REEFING NEWS ALERT !!!

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The United States Fish and Wildlife Service published a notice which describes proposed resolutions, decisions and agenda items that the United States may submit for consideration at the conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). There are several types of species that the US may include on the CITES species list. Click the read more link for the whole list.

1. Species the United States is likely to submit for consideration:

Red and Pink coral (Corallium spp.) for inclusion in Appendix II

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) for removal from Appendix II.

2. Species for which the U.S. is “undecided†for including in Appendix I or II, pending receipt of additional information:

Nautilids (Allonautilus Spp.) for inclusion in II

Freshwater sawfish (Pristis microdon) for transfer from II to I

Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) for inclusion in II

Devil and Manta rays (Mobulidae) for inclusion in II

Freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygonidae) for inclusion in II

American eel (Anguilla rostrata) for inclusion in II

Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentine) for inclusion in III (This involves a unilateral decision by the US since it involves inclusion in III)

Spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) for inclusion in II

Diamond Back Terrapin (Malaclemnys terrapin) for inclusion in II

Florida soft-shell turtle (Apalone ferox) for inclusion in II

Smooth soft-shell turtle (Apalone mutica) for inclusion in II

Spiny soft-shell turtle (Apalone spinifera) for inclusion in II

Giant leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus giganteus) transfer II to I

3. Species the U.S. is unlikely to submit unless there is significant additional information:

Blue-sided frog (Agalychnis annae) for inclusion in II

Morelet’s tree frog (Agalychnis moreletii) for inclusion in II

Rancho Grande harlequin frog (Atelopus cruciger) for inclusion in II

Helmeted water toad (Caudiverbera caudiverbera) for inclusion in II

Santa Fe frog (Leptodactylus laticeps) for inclusion in II

Giant Asian river frog (Limnonectes blythii) for inclusion in II

Fanged river frog (Limnonectes macrodon) for inclusion in II

Giant Philippine frog (Limnonectes magnus) for inclusion in II

Albanian water frog (Rana shqiperica) for inclusion in II

Rain frog (Scaphiophryne boribory) for inclusion in II

Alto Verapaz salamander (Bolitoglossa dofleini) for inclusion in II

Kaiser’s spotted newt (Neurergus kaiseri) for inclusion in I or II

Kurdistan newt (Neurergus microspilotus) for inclusion in II

Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) for inclusion II

Map turtles (Graptemys spp.) for inclusion in II

Read More...

[kueytoc]

Jumbo squid invade San Diego shores, spook divers

By GILLIAN FLACCUS,Associated Press Writer AP - Friday, July 17

SAN DIEGO - Jumbo flying squid _ aggressive 5-foot-long sea monsters with razor-sharp beaks and toothy tentacles _ have invaded the shallow waters off San Diego, spooking scuba divers and washing up dead on tourist-packed beaches.

The carnivorous calamari, which can grow up to 100 pounds, came up from the depths last week and swarms of them roughed up unsuspecting divers. Some divers report tentacles enveloping their masks and yanking at their cameras and gear.

Stories of too-close encounters with the alien-like cephalopods have chased many veteran divers out of the water and created a whirlwind of excitement among the rest, who are torn between their personal safety and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to swim with the deep-sea giants.

The so-called Humboldt squid are native to the deep waters off Mexico, where they have been known to attack humans and are nicknamed "red devils" for their rust-red coloring and mean streak. Those who dive with them there chum the water with bait and sometimes get in a metal cage or wear chain mail to avoid being lashed by tentacles.

The squid hunt in schools of up to 1,200, can swim up to 15 mph and can skim over the water to escape predators.

"I wouldn't go into the water with them for the same reason I wouldn't walk into a pride of lions on the Serengeti," said Mike Bear, a local diver. "For all I know, I'm missing the experience of a lifetime."

The squid are too deep to bother swimmers and surfers, but many longtime divers say they are staying out of the surf until the sea creatures clear out. Yet other divers, including Shanda Magill, couldn't resist the chance to see the squid up close.

On a recent night, Magill watched in awe as a dozen squid with doleful, expressive eyes circled her group, tapping and patting the divers and gently bumping them before dashing away.

One especially large squid suspended itself motionless in the water about three feet away and peered at her closely, its eyes rolling, before it vanished into the black. A shimmering incandescence rippled along its body, almost as if it were communicating through its skin.

But the next night, things were different: A large squid surprised Magill by hitting her from behind and grabbing at her with its arms, pulling her sideways in the water. The powerful creature ripped her buoyancy hose away from her chest and knocked away her light.

When Magill recovered, she didn't know which direction was up and at first couldn't find the hose to help her stay afloat as she surfaced. The squid was gone.

"I just kicked like crazy. The first thing you think of is, 'Oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm going to survive this. If that squid wanted to hurt me, it would have," she said.

Other divers have reported squid pulling at their masks and gear and roughing them up.

Roger Uzun, a veteran scuba diver and amateur underwater videographer, swam with a swarm of the creatures for about 20 minutes and said they appeared more curious than aggressive. The animals taste with their tentacles, he said, and seemed to be touching him and his wet suit to determine if he was edible.

"As soon as we went underwater and turned on the video lights, there they were. They would ram into you, they kept hitting the back of my head," he said.

"One got ahold of the video light head and yanked on it for two or three seconds and he was actually trying to take the video light with him," said Uzun, who later posted a 3-minute video with his underwater footage on YouTube. "It almost knocked the video camera out of my hands."

Scientists aren't sure why the squid, which generally live in deep, tropical waters off Mexico and Central America, are showing up off the Southern California coast _ but they are concerned.

In recent years, small numbers have been spotted from California to Sitka, Alaska and are increasingly being spotted off the San Diego coastline _ an alarming trend that scientists believe could be caused by anything from global warming to a shortage of food or a decline in the squid's natural predators.

