Yucatán Manta Ray?

Source.

Watch.

See those Mantas?

They sure look different - and I cite.

Manta sp. cf. birostris

Selected synonymy. Cephalopterus giorna Lesueur, 1824.

Common names. Atlantic manta ray, Caribbean manta ray

Diagnosis. Overall body shape and size similar to M. birostris, although differences in colouration, denticles and dentition occur. Maximum disc width over 6000 mm. Slender whip-like tail with reduced caudal spine predominantly encased in a calcified mass present on the dorsum of tail immediately posterior to the dorsal fin. Small, knob-like dermal denticles occur on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces, which are non- overlapping but densely and non-uniformly distributed. Ventral surface has slightly larger denticles. Terminal mouth with tooth band on lower jaw comprising 77% of total jaw width and containing 9–11 rows of small cusped teeth.

........

A third, putative species, Manta sp . cf. birostris, in the Atlantic may be distinct from M. birostris.

This putative species shares some characteristics with M. birostris, such as a large maximum disc width and the presence of a distinct, reduced caudal spine. However, from the limited specimens and photographs examined, clear differences exist between Manta sp. cf. birostris and M. birostris including dissimilar denticle morphology and distribution, intermediary dentition and, most noticeably, differences in dorsal and ventral colouration.

While Manta sp. cf. birostris occurs in sympatry with M. birostris in parts of the Atlantic and Caribbean, there is some evidence that differences in fine-scale habitat selection and seasonal habitat use may occur in some locations (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953, Notarbartolo-di-Sciara and Hillyer 1989). Bigelow and Schroeder’s (1953) description of M. birostris from the Western Atlantic is one of the most comprehensive descriptions compiled, but includes material from both the wide-ranging M. birostris and the localized Manta sp. cf. birostris. To help clarify the situation, photographs, notations on colouration and descriptions of denticle and tooth morphology of both M. birostris and Manta sp. cf. birostris have been provided to supplement this description.

At present there is not enough empirical evidence to warrant the separation of a third species of Manta.

At minimum, additional examination of dead specimens of Manta sp. cf. birostris are necessary to clarify the taxonomic status of this variant manta ray. Further examinations of the distribution of Manta sp. cf. birostris, as well as, studies of its ecology and behaviour within the Atlantic and Caribbean are also recommended.

If distinct, we propose that a third species of Manta , Manta giorna, be resurrected from Lesueur’s (1824) description from North America.

That was back then in 2008 when Andrea resurrected the Reef Manta.

And after that, alas, having become the Queen of Mantas, Andrea's career appears to have become, for lack of a better description, a tad less focused and the third Manta Ray is still awaiting description.

Anyway, voids tend to get filled, and others have now stepped in.

I must say that despite of very much being a lumper, I really like this paper, that the evidence looks compelling and that I'm totally sold on the idea of a third species - but who am I to say, the more as naming the Yucatán Manta Ray cannot yet be performed without careful inspection and genetic analyses of several museum specimens.

Any takers?

Or will we have to wait for another 8 years for the final solution to this fascinating riddle?

New Epaulette Shark!

Source.

Heureka!

Mark and Gerry have found another one!

And the species is probably legit - despite of Gerry being Joshua's splitting co-perpetrator of those infamous Pacific Damsels!

After the 2008 crop of Hemiscyllium henryi and H.galei from Western Papua, here comes the spanky new H. halmahera from Ternate! Incidentally, none of them is an apex predator nor a keystone species, nor are they being hunted for their fins - but they are all cute and they all walk!

Just saying!

Behold the new walking Shark in action!

Raies Léopard!

Vol de raies léopard deep down in Tiputa Pass - source.

Bingo!

The ORP keeps cranking out the goodies!

Case in point, this article about the research by Cécile Berthe who confirms that the Eagle Ray of French Polynesia is not the Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus narinari but the Whitespotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus ocellatus. And with the Marquesas being so far east and featuring a scenery and fauna that are reminiscent of the Western coast of the Americas, it is quite possible that they may be also harboring one more cryptic species, i.e. the Pacific Whitespotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus laticeps that is found in Baja! 

