Marine biologists from the California Academy of Sciences have discovered a new species of coral reef fish living in the waters off Saint Paul’s Rocks, an archipelago of small islets located around 580 miles (940 km) from northeastern Brazil.
Tosanoides aphrodite in its natural environment, photographed at a depth of 390 feet (120 m) in St. Paul’s Rocks, Brazil. Image credit: L.A. Rocha.
The new species, named Tosanoides aphrodite, belongs to a small genus of coral reef fish in the family Serranidae.
Adult Tosanoides aphrodite measure between 2 and 3.1 inches (5-8 cm) in length.
Males are outfitted with alternating pink and yellow stripes while females sport a solid, blood-orange color.
“This is one of the most beautiful fishes I’ve ever seen,” said team member Dr. Luiz Rocha, curator of fishes at the California Academy of Sciences and co-leader of the Hope for Reefs initiative.
Tosanoides aphrodite inhabits small crevices of twilight zone reefs and was observed at depths of 330-850 feet (100-260 m).
“Fishes from the twilight zone tend to be pink or reddish in color,” said team member Hudson Pinheiro, an ichthyology researcher at the California Academy of Sciences.
“Red light doesn’t penetrate to these dark depths, rendering the fishes invisible unless illuminated by a light like the one we carry while diving.”
Tosanoides aphrodite is only known from Saint Paul’s Rocks and is the first species of its genus to be recorded in the Atlantic Ocean.
“In a time of global crisis for coral reefs, learning more about unexplored reef habitats and their colorful residents is critical to our understanding of how to protect them,” Dr. Rocha said.
“We aim to highlight the ocean’s vast and unexplored wonders and inspire a new generation of sustainability champions.”
A paper describing the discovery is published in the journal Zookeys.
_____
H.T. Pinheiro et al. 2018. Tosanoides aphrodite, a new species from mesophotic coral ecosystems of St. Paul’s Rocks, Mid Atlantic Ridge (Perciformes, Serranidae, Anthiadinae). ZooKeys 786: 105-115; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.786.27382