In 2005, a similar invasion off San Diego delighted fishermen and, in 2002, thousands of jumbo flying squid washed up on the beaches here. That year, workers removed 12 tons of dead and dying squid.

This summer, the wayward squid have also been hauled up by fisherman in waters off Orange County, just north of San Diego.

Research suggests the squid may have established a year-round population off California at depths of 300 to 650 feet, said Nigella Hillgarth, executive director of the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Divers this summer have been encountering them at about 60 to 80 feet down, they said.

No one knows how many squid are in the shallow waters, but one biologist estimated they could number in the hundreds, or possibly thousands.

"Usually where there's one squid, there's a lot of squid, so I would assume that there's a good number," said John Hyde, a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in San Diego.

Their presence off the coast _ and the subsequent die-offs _ may occur when their prey moves to shallow waters and the squid follow, and then get trapped and confused in the surf, said Hillgarth, who saw a dying squid on the beach last weekend.

"It was an amazing privilege to touch a creature like that and see how amazingly beautiful it was," she said. "They have these wonderful eyes. ... They look all-seeing, all-knowing."

That's the kind of description that pulls veteran divers such as Raleigh Moody back to the pitch-black water, despite the danger.

"My usual dive buddy, he didn't want to come out," said Moody, as he prepared for a night dive with another friend. "There are some divers (who) just don't want to deal with it and there are some like me that, until they hear of something bad happening, I'm going to be an idiot and go back in the water."

On the Net: Roger Uzun's full video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vlcKQt5hHDXg&fmt22

[kueytoc]

Chasing Fairies — New Cirrhilabrus In The Aquarium Trade

By Hiroyuki Tanaka, M.D.

New Cirrhilabrus in the Aquarium Trade

THe fairy wrasses (Genus Cirrhilabrus, Family Labridae) are now some of the most sought-after smaller reef fishes for the home aquarium. They are found in the Indo-West Pacific, fromthe Red Sea to the Pitcairn Islands. Several species are widely distributed, while some are restricted to small island groups. At present, the genus is comprised of 46 species, being second in number to the genus Halichoeres, also in the family Labridae.

(Halichoeres is now undergoing DNA studies, and many species may be reclassified into several genera, so Cirrhilabrus may soon become the largest genus in the family.)

In addition, there are several species of Cirrhilabrus yet to be given a scientific binomial. Most Cirrhilabrus species are quite colorful, sexually dimorphic and sexually dichromatic.

Males often change colors, exhibiting vivid hues, and may take on “iridescent†qualities when they display to females.

This chromatic phenomenon is especially pronounced in larger, mature males.

All males in the genus are similarly shaped, but in some species, the members of the masculine gender possess a long filament on the dorsal fin. There are other species that have longer pelvic fins or have a long, lanceolate tail. In a few species, the females are almost identical in color to theirmates. Inmany species, the females have a red body, with a black ocellus on the upper portion of the caudal peduncle—these species are often distinguished from one another by subtle differences in color.

The fairy wrasses are very closely related to the Paracheilinus species (e.g., the flasher wrasses) from the Indo-West Pacific.

Members of this genus are typically red or orangish overall.

Fairy wrasses are quite easy to keep in a captive environment and accept almost any foods. Various species can be successfully housed together, including females and juveniles, and also do well with many other genera of fishes. They tend to be relatively peaceful toward tankmates, ignoring most smaller fishes. That said, there are a few species like Cirrhilabrus filamentosus and C. tonozukai that may be more aggressive.

Nowadays, the genus is quite popular among reefkeepers as well, because in most cases, they will not harm invertebrates housed in the same tank with them. If you keep them in a reef tank, do not forget to feed themat least once a day and, if possible, offer foods twice a day. You will also want to cover the top of the tank, because they tend to jump out of open aquariums.

I would highly recommend you purchase a large male Cirrhilabrus, along with one, or more, female — in this way, you can enjoy their flashing behavior. In my experience, males tend to flash in the evening, rather than during the day.

I surround the tank with black boards (with, of course, the exception of the front glass) to encourage more flashing.

Turn off all the roomlights and thenmales will often see their reflection in the glass, and extend all their fins and start to change their colors.

In nature, all members of the genus Cirrhilabrus form harems comprised of a dominant male, numerous females and juveniles, as well as non-functional males. That said, they also occur singly, in small aggregations of females and/or juveniles, and sometimes in different species mixes, in their natural habitat. Some species form large aggregations consisting of hundreds of individuals.

Several complexes that consist of similarly colored and shaped close relatives, are known within the genus; for example, one of the most famous groups is the Cirrhilabrus temminckii complex, which contains C. balteatus, C. beauperryi, C. katherinae, C. punctatus and C. temminckii.

Generally speaking, different species in the same complex are not sympatric, but some do overlap in range and even form mixed groups in nature. Some of these species will cross-breed, and some of their offspring may even be capable of reproducing. The term “super male†is commonly used by aquarists, but rarely by ichthyologists. This term refers to fully grown, functional males that are more vivid in color and often display.

Recently Available Cirrhilabrus

Cirrhilabrus adornatus

The decorated fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus adornatus), from Sumatra, Indonesia, is a lovely species. Males are snow white, with two red spots on the back — the second spot is often more diffuse or, in some cases, is not present at all. The fins of the male are white, with the exception of the dorsal fin, which has a red band on the outer edge. The body may become bright yellow when the fish becomes excited.