Those Eagle Rays can be reliably seen in Rangiroa in Dec/Jan.

That's when they form large mating aggregations, see at top, that are in turn stalked by ginormous but very shy Great Hammers. And, it's bloody deep, at least (!) 40m but in crystal clear viz on the incoming currents - and then you'll have to negotiate the ripping current in the pass, quite possibly whilst managing multiple decompression stops! 

Challenging but fun fun fun!

H/T: merci Johann!

Howard and Richard - Synergy!

Howard and Richard - great people!

Remember this post?

Well, here is the footage.
This being from Howard and very much as anticipated, it is simply brilliant. And it once again confirms that my pal Richard Pyle is utterly and certifiably nuts - no not for riding the outside of a submarine, but for having done so in utterly frigid water dressed in nothing more than a shirt and shorts!
But we knew that already didn't we - WARNING: profane! :)

Anyway, enjoy!



And here is Richard once again.
This is why I like and admire him do much!

Manta birostris or Manta alfredi?

The two Mantas - once you know what to look for, pretty unequivocal! Click for detail.

Cool!

Ever since Andrea described the second Manta, I've been looking for a user-friendly ID guide to reliably differentiate the Giant, or Pelagic Manta Manta birostris from the Reef Manta Manta alfredi. That was a major challenge when designing the posters and ID guides for the Great Fiji Shark Count where we finally decided to reference the two species and to say that holding them apart required specialist knowledge.

Well, here it is - finally!
It is hidden within the pages of Manta Matcher, the world's first global Manta Ray database. Here are the various pics, and should you want to find out more about the principal distinguishing features, you can find them right here.
Pretty unequivocal - no need for specialist knowledge after all!


And here's the video about that glorious discovery!
Enjoy!

Richard about Marine Taxonomy!

Richard is one of my pals.
And here is why.



Awesome!

Guitarfishes in Fiji!

Fiji Guitarfish - probably undescribed, possibly endemic!

Who would have thought!
Several people have responded to Clinton's appeal and it now appears that Fiji is harboring at least two species of Guitarfish!

So there.
The following with big caveats as the taxonomy of the group is challenging to say the least.

The comparatively easy one first.
Juerg has thankfully kept complete records of a specimen that washed up here in Pac Harbour, and it now looks like it may be the rather ubiquitous Rhynchobatus laevis, or Smoothnose Wedgefish.
Here's one from Cook Island in Queensland - maybe :)



And then, there's Randy's astonishing crop.
The man is active literally everywhere as witnessed by his ridiculously epic, and undoubtedly shortened publication list!
Anyway, Randy has somehow found the spare time to amass an extensive (this being a colossal understatement!) collection of images of Fishes from Fiji's fish markets and fishermen - and lo-and-behold, he has come up with pictures of two specimens caught in Waiqanake right outside of Suva, one of which is the Ray on top.

Clinton's completely unexpected, albeit highly preliminary verdict?
These may well be of a hitherto undescribed, and possibly even endemic species, the good news being that whilst one was duly consumed, the other one is thankfully residing in the USP freezer and thus available for DNA testing!
How totally spectacular is that!

So please, should you have any pics or other reliable records of any Guitarfish in Fiji, let us know - the more we can find out about habitat and distribution the better!

And people say that Taxonomy is boring!

Sawfishes in Fiji? Alas not!

Wanted: ID pics from Fiji!
Guitarfish, Rhynchobatus laevis, (not dijiddensis as in the original caption) possibly the species seen here in Fiji - but maybe not! :)

Nice paper!
Sawfishes are among the most threatened Elasmobranchs and all seven species are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. They generally inhabit shallow coastal waters of continental shelves and estuarine habitats and are not generally known from oceanic islands.

It was thus quite a coup when one turned up on a Fiji fish list.
Clinton Duffy, yes as in Grim the tourist, has followed up on the Fiji record and after meticulous research all the way to linguistics, he comes to the conclusion that the origin of the specimens is suspect and that there are no credible recent records of Sawfishes having been sighted or caught in the archipelago.
You can read a preview here and get the whole paper here.

