Plectranthias cruentus is a very unexpected new species of perchlet discovered in the remote waters of Australia’s Lord Howe Island region. The sole photo of a freshly preserved specimen collected off Ball’s Pyramid shows a fish that looks quite a…
Novaculops compressus, a New Species from Japan Joins the Razor Wrasses
Novaculops compressus is a new species of the small group of razor wrasses that are fun and different from the usual aquarium labrids. Unlike the usual fairies and flasher wrasses, the razor wrasses are uniquely adapted to take shelter in…
Tomiyamichthys eyreae, a Color coordinated New Species of Shrimp Goby
Tomiyamichthys eyreae is a brand new species of shrimp-goby again from the hot bed of biodiversity that is the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua, Indonesia. This slender, ground dwelling gobiid is related to the recently described Tomiyamichthys emilyae which…
Heteroconger guttatus, a New Garden Eel Species from the Bird’s Head Peninsula
Heteroconger guttatus is a new species of garden eel just described from the Bird’s Head Peninsula region of West Papua. There are 35 species of garden eels belonging to two different genera, Heteroconger and Gorgasia with most occurring in the…
Roa haraguchiae, an Exciting New Species of Butterflyfish
Roa haraguchiae is the newest species of Chaetodontidae and adds a sixth member to the deepwater Roa genus of butterflyfish. The description of an official new species is usually very exciting but it’s an even more special occasion when it’s a butterflyfish. …
Montipora Eating Nudibranch Finally Have a Name: Phestilla subodiosus
Of all the corals pests that reef aquarists have to deal with, prevent, and remove, Montipora eating nudibranch is one of the most egregious and damaging. The reefing community has been trying to find a ‘final solution’ to eradicate these…
Tridacna elongatissima ‘Resurrected’ in the Western Indian Ocean
Tridacna elongatissima is a species of giant clam that was first described from the Western Indian Ocean all the way back in 1856. Somewhere along the way the characteristics of this species were thought to be synonymous with Tridacna maxima…
Plectranthias ryukyuensis, Japan’s Ninth New Species of Perchlet
Plectranthias ryukyuensis is a new species of our favorite group of basslets which as the name describes, come from the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan. The new Ryukyu basslet is closely related to the similar looking Plectranthias sagamiensis which is…
Top 6 New Species of Reef Corals in 2019
It’s no secret that corals are hard to identify, and that fish are much more appealing when it comes to new species description. New discoveries like the Corazon Damselfish and the Vibranium Fairy Wrasse grab headlines in popular culture in…
Top 10 New Species of Reef Fish of 2019
This past 2019 was a fruitful year of new saltwater and reef fish species, introducing fish lovers to a whole host of new species. More so than other years we were treated to a nice variety of new official descriptions…