Females are red on the dorsum and flanks, and white ventrally, with a black spot at the upper base of the tail. The species is rather rare in the aquarium trade, although they Tend to appear in pulses (that is, suddenly a number will be imported for a short period of time). Cirrhilabrus adornatus is restricted to a small area of western Sumatra, where many corals are said to have been destroyed by dynamite fishing. It was discovered by German diverHelmutDebelius, while diving in the Mentawai Islands, off the Padang coast of Sumatra, and was described in 1998. A diving friend of mine, from Thailand, informed me that he has seen several males nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters) long, but typically, they are less than

2. 75 inches (7 centimeters).

Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus

This species is popularly called the deep-sea, or rosy-fin, fairy wrasse. The first specimens came from eastern Australia, around Holmes Reef (Queensland), and has since been collected from Vanuatu. There are several geographic color morphs. Male C. bathyphilus, from Holmes Reef, are red on the upper half of the body, with a yellow area on the lower portion. Those from Vanuatu have two populations — one, primarily from northern Efate Island, has a red area on the anterior, upper portion of the body, while the rest is yellow, and those from southern Tanna Island have a red area that is tapering and continues onto the caudal peduncle.

Colors of fins from these locales are similar. Male individuals from Vanuatu, especially from Efate, are occasionally available, while those from Holmes Reef are scarce in the trade.

I recently received fivemales fromEfate, and I suspect that the form is distinct from Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus, which was described by Randall & Nagareda in 2002. I sent four specimens to Dr. John Randall, in Hawaii, for examination, but he replied that they were just a color form of C. bathyphilus. I also obtained a male from Tanna Island that is similar to the five Efate males, and this form has now been recorded from Holmes Reef.

When excited, the fins of male Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus become an intense red, with brilliant blue edges. The species was first collected from waters as deep as 712 feet (217 meters), in Chesterfield Bank off New Caledonia. It has also been recorded from shallow water (e.g., at depths of 20 feet; 6 meters, on Holmes Reef).

Cirrhilabrus beauperryi and Cirrhilabrus punctatus (variant)

Beau’s fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus beauperryi) is one of the newest members of the genus, having been named in 2008. It had long been regarded as C. punctatus, the dotted fairy wrasse, from the South Pacific, which is almost identical. It has also occasionally been thought of as one of the color variants of the dotted fairy wrasse, and is even thought to be the nuptial color variant of C. punctatus. The most outstanding difference between these fishes is their coloration.

Cirrhilabrus beauperryi has a blue abdomen, while it is white in C. punctatus. Cirrhilabrus beauperryi ranges from eastern Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, but I have also found evidence of their occurrence on Holmes Reef, off northeastern Australia, and the Banda Sea, Indonesia (photographic records). This means that C. beauperryi overlaps the range of C. punctatus on Holmes Reef. Cirrhilabrus punctatus Is recorded from the South Pacific, including the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island, western Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, and is also known to have many color morphs. Coloration of some varieties depends on locale—for example, males from Tonga have a vertical bluish line on the caudal fin (Randall & Kuiter

1989) . Allen et al. Described C. beauperryi with the help of DNA analysis.

Cirrhilabrus punctatus is typically available at aquarium shops, but C. beauperryi is rather rare. However, aquariumheld

C. beauperryi are pictured in many popular books and magazines as C. punctatus. In C. beauperryi, small dots are present on the sides, but rare male individuals of the species lack these. Females of these species are also quite similar, but those of C. beauperryi possess a blue abdomen (very young individuals or small juveniles have a white abdomen).

Individuals of C. punctatus, from Vanuatu, are uniquely colored; males have a blue-black body with a greenish yellow streak on the upper side, a reddish back and a white abdomen. Small dots are scattered on the blue-black background, and there are also some spots on the fins and back.

The variety was first collected in New Caledonia, and may represent a subspecies of C. punctatus — DNA analysis will be needed to give us a definitive answer. It is highly expected to also occur in the Loyalty Islands, where no C. punctatus have been documented.

Cirrhilabrus condei

Live fishes from Vanuatu began entering the aquarium trade with regularity several years ago, and they include some very unusual and beautiful fairy wrasses. One of them is Conde’s fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus condei). The male is bright red on the upper half of the body, with a pure white abdomen. The pelvic fins are longer and the dorsal fin is shaped like a dome. When excited, the body turns bright pink overall, with a yellow area along the sides. The caudal fin becomes red and deep pink. The fish may suddenly change colors when threatened, or when a conspecific or another male Cirrhilabrus species approaches. In my experience, male fairy and flasher wrasses rarely exhibit their flashing coloration, even after being in their new Aquarium home for three or four days, until new inhabitants are introduced into the tank. As I mentioned earlier, they also tend to exhibit their stunning display colors more in the evening when they see themselves in reflections in the aquarium glass.

Males from the Solomon Islands are slightly different from Vanuatu Cirrhilabrus condei, in having a reddish area on the dorsal fin. The yellow area of the fin in those from Vanuatu is outstanding. Females of the species are reddish dorsally and white ventrally. Vanuatu C. condei are not commonly encountered, and those from the Solomon Islands are even more scarce.

Cirrhilabrus lunatus

This species has a lunate tail and is widely known as the lunate-, or crescent-, tail fairy wrasse. It was described by Randall & Masuda from specimens from southern Japan (Okinawa and Ogasawara Islands), in 1991. The species has been recorded from Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Dr. John Randall once informed me that a tiny juvenile was collected in New Caledonia. In Japan, it has been observed by divers in deeper waters, and scarcely enters the aquarium trade. Recently, however, a rare individual has been shipped from Indonesia. Male Cirrhilabrus lunatus, from Japan, are typically purplish to yellowish brown, with an outstanding bright-yellow band on the middle of the flank, while the unpaired fins are primarily purple.