Clinton is now looking at Shovelnose Rays, Genus Rhynchobatus.
They are rather frequently sighted in Fiji but nobody seems to have identified the exact species. Does any of our readers have any good ID pictures he would be willing to share with Clinton?
Any help would be much appreciated!

Vinaka!

New Sharks and Rays!

Check this out!

It's a whole list of newly described Elasmobranchs from Borneo.
It includes some very cool finds like a new Wobbegong and a new River Shark - but the one paper that personally fascinates me most starts on page 141.

It re-affirms the Eagle Ray Aetobatus ocellatus as a valid species.

ABSTRACT.— Aetobatus narinari is generally considered to have a circumglobal distribution but some have suggested that it consists of more than one cryptic species. Recent molecular studies have provided evidence of a species complex, with an Indo–West/Central Pacific clade and a Western Atlantic clade.

This paper investigates the nomenclature of the Indo–West Pacific species and provides a redescription of Aetobatus ocellatus (Kuhl, 1823).
Aetobatus ocellatus is very similar morphologically to Aetobatus narinari but differs in having a slightly longer tail and a different dorsal coloration. A major taxonomic revision of the A. narinari complex is required to determine the number of species present, their distributional ranges and effective field characters. The conservation status of members of this complex needs to be evaluated.
...

The comparison of Aetobatus ocellatus with A. narinari from the Western Atlantic revealed that they are very similar morphologically... The major difference between these species is the background coloration of the dorsal surfaces.

Aetobatus ocellatus has a dark greenish, greyish to almost blackish (sometimes with a pinkish tinge) background colour, whereas all Western Atlantic specimens of A. narinari have a much paler, medium yellowish brownish (fawn) background colour.

This is a direct confirmation of Mahmood's paper that postulated
Based on combined genealogical concordance and genetic distance criteria, we recommend that the Western/Central Pacific lineage be recognized as a distinct species from lineages in the Central Atlantic and Eastern Pacific.
How cool is that!

As to the conservation status, it looks grim.
The IUCN describes the global status of the Spotted Eagle Ray A. narinari as being Near Threatened. Impressively thorough as always (read it!), the report then adds that the fishing pressure in Southeast Asia and Africa, i.e. the range of A. ocellatus, is particularly heavy, warranting a listing as Vulnerable.

Not good - but still, always fascinating to observe Taxonomy in action!

More tiny Stuff!

I blogged about the Snake but I completely missed the Seahorse!

Both are among the "top 10 new species described in 2008" - and I also learn that in 2007, scientists managed to document a whopping 18,516 previously unknown species!
Whow!

Well, the tiny guy above is the Satomi Seahorse Hippocampus satomiae (go wonder: shouldn't it be satomis or satomii?), apparently the smallest of them all (smaller than a "regular" pygmy as in bargibanti?).
But wait, that's not all: there's two more slightly bigger ones from 2008 - and they have already described two more this year!

And what about the pygmies that are regularly found by Fiji's liveaboard vessels, as in this post (and this one) by our friends of the Fiji Aggressor 2? Are they severnsi?
Only one way to find out!

And after the cruise, come and check out our Sharks!
No magnifying glass required - guaranteed!

Bloody cool News!

Pic: Frederic Buyle

FishR2 (5'-ACTTCAGGGTGACCGAAGAATCAGAA-3') anybody?

Yes this is the language of Molecular Analysis!

From Species Delineation and Evolutionary History of the Globally Distributed Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari)
Vincent P. Richards, Marcy Henning, Wayne Witzell, and Mahmood S. Shivji

Molecular analyses are resolving many taxonomic uncertainties, including revealing that species once thought to cover wide geographic areas are often complexes comprising 2 or more genetically distinct species.
In addition to providing taxonomic clarity and more accurate biodiversity assessments, such findings have management and conservation ramifications as many of the newly identified species may have limited ranges and relatively small population sizes rendering them more vulnerable to human impact.
Consequently, the accurate delimitation of species boundaries is an important conservation need, especially for exploited species.

