This new fish species looks like a color with highlighters

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Named in honor of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, a brightly colored species of fish, new to science, was recently discovered on an isolated Brazilian archipelago.

A team of scientists from the California Academy of Sciences discovered a new species of fish during a deep diving expedition to an isolated Brazilian archipelago.

"It's one of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen," said Luiz Rocha, Fish Curator at the Academy and co-leader of the Hope for Reefs initiative, in a press release. .

The fish, which is a shiny neon pink and yellow, looks like a highlighter pen. It has been discovered looking from the rocky crevices of the coral reefs of the twilight zone to a depth of 120 meters (400 feet) below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean (ref).

"The fish in the twilight zone tend to be pink or reddish," Hudson Pinheiro, a postdoctoral researcher at the Academy, said in a press release. "The red light does not penetrate into these dark depths, making the fish invisible unless they are illuminated by a light like the one we carry when diving."

The new fish was officially called Aphrodite Anthias, Tosanoides aphroditebecause she so delighted her discoverers, just as Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty, delighted the ancient Greek gods.

"It was so enchanting that it made us ignore everything around it," said Dr. Rocha. The team was even unaware of repeated warnings from the team's diving officer and cameraman, Mauritius Bell, as they approached a ten-foot six-meter shark lazily swimming overhead.

It took Mr. Rocha and Dr. Pinheiro one day to collect three adult males, two adult females, and two juvenile females.

Claudia Rocha, head of laboratory and collections at the Academy, has officially described the new species for scientific literature: males are brightly colored with alternating pink and yellow stripes throughout the body length, while females have a solid orange color (Figure 3). ). Ms. Rocha also counted the rays and scales of the fins and measured the length of the spines on the newly collected specimens, which are about half as long as an iPhone.

The genetic analysis revealed that this newly described species is part of the genus Tosanoides, a group of fish that was previously known to be found only in the Pacific Ocean. This analysis also identified his closest genetic parent Tosanoides obama, which is in Hawaii and was named for President Barack Obama. This raises the question: how did these small marine fish find themselves so geographically distant from all their parents? Of course, it is possible, if not probable, that this fish represents an entirely new and yet undescribed genus, although this can not be determined until further genetic analysis can be done.

The rocks of St. Peter and St. Paul are a small isolated archipelago located nearly 600 miles from the coast of Brazil, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It is made up of 17 small islands that do not exceed 17 meters (56 feet) above sea level. These rocky outcrops are extensions of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is an active tectonic plate boundary, and good Many of the species living in this region are found nowhere else.

The ecosystems of the oceanic twilight zone are unexplored. They are found between 60 and 150 meters (200-500 feet) below the surface of the ocean – deeper than the limits of recreational diving, which severely limits human access. The animals that inhabit these deep coral reefs live in partial darkness and to reach them, high-tech equipment, such as closed circuit recyclers, must be used to allow scientists to extend their research time under the # 39; water. Previously, Dr. Rocha and Dr. Pinheiro and their colleagues reported that twilight zone habitats are distinct ecosystems that harbor a remarkably diverse and unique collection of species, which are found only in localized areas. very specific (ref.). They also reported that, despite their depth, twilight zone ecosystems suffer catastrophic damage from climate change, storms, pollution and, of course, people's wastes. For example, if you look closely, you can see that the shark in the video is dragging a fishing line behind him.

Dr. Rocha and Dr. Pinheiro hope that Aphrodite's anthias draw more attention to the twilight zone reefs.

"In this time of global crisis for coral reefs, it is essential to learn about unexplored reef habitats and their colorful inhabitants to understand how to protect them," said Dr. Rocha. "Our goal is to showcase the vast and unexplored wonders of the ocean and inspire a new generation of sustainability champions."

Source:

Hudson T. Pinheiro, Claudia Rocha and Luiz A. Rocha (2018). Tosanoides aphrodite, a new species of the mesophotic coral ecosystems of the rocks of St. Paul, Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Perciformes, Serranidae, Anthiadinae), zookeys, 786105-115 | doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.786.27382

This new fish species looks like a color with highlighters | @GrrlScientist

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Named in honor of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, a brightly colored species of fish, new to science, was recently discovered on an isolated Brazilian archipelago.