The “southern form†male is different in coloration from the Japanese specimens, and is also variable. They have an orange or brown to blackish body, a yellowish abdomen, and sometimes have a red area behind the eyes. One male from Sulawesi, Indonesia, became black overall, except around the eyes, and it looked very similar to Cirrhilabrus brunneus (Allen 2006), which is restricted to a small area of northeastern Kalimantan, Indonesia. Dr. Gerald Allen has examined my specimens and they proved be C. lunatus, but those from Indonesia and the Philippines would need DNA studies to verify their identity. Females from the South Seas are almost identical in coloration to those recorded from southern Japan. I have kept several individuals from Indonesia and they were all quite peaceful.

Cirrhilabrus marjorie

One very beautiful species I recently obtained, which is scarce in the trade, is Cirrhilabrus marjorie. It is known only fromthe Fiji Islands in the southwestern Pacific and has quite distinctive coloration.

The body of the male is red to deep orange on the upper third of the sides, and abruptly white on the lower sides, with several faint blackish lines on the lower portion. The pectoral fin base is yellow-orange, while the caudal fin is yellow, with a black edge and a bluish submarginal line. The dorsal fin is primarily white, with the outer portion being black with an irregular red line and a bluish edge. ###### and ventral fins are mostly white, while the ###### fin has a bluish edge and a blackish submarginal line.

The female is entirely orange-red and the abdominal portion is slightly whitish. All fins are yellowish, with the exception of the ventral fins, which are white, and the ###### fin, which has a bluish edge and a reddish submarginal line. The female has a slightly dusky coloration above the eyes, while a conspicuous black spot exists at the upper caudal peduncle.

The male is similar to Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus, from the Coral Sea and Vanuatu, but has a double emarginate caudal fin, with acutely pointed lobes. Females greatly resemble those of C. adornatus, C. flavidorsalis and C. lubbocki in appearance, in that they have a reddish body with a black spot at the caudal peduncle. Although it shares some features with other Cirrhilabrus species, at present, no apparent close relative is known.

I never expected that Cirrhilabrus marjorie would appear in the aquarium hobby so soon, but it did show up in 2007. A dealer in Tokyo, who imports a variety of fishes from all over the world, informedme that this species would be available in Japan in April of that year. I was asked to buy a pair and did not hesitate to do so. The pair was very expensive—the same price as 50 to 60 individuals of the cheaper, more popular, Cirrhilabrus. The dealer knew I was very interested in the genus and kindly dropped the price so I could afford them. I prepared my tank and anxiously awaited their arrival. They reached my home in the afternoon and I opened the box and found three individuals in separate vinyl bags — one adult Attenuate flasher wrasse (Paracheilinus attenuatus) from Kenya, and a pair of C. marjorie. I carefully made several small holes in each bag with a pin, and placed them in the prepared tank. I waited an hour and gently released the fish, but they stayedmotionless on the bottomfor another 20 minutes or so.

While they were motionless, the two wrasses displayed many white dots on their bodies, which is their flight coloration.

The next morning, I found that they were very actively swimming about with no apparent problems. The tank they were placed in held many species of Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus, a pyramid butterflyfish, a small pygmy angelfish, small peaceful Chromis damsels, a young bristletooth surgeonfish and a cleaner wrasse; all were quite peaceful.

The two C. marjorie, along with my new flasher wrasse, readily accepted foods, including flakes, the first morning in the aquarium.

This species was described by Allen, Randall and Carlson in 2003, and named after Marjorie Awai, wife of Dr. Bruce Carlson (of the Georgia Aquarium). Dr. Gerald Allen photographed and collected some specimens in Wakaya Island, Lomaiviti Group, in the Fiji Islands, in May 2003. In the wild, they can be seen in aggregations at a depth of 66 to 164 feet (20 to 50 meters). The species is not uncommon in this area, but males are few, being greatly outnumbered by females. In some groups, the females are actually larger than the male harem master. Allen collected three specimens, and themale holotype was 2.3 inches (57.9 millimeters) standard length (SL), while one of the females was 2.4 inches (60 millimeters) SL.

A dive team from the U.S. collaborated with other divers from the other islands, and was successful in collecting a dozen pairs of the species in Fiji. As far as I know, three pairs were successfully shipped to Japan, and one of these pairs was now swimming before my eyes! I really hope that collectors in Fiji will capture more individuals to ship, so the cost will go down in the near future. It is popularly called the Marjorie’s fairy wrasse. My male measured 3 inches (80 millimeters) total length (TL), the largest example I know of. The female was some 2.8 inches (70 millimeters) TL. Both fish behaved quite gracefully and peacefully.

Cirrhilabrus roseafascia

Cirrhilabrus roseafascia, the rose-band fairy wrasse, led a mysterious existence in science, because it had escaped divers’ eyes since its original description in 1982. It was described by Randall and Lubbock, from a single specimen collected in a crab pot, set at a depth of 328 feet (100 meters), in New Caledonia. It was a very small individual and its “live coloration†was not observed by the ichthyologists. In the late 1980s, a Japanese diver photographed a male “C. Lanceolatus†in Palau, and later, an ichthyologist found several individuals in very deep waters off Samoa and Fiji, which he regarded as new. I saw their photographs and soon noticed that those from these localities in the Pacific were all C. roseafascia.

Around 2005, several similar individuals were shipped to Japan from Cebu, Philippines. They are almost identical to C. lanceolatus from Japan, but exhibit different coloration, especially on the pelvic fins. In C. roseafascia, the bluish black on the pelvic fins is restricted to the posterior portion of the fins, while in C. lanceolatus it is located on the anterior portion of the pelvic fins. Cirrhilabrus roseafascia is the largest species in the genus, growing to around 8 inches (20 centimeters)—the largest I have obtained was a 6-inch (16 centimeter) male from Cebu. It is believed to occur in New Caledonia, Palau, Fiji, Samoa, Cebu and Vanuatu. Its “sister species,†C. lanceolatus, has been photographed in various localities in southern Japan, from the Okinawa region to the Izu Islands, but no similar species from Taiwan has been found.