First the Manta Rays, now this.

The Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari), a large coral reef–associated batoid of conservation concern, is currently described as a single, circumglobally distributed species.
However, geographic differences in its morphology and parasite diversity have raised unconfirmed suspicions that A. narinari may constitute a species complex.
We used 1570 bp of mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data (cytochrome b, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and internal transcribed spacer 2) to assess the validity of A. narinari as a single cosmopolitan species and infer its evolutionary history. Specimens from 4 major geographic regions were examined: the Central Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, Western Pacific, and Central Pacific.

Phylogenies described 3 distinct, reciprocally monophyletic lineages with no genetic exchange among regions. Based on combined genealogical concordance and genetic distance criteria, we recommend that the Western/Central Pacific lineage be recognized as a distinct species from lineages in the Central Atlantic and Eastern Pacific. The latter 2 lineages, separated by the Isthmus of Panama, are proposed as subspecies.
A basal position in phylogenetic analyses and statistical parsimony results support an Indo-West Pacific origin for the A. narinari species complex, with subsequent westerly dispersal around the southern tip of Africa into the Atlantic and then into the Eastern Pacific.

Original paper (including the gibberish at the top) here.
Just stunning!

Husky Dusky? Maybe!

Remember the mystery Shark?
It's still a mystery - but at least, we've managed to narrow down the choices to two likely suspects. And having gone digging, I found some brilliant pics on Andy Murch's great Elasmodiver website.
The two suspects look like this.

That would be a Dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus) on top and a Silky (C. falciformis) below. See the alignment and the size of the fins? And that caudal keel that for so long has left everybody baffled? Except that, apparently, it aint really a proper "caudal keel"? Read below and you'll understand - it's complicated!

And now, compare them with the mystery pic on top: any preferences?

Like El Tiburon and after a knee-jerk reaction in favor of it being a Silky, I now root for the Dusky. I've never seen a Dusky, but I've seen plenty of Silkies - and although I can't quite put my finger on it, the mystery Shark just doesn't "feel" like one of them. I'm specially unconvinced by the first dorsal, but then again, who am I to say!

Talking of which, Juerg cautiously tends towards the Silky - but being the good scientist he is, he has passed on the question to a very prominent (and probably, the best) Shark taxonomist who has come back with the following.

"C. falciformis it is, nice pics."

but then, after reflection:

"I was a bit deprived of sleep when I made the call on the identification, so that your friend may be on to something.
I did a composite illustration of C. falciformis vs C. obscurus, and append it to this note for comparison with the best of your two images.

The only carcharhinids with prominent keels when alive and dead are Galeocerdo cuvier and Prionace glauca, so that your Carcharhinus when alive and swimming shows a keel but not when dead. Rather like observing a live bird in a tree through binoculars vs a live bird of the same species in hand from a mist net, and again the same species of bird as a study skin.
Fin size and shape change with growth in Carcharhinus. I was wondering about your C. falciformis in terms of second dorsal shape, position of the first dorsal, and pectoral fin shape and relative size.
Tooth shape of upper anterolateral teeth and vertebral counts are diagnostic for these species, but until we can pack underwater mini CAT-scan machines, we have to rely on dead animals to voucher live ones. Shark watching is not quite as advanced as bird-watching, but it's getting there"

There you have it! And yes, it's complicated! But fascinating, too - at least to me!
But whatever Shark that really was, the myth about Bronzies (C. brachyurus) prowling the waters of Fiji remains just that, a myth! As expected! For now!

Stuart: there you have it!
Well, sort of.

John's Geek

Punion anyone?

Remember John the Renaissance Man?
When I blogged about him last year, I mentioned his very own first disciple Rob Whitton, "a young, smart, promising computer whiz".
As in "Computer Geek", a largely harmless and often endearing subspecies of Homo nerdicus, or Common Nerd.

But that was last year.
Before I found out that he hangs around with these guys!

Warning: absolutely shocking content!!!



