The new species ofPlectranthiasthat was recently collected from Curacao is probably the first of its kind to make it into a home aquarium. We first featured this fish with apost from Joe Oliver at the source, and now we’ve got an update on this stupendous specimen inBlue HarborJapan, where the fish has ended up.
If we had to name one group of reef fish that truly make us swoon, thePlectranthiaswould be at the top of that shortlist. New species ofPlectranthiasare discovered pretty often, and just a few weeks ago we were treated to the official description ofPlectranthias bennetti珊瑚海。有趣的是,第一个specimen ofthatnew species also went to Blue Harbor.
The newPlectranthiassp. “Curacao” was collected at the soul-crushing depth of 650 feet by the prolific fish-discovering Curasub. This small basslet was collected at Klein Curacao, a small island about 10 miles away from the main island of Curacao, but the species was first spotted in another submarine in the South of Florida many years ago.
What makesthisnew basslet particularly exciting is that there are over 50 species ofPlectranthiasknown from throughout the broad Indian and Pacific Ocean, but there is currently only one described species from the Atlantic & Caribbean, the apricot basslet,Plectranthias garrupellus.Aside from the standard issue orange, red and white color motifs of the genus, the new CuracaoPlectranthiaslooks very distinct from the slightly more familiar Apricot Basslet.
In these fabulous first clear photos fromBlue Harborstaffer Kengo Zeze we can see the color and pattern of this newPlectranthiasin vivid detail. ThePlectranthiashas on averall orange body coloration with a pronounced near-continuous white dorsal stripe extending from the snout, through the eye, and reaching the base of the tail.
The pectoral, anal, caudal and soft dorsal fin are mostly colorless and clear, while the pelvic fins are white, and the spiny part of the dorsal fin is a deep crimson red that continues in the topside of the body and head. This looker of a reef fish is an exciting find for fans of rare and exotic reef fish. Hopefully theCurasubwill collect more of this newPlectranthiasfor the aquarium hobby, and also for some lucky ichthyologist to formally describe this new species for the rest of the world.