Cirrhilabrus rubriventralis

Several specimens from the coast of Kenya are superficially similar to Cirrhilabrus rubriventralis, the social fairy wrasse, both in shape and coloration. I received some individuals from the area about three years ago and long wondered if they were true C. rubriventralis. In the males, the pelvic fins are broad and longer, with a long, narrow and red filamentous extension from the base of each fin. They also have a blackish to golden caudal fin and a yellowish area on the sides. The female is similar to that of C. rubriventralis in appearance, with several series of fine. Bluish dots on the sides. I preserved specimens to send Dr. Gerald Allen, and he replied that they are identical to C. rubriventralis from the Red Sea area, but indicated that further DNA studies would Be necessary. This species is not commonly sold in shops. The Kenyan C. rubriventralis showed some aggressiveness toward other smaller inhabitants of the tank, but otherwise was an excellent aquarium fish like those from the Red Sea and Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan specimens are commonly available in the trade, but those from the Red Sea are quite rare. There is a slight difference in coloration of the pelvic fins; in males from Sri Lanka these fins are red and black, while in Red Sea specimens the fins are entirely red.

Undescribed Species

Several, possibly undescribed, species have been imported to Japan, and one of the newcomers to the genus is popularly called the “Tongan fairy wrasse.†This Cirrhilabrus comes from Fiji and Tonga, and was first collected by the famous collector, Anthony Nahacky, in Fiji. The male has an orangeyellow body, with a deeper orange head, and orange bars around the eyes. Its dorsal fin is the most conspicuous, in having a black and longer extension from the first dorsal spine. The dorsal fin is yellow anteriorly, and the posterior half is red basally and black distally, with a blue margin.

Other unpaired fins are orangish yellow. Females are similar, but lack the extension, and the dorsal fin is mostly yellow. In females, there is a black dot on the first dorsal fin. While it was once rare in the trade, its shows up more regularly now and the price has dropped slightly. When displaying, themale exhibits a bright-yellow coloration on the body. It grows to around 4 inches (10 centimeters).

Another relatively newly introduced fairy wrasse is the “pintail fairy wrasse,†a Cirrhilabrus species from southern Japan to Cebu, Philippines. It was already known in the U.K. as an aquarium pet in the 1980s, but is still a rarity in the trade.

From the 1990s to recent years, many individuals were photographed by divers in the deeper waters of southern Japan— the Izu Islands, Kashiwajima (Honshu) and the Ryukyu Islands. It is pinkish to orangish overall, with two distinct long purplish lines on the sides — one on the back and another in the center of the body. There is also a yellowish area anteriorly on the sides. The caudal fin is lanceolate, a trait shared by similar species like C. blatteus (Red Sea), C. lanceolatus (southern Japan), C. roseafascia (shown on page 32) and C.

Sanguineus (Mauritius). The pintail fairy wrasse and C. lanceolatus overlap in the deep waters of southern Japan. It is also known fromTaiwan, where several individuals were collected in 2005.

I hope the species will be named soon. A Japanese ichthyologist is preparing a paper based on these Taiwanese and the Ryukyu specimens. In addition, he will name another, undescribed, species recently found near Taiwan. There are several species from various locales yet to be named formally, at least one of which will soon be published. Also, Cirrhilabrus temminckii may prove to be divided intomore than two species in the future—for example, the population from Southeast Asia may be distinct from that of southern Japan. Cirrhilabrus lyukyuensis is now regarded by many ichthyologists as a valid species that ranges from southern Japan to Southeast Asia and western Micronesia, while the very similar C. cyanopleura is restricted to Indonesian waters. Some of the already named species may include undescribed types, and DNA analyses need to be conducted to identify species, as in the case of C. beauperryi.

This ends my look at some of the interesting and unusual fairy wrasses that have recently been entering the aquarium trade. I hope this article will inspire you to take a closer look at these colorful and interesting fishes. You may even add one of these new fairies to our fish or reef aquarium!

[kueytoc]

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[kueytoc]

Counting down...8 more days to go.

COMING SOONZ !!!

LED AQUARIUM LIGHT KR92 System (250W MH Replacement) that has 850 PAR

Features and benefits

* Advanced design for a safe and easy experiences

* Adjustable width tank mounts or Pendant mounts

* Black or Silver aluminum housing, 1.3 inch thin

* Fixture is cooled by blowing air across heat sinks

* Generates a fraction of the heat

* Heat is radiated away from the tank

* Ideal color temp. allows outstanding coral growth

* Long life time up to 50,000 hours (5+ years life)

* No UV or IR damage light sensitive items

* PAR light output levels equal to MH that has 850

* PC / VHO / T5 / MH replacement

* Producing as more powerful than a 250W MH

* Programmable Timer to control lighting mode

* Save energy 60% versus comparable 250W MH

* CE certificated

[pandagold]

cost ??

[comycus]

cost ??

~35 blue notes after shipping.

[kueytoc]

Aussie scientists find coconut-carrying octopus

By KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated Press Writer - Tuesday, December 15

SYDNEY – Australian scientists have discovered an octopus in Indonesia that collects coconut shells for shelter _ unusually sophisticated behavior that the researchers believe is the first evidence of tool use in an invertebrate animal.

The scientists filmed the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, selecting halved coconut shells from the sea floor, emptying them out, carrying them under their bodies up to 65 feet (20 meters), and assembling two shells together to make a spherical hiding spot.

Julian Finn and Mark Norman of Museum Victoria in Melbourne observed the odd activity in four of the creatures during a series of dive trips to North Sulawesi and Bali in Indonesia between 1998 and 2008. Their findings were published Tuesday in the journal Current Biology.