You had been warned!
All I can say is that Tourette's is hardly conducive to ever attaining the required Gravitas of a "serious scientist doing serious science, seriously" - John (one of the above perpetrators) being the one notable exception.
So far, that is - as long as he doesn't start rebreather diving in his speedos like that other dude!
Rob has just left after two weeks of Ichthyological rummaging and now I know better: far from being harmless, the man is lethal! And I'm not only referring to his deadly dabbling with (as in "rebooting of") my wireless router and aircon!

Turns out that before professional Geekdom, Rob used to be an Officer (but I bet: not a Gentleman!) in the Army Rangers!
Correct me if I'm wrong - but the way I understand it, those are NOT the surgical guys, as in Special Forces and the like! These are the guys who Rain down Punion, as in indiscriminate and wide-spread Punishment and destruction!
And an anonymous rewiever (yes this post has been subjected to peer review!) informs me that "Rob is also a combat Frisbee player! Whatever that means, and I’m not sure, it would seem to combine antithetical geek and ranger qualities into a sort of Ninja Nerd, no?"
As I said: Lethal!!!

Case in point, the Punion he and John have wreaked among the Eviota poplulation of Shark Reef and of the "Best Muck Dive in the South Pacific", i.e. a desolate piece of rubbly (or was it "rubbishy"?) aquatic real estate in front of Lalati!
Yes you guessed it, Jack is revising the Genus and needs specimen! Dunno who Jack is? Read this : if there ever was Da Man, this would be him! And he's the nicest, most generous and funniest guy on top of that!

Back to the serious stuff.
10 days of digging around have resulted in a whopping 53 additional species that are shortly going to populate the ever-expanding Shark Reef Fish List. Yes, that would be approx. 430 species on a small patch reef in Fiji! And counting!
And this despite the fact that precious time was regularly wasted on filming our Shark feeding spectacle (Chondrichthyans?? Anathema!! You just wait til I tell Jack...!!), and despite the fact that all planned Rotenone stations were quickly disposed of by our ever-greedy Giant Trevally who absconded with the plastic bags!

The Geek of course failed miserably.
He would regularly come back empty-handed, preferring to indulge in the collection of pretty (as opposed to "useful") images rather than bagging his daily quota of specimens. This on top of his ignominious failure to reach the boat when dropped on the corner of the reef that prompted a heroic rescue mission by his sensei.

But to his credit, whenever faced with the risk of terminal excomunication, he would miraculously throw a Hail Mary and come up with some spectacular result.
Like when he managed to use a jeweler's loupe and one of my spaghetti containers (hence gifted to science) in order to photograph the above, and possibly undescribed (ever seen an esca like this?) tiny fella. Yes that is sand and that's a dime - click on the pics and be amazed!
Or by coming up with some whopping range extension or in my case, by showing me how to save flash files to disk.

Meaning that I shall -grudgingly- welcome him back next year.

Because Shark Reef is far from having been exhausted.

The Eastern side is largely unexplored and being more exposed to the current, it constitutes a different habitat featuring different corals and thus very possibly more of the species that are frequent in current-swept Beqa Lagoon but that we have so far failed to see in the Reserve.
Also, the deeper reaches have likely so far produced below their potential due to a combination of short bottom times and inquisitive macro Elasmobranchs. We shall address that by using rebreathers and an escort of fearless indigenous bodyguards.

And lastly, we shall try to finally collect the Holotypes of those likely new shrimp Gobies that we failed to bag last year, by devising a new, Trevally-proof technique - as in deploying cutting-edge implements like empty jars of Vlasic's Original kosher Pickles, at least as groundbreaking an approach to Taxonomic Research as the aforementioned spaghetti containers!

All-in-all, much to look forward to!

Eureka! barberi!

Photo Scott W. Michael

The story, when I first heard it, was spectacular.

The Coral Triangle is the epicenter of marine Biodiversity, a region that has been spared during the Glaciations and where many tropical species have found refuge, only to begin re-colonizing the Oceans once it got warmer again.
In fact, if you progress to anywhere from its center, Biodiversity decreases. As you can see, it stretches from Indonesia all the way to the Solomon Islands. Biodiversity however decreases even within that region, with e.g. the Solomons featuring a lower number of species than, say, Irian Jaya.

