Two More New Damselfish Species
Chromis norfolkensis and C. sahulensis are two new species of one of our favorite group of reef animals, the damselfishes. Like several of the most recently described species of Chromis especially, the new species have been teased apart from other common and well…
Cirrhilabrus apterygia, the Mutant Comes Home to the Fairy Wrasses
Cirrhilabrus apterygia is the new name for a fish that’s been known to science for many years, but is so bizarre that one of its common names is the mutant wrasse. First described as Conniella apterygia in 1983 this particular wrasse…
Thor dicaprio, the Caribbean Sexy Shrimp is Its Own Species
Thor dicaprio is the first new species of Sexy Shrimp since the original description of Thor amboinensis over 100 years ago in 1888. Just to bring you up to speed, the Sexy Shrimp as we know it is is a…
Plectranthias kojiorum, an Attractive New Species of Marbled Perchlet
Plectranthias kojiorum is the newest species of perchlet from the cradle of biodiversity for this genus which appears to be the northwest Pacific Ocean. This Japanese perchlet was first recognized as being something new and different by the staff at the…
Tubastraea megacorallita: Fat Head ‘Dendro’ gets an Official Description
Tubastraea megacorallita is a fitting name for a coral that has been recognized in the aquarium for its very large polyps and accompanying corallites and has earned a very fitting common name. The ‘Fat Head’ Dendro has long been rumored in the…
New Zealand’s new Species of Pygmy Pipehorse, Cylix tupareomanaia
The Manaia Pygmy Pipehorse, Cylix tupareomanaia, is a brand new syngnathid from New Zealand that doesn’t just represent a new species, but is so unique that it warranted the creation of separate genus. This newly described pygmy pipehorse was discovered at…
Cirrhilabrus aquamarinus & C. chaliasi, Two Classic Fairy Wrasses Get Properly Described
Cirrhilabrus chaliasi and C. aquamarinus are two newly described species of fairy wrasses but while the names might be new, the species themselves are actually well known to saltwater aquarists. We can’t hep but feel a sense of pride that…
