Peer Aquatic Biology
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New fish species discovered on remote islands off the Pacific coast of Mexico
A new species of labrid fish, Halichoeres sanchezi n. sp. is described on the basis of eight specimens collected in the Revillagigedo Archipelago in the tropical eastern Pacific off the coast of Mexico. The new species belongs to the species complex Halichoeres melanotis , which occurs throughout the region and differs in mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase I sequence by 2.4 % from its closest relative, Halichoeres melanotis from Panama, and 2.9 % from Halichoeres salmofasciatus from Cocos Island.
A team of scientists, including Ben Frable from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has discovered a new tropical fish species during an expedition to the remote islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The fish is probably endemic to these islands, which means that it does not occur anywhere else on earth. The Revillagigedos are sometimes referred to as the Mexican Galapagos for their treasure trove of marine biodiversity and rugged beauty.
The researchers describe the new species, called Halichoeres sanchezi or tailed wrasse, in a paper published Feb. 28 in the journal PeerJ .
Halichoeres sanchezi was named in honor of marine researcher Carlos Armando Sánchez Ortíz of the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS), who collected the first specimen and organized the 2022 expedition that led to the fish's discovery.
The eight specimens of the new species collected by the team range in size from around 2.54cm to almost 15.24cm.
The smaller females of this species are mostly white with reddish horizontal stripes along the upper half and black spots on the dorsal fin, behind the gills and just in front of the caudal fin. Frable described the males as having an "orange-red upper side that fades to a yellow belly with a dark band at the base of the tail."
Halichoeres sanchezi belongs to the wrasse family, an extremely diverse and colorful group of more than 600 species. Most wrasses are less than seven inches long, such as the Bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), but some grow much larger such as the California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher) or the Massive humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus ), which can grow up to 18cm long.
Researchers found the new wrasse species in an underwater field of volcanic debris at a depth of about 70 feet near San Benedicto Island.
In addition to co-authors Frable and Ludt, Benjamin Victor of Nova Southeastern University and the Ocean Science Foundation was the lead author of the study.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Perciformes (Order) > Labroidei (Suborder) > Labridae (Family) > Halichoeres (Genus) >
Literature source
Victor BC, Frable BW, Ludt WB. 2024.
Halichoeres sanchezi n. sp., a new wrasse from the Revillagigedo Archipelago of Mexico, tropical eastern Pacific Ocean (Teleostei: Labridae)
PeerJ 12:e16828 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16828
Jumping guard
A jumping guard prevents (nocturnal) fish from jumping out.
Wrasses, blennies, hawkfishs and gobies jump out of an unprotected tank in fright if their night rest is disturbed, unfortunately these jumpers are found dried up in the morning on carpets, glass edges or later behind the tank.
https://www.korallenriff.de/en/article/1925_5_Jump_Protection_Solutions_for_Fish_in_the_Aquarium__5_Net_Covers.html
A small night light also helps, as it provides the fish with a means of orientation in the dark!
A new species of labrid fish, Halichoeres sanchezi n. sp. is described on the basis of eight specimens collected in the Revillagigedo Archipelago in the tropical eastern Pacific off the coast of Mexico. The new species belongs to the species complex Halichoeres melanotis , which occurs throughout the region and differs in mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase I sequence by 2.4 % from its closest relative, Halichoeres melanotis from Panama, and 2.9 % from Halichoeres salmofasciatus from Cocos Island.
A team of scientists, including Ben Frable from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has discovered a new tropical fish species during an expedition to the remote islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The fish is probably endemic to these islands, which means that it does not occur anywhere else on earth. The Revillagigedos are sometimes referred to as the Mexican Galapagos for their treasure trove of marine biodiversity and rugged beauty.
The researchers describe the new species, called Halichoeres sanchezi or tailed wrasse, in a paper published Feb. 28 in the journal PeerJ .
Halichoeres sanchezi was named in honor of marine researcher Carlos Armando Sánchez Ortíz of the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS), who collected the first specimen and organized the 2022 expedition that led to the fish's discovery.
The eight specimens of the new species collected by the team range in size from around 2.54cm to almost 15.24cm.
The smaller females of this species are mostly white with reddish horizontal stripes along the upper half and black spots on the dorsal fin, behind the gills and just in front of the caudal fin. Frable described the males as having an "orange-red upper side that fades to a yellow belly with a dark band at the base of the tail."
Halichoeres sanchezi belongs to the wrasse family, an extremely diverse and colorful group of more than 600 species. Most wrasses are less than seven inches long, such as the Bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), but some grow much larger such as the California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher) or the Massive humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus ), which can grow up to 18cm long.
Researchers found the new wrasse species in an underwater field of volcanic debris at a depth of about 70 feet near San Benedicto Island.
In addition to co-authors Frable and Ludt, Benjamin Victor of Nova Southeastern University and the Ocean Science Foundation was the lead author of the study.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Perciformes (Order) > Labroidei (Suborder) > Labridae (Family) > Halichoeres (Genus) >
Literature source
Victor BC, Frable BW, Ludt WB. 2024.
Halichoeres sanchezi n. sp., a new wrasse from the Revillagigedo Archipelago of Mexico, tropical eastern Pacific Ocean (Teleostei: Labridae)
PeerJ 12:e16828 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16828
Jumping guard
A jumping guard prevents (nocturnal) fish from jumping out.
Wrasses, blennies, hawkfishs and gobies jump out of an unprotected tank in fright if their night rest is disturbed, unfortunately these jumpers are found dried up in the morning on carpets, glass edges or later behind the tank.
https://www.korallenriff.de/en/article/1925_5_Jump_Protection_Solutions_for_Fish_in_the_Aquarium__5_Net_Covers.html
A small night light also helps, as it provides the fish with a means of orientation in the dark!