Apparently, the fable went, Fiji is an ancient portion of the Triangle that had broken off and subsequently, rafted across the Pacific to its present location.
On its travels, Ark-like, it had carried along a sample of the Triangle's marine opulence, thus establishing a new independent and so far overlooked Biodiversity hotspot. That would have been remarkable insofar as the direction of the prevailing wind and currents, and thus, of larval (and thus marine species) dispersion in that region is East-to-West and thus opposed to Fiji's assumed tectonic progression.

May the fabulator have been a prominent member of Fiji's diving community with a vested interest in promoting that destination?
You Betcha!

Having promptly pestered my Taxonomist friends, what really happened seems to be this, and I cite:

Well, there is a fragment of truth in it.

Somewhat east of the Solomons-New Hebrides chain of today’s islands, an intra-Pacific plate subduction zone (Vitiaz trench) developed and gave rise to a string of volcanic islands on the west side of the trench, of which Solomons was at the west end and Fiji was at the SE end. The Ontong Java Plateau was on the Pp east of this island arc and it was moving west toward the subduction zone as was the portion of the Pp with the string of islands. The OJP pushed into the island arc and together they moved onto the continental basins formed by the sequential openings of the Coral Sea-Tasman, New Caledonian, and South Fiji basins. A right angles to the east of the island arch, a vertical [we’re talking Mercator projections] westward subduction zone was forming along the Pp margin which was creating the Tonga Islands. As the linear Solomon New Hebrides-Fiji arc pushed against the other forming-formed basins, the Fiji end got latched onto the north end of theTonga ridge. The north Fiji basin started opening between the New Hebrides and Fiji causing the NH to move west and Fiii to move east carrying a few pieces of the NH with it. Then the Lau basin began opening and split the Tonga ridge into the west Lau ridge, with islands forming, and the east Tonga ridge with its islands.

When the original island arch was continuous, presumably the fishes (and other organisms) had continuous distributions. The separation of Fiji from New Heb on one side and from Tonga on the other allowed many taxa in Fiji to evolve into separate species.

It is more complex that this boiled down scenario conveys, but this is generally what happened. So yes, the island arc formed out on the plate could have had a uniform biota which the geological contortions split up isolating Fiji (and also Tonga, from Fiji)
Thus enlightened (?), I gather that what this means is that Plate Tectonics may have contributed to Fiji's Endemism but likely not boosted local Biodiversity. Nothing to sniff at by any stretch of the imagination - but certainly, nothing really unexpected, either.
In fact, everybody in the know assures me that Fiji's marine Biodiversity is comparatively low and very much in line with what would have to be expected from its distance to the Triangle's epicenter.

Provided that you believe in Darwinian Evolution, and I assume you do, you may remember that one of the principal preconditions for Speciation is Isolation.
With Fiji haven broken away and gone walkabout, a new basin was opened and Gene Flow was interrupted as the genetic pool of Fiji stopped cross-breeding with the genetic pool of the Solomons in the West (and Tonga/Samoa, who in turn sit on their own tectonic micro-express, in the East). Whether owing to different selective pressures, Genetic Drift or the Founder Effect, the thus isolated population then had the chance to evolve into new, genetically distinct Species endemic to Fiji.
As I said, nothing unexpected: the more remote an Island, the higher the chances for Endemism, marine and not, as witnessed in Hawaii, the Marquesas and even tiny Lord Howe.

Still with me?

I sure hope so!
Thing is, Island Biogeography and especially, (terrestrial) Island Speciation never ceases to amaze me.
Take for example Fiji's endemic Iguanas, probably descendants of a Green Iguana that had rafted over, Kon Tiki-like, all the way from the Americas (Australia has Goannas, not Iguanas) and then speciated into the three endemics. I just love the name of the latest discovery!

Or take the incredible incubator Megapodes, some of which exploit the heat of active calderas. Once widely distributed throughout the Pacific, their local extinction correlates with the arrival of Homo sapiens and its bird-killing stowaways and introduced domesticates, alas an all-to-frequent pattern. Present in Vanuatu and Tonga - but not anymore in Fiji!