"I was gobsmacked," said Finn, a research biologist at the museum who specializes in cephalopods. "I mean, I've seen a lot of octopuses hiding in shells, but I've never seen one that grabs it up and jogs across the sea floor. I was trying hard not to laugh."

Octopuses often use foreign objects as shelter. But the scientists found the veined octopus going a step further by preparing the shells, carrying them long distances and reassembling them as shelter elsewhere.

That's an example of tool use, which has never been recorded in invertebrates before, Finn said.

"What makes it different from a hermit crab is this octopus collects shells for later use, so when it's transporting it, it's not getting any protection from it," Finn said. "It's that collecting it to use it later that is unusual."

The findings are significant, in that they reveal just how capable the creatures are of complex behavior, said Simon Robson, associate professor of tropical biology at James Cook University in Townsville.

"Octopuses have always stood out as appearing to be particularly intelligent invertebrates," Robson said. "They have a fairly well-developed sense of vision and they have a fairly intelligent brain. So I think it shows the behavioral capabilities that these organisms have."

[kueytoc]

Spirograph Scolymia is the ultimate high definition coral

Do not attempt to adjust your screen.

The above image is very real and having seen this coral specimen in person we can attest that this coral looks exactly like the image, no camera or light tricks. The crazies over at Aquatic Auctions have somehow made their peace with selling this coral and they will be listing the top shelf specimen before the weekend. The bidding will start at $1 and we look forward to seeing what the free market value of this ungradable Scolymia turns out to be. Furthermore, this picture is just a sneak peek of the “Spirograph Scoly†and if you think that the pic is wysiwyg, the image crop actually cuts out a lot of additional detail and features in this truly unique coral. The Spiro Scoly is the Silver Arrow of corals and we’ll be spectating the AquaticAuction to see just how fanatical rare coral seekers can get when it comes to the cream of the crop.

[kueytoc]

New Vortech Battery Backup from EcoTech Marine now made inhouse, not by 3rd party

Posted on February 2nd, 2010 by Jake Adams

The battery backup for Vortech water pumps has been available as an accessory almost as long as the MP40 has been on the market. However, the first Vortech battery backup was essentially a motorcycle battery in a box that was marketed and produced by IceCap Inc. All has been quiet on the battery backup front for several years until EcoTech announced today that they will be releasing a new, 2nd generation battery backup for Vortech pumps which is now designed and built in-house by EcoTech proper. Some upgraded internals should make the new power pack faster to charge and it should be better at supplying power to the Vortech line of water pumps during a power interruption. The $165 kit will now include two power cables for running more than one vortech pump, or for linking up the batteries in series for increased runtime while powering the Mp10, 20 or 40w Vortechs. The new backup will have a much longer lifespan due to some new charging techniques and from a fresh battery backup you can expect about 24hrs of runtime on an MP40w and just about 3 days from the MP10 and MP20 Vortechs. The battery backup will soon be available from your favorite Vortech vendors and we can expect to get a good look at the new Battery Backup from Ecotech Marine when they come to Denver for ReefStock. Full press release after the break.

[kueytoc]

U.S. Considers Endangered Species Protection for 82 Stony Coral Species

By CORAL Editors - Posted on 16 February 2010

A move to place more than 80 species of stony corals on the Endangered Species list appears to be gaining traction with the U.S. federal government. A petition from an Arizona-based environmental group calls for protection of 8 Caribbean and Western Atlantic species, 9 corals in the Hawaiian Islands, and 66 species from the Indo-Pacific.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of Commerce have opened a 90-day finding period seeking to hear “scientific and commercial information†on whether a long list of stony coral species would be given protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The 83 species included in the original petition range from four species of Acanthastrea, 22 species of Acropora, 3 species of Euphyllia, 8 species of Montipora, and 4 species of Turbinaria. Among the corals on the list are such commonly kept aquarium species as Euphyllia parancora, Galaxea astreata, Pavona cactus, Turbinaria reniformis, and many species of Acropora.

The move was initiated by the Center for Biological Diversity, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, a non-profit dedicated to conservation. The Center claims the petition, originally submitted October 20, 2009, was ignored until they threatened to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The announcement that the group’s petition had been accepted came February 10. Of the 83 original coral species, 82 were found to have significant enough evidence of compromise to justify further status reviews. The Fisheries Service ruled that there was not enough evidence to consider a listing for the Western Atlantic Ivory Tree Coral, Oculina varicosa, but that the others warranted further consideration.

“This is a call to action,†said Marshall Meyers, CEO of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) in Washington. “There may be some species that do need protection, but to list all of these corals demands serious science-based, credible studies demonstrating that each of these species is endangered.â€

If listed, the corals would be banned from collection in U.S. waters, banned from import into the United States; interstate shipment would become illegal. Captive propagation would require a federal permit, and corals could only be bought and sold within states. “Effectively, this would end the international trade in stony corals to the United States,†Meyers said in an exclusive interview with CORAL Magazine.

“I think many people have been taken by surprise and don’t yet know the implications. In addition to the marine aquarium hobby, this could impact anyone who comes near a coral reef in U.S. waters, including boaters, fishermen, divers, and tour operators. Using the Endangered Species Act in this way is part of a crusade, the breadth of which we have never seen before.â€

Once a species is listed as endangered, sanctions are levied against anyone who “takes†a specimen. “Taking†is defined as “harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, collecting, or any attempt to do these things to a member of the endangered species.†The petitioners believe that they can use the Endangered Species Act to bring legal action against entities emitting CO2 and to force the government to establish marine protected areas.

