Sueviota bryozophylais a new species of dwarf goby with a peculiar proclivity for bryozoans. The ghostly whiteSueviota bryozophylais distinguished from the multitudes ofnewEviotaspeciesfor among other things, having very pronounced and elongated nasal tubes.
Better known as ‘moss animals, you may not be familiar with bryozoans in our aquariums because they are heavily dependent on filter feeding, and generally don’t get enough to eat in our nutrient poor aquarium environments. But you’ve probably seen bryozoans on fresh live rock or on the side of wild collected corals as that lacy ‘material’ which eventually degrades never to be seen in our reef tanks again.
The newly describedSueviota bryozophylawas discovered by underwater photographers including Graham Abbott, Ned and Anna DeLoach, Takako Uno, and Stephen Wong who specialize in in traveling to remote places, and documenting the rare and unusual. The new bryozoanmicrogoby was found in Indonesia, at Ambon, Molucca Islands and Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi.
The bryozoan goby is unique among bothEviotaandSueviotaby having pelvic fins joined by a membrane that forms a disc underneath the body of the fish. The body ofSueviota bryozophylais a ghostly white to match the bryozoans with which it is associated and is decorated by scattered red spots mostly on the head, and trailing along the anterior portion of the body.
Sueviota bryozophylais described by Allen et. al. in theJournal of the Ocean Science Foundation.