Or, you can find such puzzling oddities as parthenogenetic giant Monitor Lizards having evolved, some say, in order to be able to prey on Dwarf Elephants on Komodo. Or Micro-Herps and another tribe of highly endemic Iguanas in the Caribbean.
And the list goes on and on and on......
Simply fascinating!

Back to Fiji's Fishes, there is indeed an increasing list of endemic species being discovered.
Take for instance the famous USP Rabbitfish, or Bicolored Foxface that is common on Shark Reef. Or the spectacularly yellow, non-aggressive but nevertheless, venomous endemic Ovalau Fangblenny which is being mimicked by the yellow phase of the non-venomous but Fish-biting Bicolor Fangblenny. Or the three hitherto undescribed (and alas, hitherto uncollected and thus, undescribable) Fishes we found on Shark Reef last February.

And then, there's the lil fella above, as far as I know the very latest (described) discovery.

Gerald R. Allen, Joshua Drew and Les Kaufman: Amphiprion barberi, a new species of anemonefish (Pomacentridae) from Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa, pp. 105-114

Amphiprion barberi, a new species of anemonefish fish, is described from 46 specimens, 16.3-85.8 mm SL, collected at depths of 2-10 m from coral reefs of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
It is closely allied to A. melanopus, which is widely distributed in the western Pacific. The two species exhibit significant colour-pattern differences, including a mainly reddish orange body in A. barberi and dark brown or blackish body in A. melanopus. Adults of the new species also possess fewer spinules (11-19 versus 19-26) in the upper-opercular series than A. melanopus. Genetic data presented here confirms the separation of these species.

barberi, I discover, having a very pertinent connection to the above, Triangle, Tectonics, Biodiversity and all!

Anyway, just Amazing!
This is Fiji's commonest Anemone Fish - and now, it is revealed that anybody who has ever seen them and not bothered to instantly engage in ecstatic outbreaks of Eureka! or the like, has been a total and utter ignoramus! At latest count, that would be everybody and his dog. And the dog of his dog!
Wanna feel real stupid? Google A. barberi, A. melanopus, A. rubrocinctus and A. frenatus and compare the pix!
Hah!

Well, spinules or no spinules, Gerry is da man when it comes to Damnselfish (not a typo as anyone having taken pics at the Take Out will confirm), so who am I to raise my eyebrows and to bubble prick or picnic skunk the online fish nerds now bubbling happily among themselves about A New Clownfish!!!, as a friend knowingly admonished.

The more as the Hawaii gang is due back in February!
Having seen the error of our lumping ways, we shall forthwith swarm out and collect several dozen specimen of just about Anything!
The commoner the better!
Maybe even the Darn Damsels, serves them right! Wanna bet that we'll manage to find some aberrant spinule or vomerine canine or some other equally indisputable and -spensable diagnostic feature?

Watch this space!

A new Species of Giant Grouper?

A recent scientific blog is featuring this video of Ratu Rua -pictured here by Michael Aw- one of our Giant Groupers, claiming that it is a newly discovered species, the "Pacific Goliath Grouper", a sister species of the critically endangered Atlantic Ocean former "Jewfish", and now Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara.



Well, maybe there is indeed such a distinct species inhabiting the Eastern Pacific. After Andrea Marshall's stunning discovery of a second Manta Ray, anything is possible.
But Taxonomy is often a matter of judgment and Scientists can generally be divided into "Lumpers" and "Splitters". The latter are often newbies lacking a track record of bona fide descriptions and are eager to finally put their name to a new discovery. I remain skeptical.

When it comes to Sharks, one famous -or infamous- such case was the attempt to split the Grey Reef Shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhinchos into Carcharhinus menisorrah (or proper Grey Reef) and Carcharhinus wheeleri (or "Short-nosed Blacktail Shark) in the 70ies, this based on the observation that the latter Indian Ocean Grey Reefs have a slight white edging to their first dorsal fin and apparently never engage in the typical agonistic display of the Grey Reefies in the Pacific.
It was finally resolved that they are all but one species and in fact, you can see both color morphs on Shark Reef.