“The status review is an important step forward in protecting coral reefs, which scientists have warned may be the first worldwide ecosystem to collapse due to global warming,†says Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity, based in San Francisco. “Endangered Species Act protection can provide a safety net for corals on the brink of extinction.â€

The group says it has "255,000 members and online activists," and in its tax filing for 2008 showed total revenues of more than $9 million. Among its current campaigns are efforts to save sea turtles, Beluga Whales, ancient Redwood Trees, and the Okinawa Dugong. Other activities of CBD include the distribution of 100,000 free “condoms for endangered species,†in hopes that human population growth will be slowed. Handed out across the country on Valentine's Day, the slogan on one of the six different condom packets reads: “Wrap with care, save the polar bear.â€

Coral biologists have started to dissect the group’s petition, and John Bruno, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina, writing on the Australian based blog, ClimateShifts.org, took particular note of the assertions of loss of coral cover in many areas that the petition uses to justify protecting stony corals. Bruno himself did some of the studies cited by the petitioners.

“Now this, as they say here in Oz, is some dodgy science.... Given what we have have seen happening in the media recently, e.g., the IPCC reports, scientists should be really careful about the accuracy of their gloom-and-doom stories.â€

Some observers believe that, should this petition be approved, it could pave the way to a wholesale listing of all or most stony corals and coral reef fishes under the Endangered Species Act.

Meyers asks that anyone in the CORAL audience who can help provide an informed response to the petition contact PIJAC. The deadline for responding to the National Marine Fisheries Service is April 12, 2010.

[kueytoc]

NEWSFLASH !!! : from REEFBUILDERS

We are getting reports that a chemical tanker carrying 10,000 tons of Xylene has run aground on Clipperton Island. The Tahiti Press reported the story almost 10 days ago but at the time it was believed that the hull was intact and the contents were safe. However, we have just received word that the High Commisioner of French Polynesia has canceled an application to collect fish at the Isle of Passion because the Xylene and other toxic substances are leaking out. Now the island territory is being cordoned off and all ships are banned from approaching. We can only hope that the chemical spill is not as bad as it sounds and that the French Polynesian government is taking extreme precautionary action to prevent this ship-grounding from causing a massive natural disaster which threatens many endemic species, not the least of which is the famous Clipperton Island Angelfish. This is a very serious situation and we can only wait to hear more on what develops.

Chemical tanker runs aground on Clipperton Island

Events : 02/11/2010 at 5:07PM

(Tahitipresse) - The Maltese chemical tanker "Sichem Osprey" ran aground on the uninhabited tiny atoll of Clipperton, the French High Commissioner's reported in Papeete.

The ship's British agent alerted the MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) Papeete Wednesday.

The 170 meters-long ship was going from the Panama Canal to South Korea.

The tanker contains xylene but there is reportedly no links on the hull. The crew of 19 is safe.

French authorities have asked the ship's owner to tow the "Sichem Osprey" in the next 48 hours.

A French Navy ship should also soon leave Papeete and go to Clipperton.

Clipperton Island is a French possession with an economic ocean zone of 425,000 square kilometers (164,093 square miles) that is rich in tuna.

It is located above the equator 1,120 km (700 miles) southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, and 2,623 km (1,630 miles) south-southeast of San Diego, Calif.

It is a circular coral atoll, the only atoll in the East Pacific, spread over six square km (2.3 sq. miles). There is no pass through the coral reef into the lagoon. The only structure on the atoll is the ruins of a 19th Century lighthouse.

The High Commissioner in Papeete is responsible for Clipperton, although the island is located than 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) northeast of Tahiti.

[kueytoc]

Killer Whale kills Trainer as horrified Spectators watch

By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer – 26 mins ago

ORLANDO, Fla. – A SeaWorld killer whale snatched a trainer off a poolside platform in its jaws Wednesday and thrashed the woman around underwater, killing her in front of a horrified audience. It marked the third time the animal had been involved in a human death.

Distraught audience members were hustled out of the stadium immediately, and the park was closed.

Trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, was one of the park's most experienced. Her sister said Brancheau wouldn't want anything done to the whale that killed her because she loved the animals like children.

Brancheau was rubbing Tilikum after a noontime show when the 12,000-pound whale grabbed her and pulled her in, said Chuck Tompkins, head of animal training at all SeaWorld parks. It was not clear if she drowned or died from the thrashing.

Because of his size and the previous deaths, trainers were not supposed to get into the water with Tilikum, and only about a dozen of the park's 29 trainers worked with him. Brancheau had more experience with the 30-year-old whale than most.

"We recognized he was different," Tompkins said. He said no decision has been made yet about what will happen to Tilikum, such as transfering him to another facility.

A retired couple from Michigan told The Associated Press that they were some stragglers in the audience who had stayed to watch the animals and trainers.

Eldon Skaggs, 72, saw Brancheau on platform massaging the whale. He said the interaction appeared leisurely and informal. Skaggs that the whale "pulled her under and started swimming around with her."

Skaggs said an alarm sounded and staff rushed the audience out of the stadium as workers scrambled around with nets.

Skaggs said he heard that during an earlier show the whale was not responding to directions. Others who attended the earlier show said the whale was behaving like an ornery child.

The couple left and didn't find out until later that the trainer had died.

"We were just a little bit stunned," said Skaggs' wife, Sue Nichols, 67.

Another audience member, Victoria Biniak, told WKMG-TV the whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off."

Two other witnesses told the Orlando Sentinel that the whale grabbed the woman by the upper arm and tossed her around in its mouth while swimming rapidly around the tank. Brazilian tourist Joao Lucio DeCosta Sobrinho and his girlfriend were at an underwater viewing area when they suddenly saw a whale with a person in its mouth.

The couple said they watched the whale show at the park two days earlier and came back to take pictures. But on Wednesday the whales appeared agitated.

"It was terrible. It's very difficult to see the image," Sobrinho said.

A SeaWorld spokesman said Tilikum was one of three orcas blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after the woman lost her balance and fell in the pool at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia.

