The copperband butterflyfish, Chelmon rostratus, is one of those iconic reef fish that is incredibly popular with divers and aquarists alike. This species of reef fish shows very little variation across its wide natural distribution, with the only deviations from the…
Photos of Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih and Paracheilinus walton give us a glimpse into the endemic life of West Papua
In a world abundant with coral reefs and geographical landscapes, no place captivates me quite like the amazing and wonderful West Papua. Isolated and disjunct from just about everywhere, the local flora and fauna both terrestrial and aquatic have evolved in…
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…
Raja Ampat Indonesia is a non-photosynthetic coral heaven
This video of Raja Ampat is pure NPS Heaven. . . if you can ignore the soundtrack. Cirque du Soleil music isn’t the ideal tribute to this great video of Eastern Indonesian aposymbiotic corals. But taste aside, thanks to the…
New Trimma species from Raja Ampat: T. erdmanni, T. cheni and four others described
A new paper by David Winterbottom describes six new species of nano reef gobies including Trimma erdmanni, Trimma cheni and four other species. The new Trimma species were all described from collection near Raja Ampat Indonesia, the same region which…
Raja Ampat Through the Lens book showcases beauty, rarities of Indonesia’s reefs
An amazing new book “The Raja Ampat Through the Lens Of” not only showcases the majestic reefs of Indonesia’s Raja Ampat region but is donating all proceeds to the conservation of this spectacular area. With coral reefs under stress from…
Paracheilinus nursalim flasher wrasses from New Guinea
Paracheilinus nursalim is one of the new species of flasher wrasses from New Guinea which is still completely unknown in the aquarium world. Only described in 2008, both Paracheilinus nursalimwas discovered on the biological expedition to the Bird’s Head Peninsula…
