Although known to exist for over 20 years and even referenced quite a few times here at Reef Builders, a new species of deep-water butterflyfish from the mesophotic reefs of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was finally described today by…
Newly Discovered Tosanoides Anthias to be Named in Honor of President Obama
A deep water anthias, to be honorably named after the president, was recently discovered by Richard Pyle and Brian Greene on June 5, 2016. Richard Pyle recognized an unfamiliar school of fish in the newly expanded Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Pyle…
Follow along on this incredible expedition of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Research divers get to see amazing sights below the surface, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make it all possible. Thanks to Richard Pyle, we are able to follow along on an exciting expedition…
Brian Greene, Richard Pyle and Sonia Rowley teases with a surfeit of undescribed species from Pohnpei
To the uninitiated, the mesophotic coral reefs would seem like an unlikely place to find vibrant fish life. Antonymous to the ebullient habitat of shallow water coral gardens, the mesophotic zone is a gloomy contrast of seemingly endless dread and forlorn landscapes. Except not…
Ultra Rare Fish Alert: First live photos of Chromis struhsakeri and Bodianus bathycapros
Robert Whitton is a renowned underwater videographer and naturalist, and is currently working in the ichthyological department of natural sciences as a research assosiate at the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. Robert runs a blog called Explorer’s Log where he documents…
Rapture of the Deep – The elusive Narcosis Angelfish
Nitrogen Narcosis, The Martini Effect, and Rapture of the Deep: all are terms used to describe the effects of the alteration in consciousness when diving to depths greater than 100 feet (30 meters). This temporary and reversible effect is similar…
The only thing cooler than a peppermint angelfish action figure
I officially sealed my fish geekery not only by getting myself a peppermint angelfish action figure, but by having it signed by Richard Pyle, the ichthyologist who originally caught and described this most sensational of reef fishes. However we’re not…
Richard Pyle talks about exploring the reef’s Twilight Zone
Richard Pyle is the pre-eminent fish nerd, deep diver extraordinaire. In this illuminating video Dr. Pyle talks about what it’s like to do really deep dive and the focus it takes to cacth elusive fish at those depths. Richard’s main…