But back to the grouper.
A Goliath Grouper looks like this.
It was filmed in Fernando de Noronha, thus in the Atlantic Ocean, but apparently, the "new" Grouper looks identical in body form and markings , the classical case of a Cryptic Species Complex.




In fact, the new Pacific "species" has been named Epinephelus quinquefasciatus, this in reference to its five color bands which are identical to those of the Goliath Grouper above.

Ratu Rua looks nothing like it.
She is uniformly mottled dark with a slight light edging to her fins, a reminder of the much more striking edging when subadult (the juveniles are yellow with irregular black bars).
Like our other three large groupers, she is clearly Epinephelus lanceolatus, the Giant or Queensland Grouper.

Want to know more?
Check out this page from our latest fish count in February!

New Manta Ray discovered!

Not even the most inveterate lover of toothy Apex Predators will escape the gentle charm of the beautiful and friendly Manta Ray, the more as it sometimes shares the same habitat as Sharks, like in Cocos, the Galapagos, Socorro and sometimes, even Shark Reef.

Like many of my fellow divers, I've often wondered at their massive range in size and coloration: quite small and lightly colored on the reefs of say, Yap and French Polynesia, much bigger and darker on the west coast of the Americas or in the cold waters around Komodo.
But despite the best efforts of the Taxonomists, even including illegal DNA sampling within Marine Protected Areas, no evidence could be found that the "Giant Pacific Mantas" were anything different than their fairer and smaller cousins. The difference in size and coloration was apparently merely due to environmental factors and nutrition. After all, the reason for the crystal clear azure water on coral reefs is its lack of nutrients which has forced corals to co-operate with algae; whereas in the Americas, the cold and dark Humboldt and California currents carry plenty of nutrients allowing for abundant plankton growth and thus, a much larger size of plankton feeders.
Thus, scientific wisdom had it that all Manta Rays belong to one and the same single circumtropical species of Manta birostris.
Until now it seems.
Now and again, there would be reports of truly whoppingly gigantic individuals, reputedly with wingspans in excess of six meters, and this mainly from coral reef habitats in the Indian Ocean. With the exception of a possible encounter in the Seychelles many many years ago when I was green and impressionable, I never saw such an animal, and this despite of hundreds of sightings - so I quicky started filing those reports under the category of urban legends.

Well, it seems that as so often, I was dead wrong.
It now appears that the behemoth not only exists, but that it even represents a new species!
Keep in mind that discovering such a large marine animal, and this on reefs and at depths teeming with recreational divers is nothing short of miraculous! The last such marine discovery, after the two Coelacanths, was the Megamouth Shark and those animals are found in deep-water and pelagic habitats people like us would never vist.

Here, a massive ray with a wing span of up to 8 meters (!) would have gone unnoticed but for the tireless efforts of University of Queensland's PhD researcher Andrea Marshall and her Manta Ray & Whale Shark Research Centre.
Situated in a small village on the coast of Mozambique, people in the know tell me that it's as remote and lonely as it gets and subject to regular natural catastrophes as floods and cyclones. To persevere in such an environment is a testimony to her dedication and some would say, obsession - but what a wonderful vindication to be able to come up with such spectacular results!
This is like discovering a new species of African Elephant in the middle of Kruger National Park after years of it perambulating in total impunity from detection among thousands of safari tourists.
Truly, a remarkable feat!

Apparently, the new species is much rarer and much bigger than the "usual" Manta and lives a migratory, more pelagic life in contrast to its more resident and reef-bound cousin. Alas, like in the case of the migratory pelagic Sharks, and Fish, it is the object of substantial fishing pressure owing to the difficulties in establishing collaborative and coordinated conservation and management practices in such a large and unregulated environment.

You can watch Andrea talk about her discovery on this webpage of her proud sponsor, the Save our Seas Foundation (Video #1) and you can learn more about her research on her Manta Ray webpage. With a possible third species in the works, the future looks bright indeed!

Paper here!

Be amazed and enjoy!