A team of scientists from the California Academy of Sciences discovered a new species of fish during a deep diving expedition to an isolated Brazilian archipelago.

"It's one of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen," said Luiz Rocha, Fish Curator at the Academy and co-leader of the Hope for Reefs initiative, in a press release. .

The fish, which is a shiny neon pink and yellow, looks like a highlighter pen. It has been discovered looking from the rocky crevices of the coral reefs of the twilight zone to a depth of 120 meters (400 feet) below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean (ref).

"The fish in the twilight zone tend to be pink or reddish," Hudson Pinheiro, a postdoctoral researcher at the Academy, said in a press release. "The red light does not penetrate into these dark depths, making the fish invisible unless they are illuminated by a light like the one we carry when diving."

The new fish was officially called Aphrodite Anthias, Tosanoides aphroditebecause she so delighted her discoverers, just as Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty, delighted the ancient Greek gods.

"It was so enchanting that it made us ignore everything around it," said Dr. Rocha. The team was even unaware of repeated warnings from the team's diving officer and cameraman, Mauritius Bell, as they approached a ten-foot six-meter shark lazily swimming overhead.

It took Mr. Rocha and Dr. Pinheiro one day to collect three adult males, two adult females, and two juvenile females.

Claudia Rocha, head of laboratory and collections at the Academy, has officially described the new species for scientific literature: males are brightly colored with alternating pink and yellow stripes throughout the body length, while females have a solid orange color (Figure 3). ). Ms. Rocha also counted the rays and scales of the fins and measured the length of the spines on the newly collected specimens, which are about half as long as an iPhone.

The genetic analysis revealed that this newly described species is part of the genus Tosanoides, a group of fish that was previously known to be found only in the Pacific Ocean. This analysis also identified his closest genetic parent Tosanoides obama, which is in Hawaii and was named for President Barack Obama. This raises the question: how did these small marine fish find themselves so geographically distant from all their parents? Of course, it is possible, if not probable, that this fish represents an entirely new and yet undescribed genus, although this can not be determined until further genetic analysis can be done.

The rocks of St. Peter and St. Paul are a small isolated archipelago located nearly 600 miles from the coast of Brazil, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It is made up of 17 small islands that do not exceed 17 meters (56 feet) above sea level. These rocky outcrops are extensions of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is an active tectonic plate boundary, and good Many of the species living in this region are found nowhere else.

The ecosystems of the oceanic twilight zone are unexplored. They are found between 60 and 150 meters (200-500 feet) below the surface of the ocean – deeper than the limits of recreational diving, which severely limits human access. The animals that inhabit these deep coral reefs live in partial darkness and to reach them, high-tech equipment, such as closed circuit recyclers, must be used to allow scientists to extend their research time under the # 39; water. Previously, Dr. Rocha and Dr. Pinheiro and their colleagues reported that twilight zone habitats are distinct ecosystems that harbor a remarkably diverse and unique collection of species, which are found only in localized areas. very specific (ref.). They also reported that, despite their depth, twilight zone ecosystems suffer catastrophic damage from climate change, storms, pollution and, of course, people's wastes. For example, if you look closely, you can see that the shark in the video is dragging a fishing line behind him.

Dr. Rocha and Dr. Pinheiro hope that Aphrodite's anthias draw more attention to the twilight zone reefs.

"In this time of global crisis for coral reefs, it is essential to learn about unexplored reef habitats and their colorful inhabitants to understand how to protect them," said Dr. Rocha. "Our goal is to showcase the vast and unexplored wonders of the ocean and inspire a new generation of sustainability champions."

Source:

Hudson T. Pinheiro, Claudia Rocha and Luiz A. Rocha (2018). Tosanoides aphrodite, a new species of the mesophotic coral ecosystems of the rocks of St. Paul, Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Perciformes, Serranidae, Anthiadinae), zookeys, 786105-115 | doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.786.27382

This new fish species looks like a color with highlighters | @GrrlScientist