Steve Huxter, who was head of Sealand's animal care and training department then, said Wednesday he's surprised it happened again. He says Tilikum was a well-behaved, balanced animal.

Tilikum was also involved in a 1999 death, when the body of a man who had sneaked by SeaWorld security was found draped over him. The man either jumped, fell or was pulled into the frigid water and died of hypothermia, though he was also bruised and scratched by Tilikum.

At the stadium, what appeared to be a body covered with a black shroud could be seen lying on the concrete near the water as the animals swam just a few feet away.

Later Wednesday, SeaWorld in San Diego also suspended its killer whale show. It was not clear if the killer whale show has been suspended at SeaWorld's San Antonio location, which is closed until the weekend.

According to a profile of Brancheau in the Sentinel in 2006, she was one of SeaWorld Orlando's leading trainers. It was apparently a trip to SeaWorld at age 9 that made her want to follow that career path.

"I remember walking down the aisle (of Shamu Stadium) and telling my mom, 'This is what I want to do,'" she said in the article.

Brancheau worked her way into a leadership role at Shamu Stadium during her career with SeaWorld, starting at the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium before spending 10 years working with killer whales, the newspaper said.

She also addressed the dangers of the job.

"You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you," Brancheau said.

Steve McCulloch, founder and program manager at the Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Program at Harbor Branch/Florida Atlantic University, said the whale may have been playing, but it is too early to tell.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions," he said. "These are very large powerful marine mammals. They exhibit this type of behavior in the wild.

"Nobody cares more about the animal than the trainer. It's just hard to fathom that this has happened."

Brancheau's older sister Diane Gross, of Indiana, said the trainer "would not want anything done to that whale." Gross said her sister loved working at the park and thought of the animals like she would her own children.

Gross tells the Associated Press that news of her sister's death "hasn't sunk in yet."

Mike Wald, a spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Atlanta, said his agency had dispatched an investigator from Tampa.

Wednesday's death was not the first attack on whale trainers at SeaWorld parks.

In November 2006, a trainer was bitten and held underwater several times by a killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.

The trainer, Kenneth Peters, escaped with a broken foot. The 17-foot orca that attacked him was the dominant female of SeaWorld San Diego's seven killer whales. She had attacked Peters two other times, in 1993 and 1999.

In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park tried to hit one of the trainers and attempted to bite him. He also escaped.

Wednesday's attack was the second time in two months that an orca trainer was killed at a marine park. On Dec. 24, 29-year-old Alexis Martinez Hernandez fell from a whale and crushed his ribcage at Loro Parque on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Park officials said the whale, a 14-year-old named Keto, made an unusual move as the two practiced a trick in which the whale lifts the trainer and leaps into the air.

Associated Press writers Lisa Orkin Emmanuel, Laura Wides-Munoz and David Fischer in Miami, Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg and Jeremy Hainsworth in Vancouver, British Columbia, contributed to this report.

[kueytoc]

Florida killer whale to stay in park after deadly attack

AFP - Friday, February 26

ORLANDO, Florida (AFP) - – A killer whale that killed its trainer in front of horrified onlookers will stay in its marine park, officials said, amid a raging debate on keeping such animals in captivity.

Tilikum -- the five-tonne orca already linked to two other human deaths since 1991 -- grabbed its veteran trainer by her ponytail and dragged her down into its tank at the end of Wednesday's show in SeaWorld Orlando, Florida.

The male whale was so aggressive rescuers could not immediately jump in and assist the experienced trainer Dawn Brancheau, officials said.

Instead, trainers guided the massive black-and-white whale toward a smaller pool and lifted him out of the water by a large scale or platform to free Brancheau's dead body from its jaws.

Witness Sue Nichols, 67, said the crowd had had no warning that anything was brewing as the show was already ending with most of the 50-strong audience having left their seats.

The trainer would "pet him, and she would get very close to him. She'd throw fish in his mouth and throw buckets of water in his mouth, which he seemed to enjoy. There was nothing aggravating or anything about it," Nichols told AFP.

But then, "she was petting the whale and talking to him, and then all of a sudden he just reached up. He got her in the water, and he took her underwater, and he had her under for quite a while," she said.

"He came up out of the water, and he had her in his mouth."

Nichols said an alarm sounded while park employees scattered around the pool with a net as audience members were rushed away.

Animal rights groups and activists pressed for Tilikum to be released in a controlled area, while some suggested putting him down.

But both ideas were ruled out by SeaWorld staff.

"He's still going part of this family group here in Seaworld," SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment corporate curator Chuck Tompkins told AFP.

"He's got seven other killer whales that he lives with and we'll make sure he stays with his family ... We are going be very careful how the trainers interact with him. The number one focus is still the safety of the trainers," he added.

But SeaWorld did not say if it was considering more live shows with the 22-foot (6.7-meter) long, 12,000-pound (5.4-tonne) animal.

Even before the latest deadly attack, trainers were barred from swimming in the water with Tilikum, standing on platforms instead.

In a grim twist, the smaller pool was apparently the same spot where the naked body of Daniel Dukes was found draped over Tilikum's back in July 1999 after he sneaked into SeaWorld after hours to swim with the animals.

The Orange County Medical Examiner's office said Brancheau, who had 16 years of experience working with orcas, likely died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning.

Brancheau, 40, died doing something she loved, her mother said. "It was her dream to do it," Marion Loverde told the Orlando Sentinel. "She loved her job."

In an prescient 2006 interview, Brancheau told the newspaper: "You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you."

Russ Rector, a former dolphin trainer, said keeping killer whales -- the largest species of the dolphin family -- in captivity can make them become violent.

"They are going to keep Tilikum and he is going to kill someone else," said Rector, who warned SeaWorld in November 2007 that continued captivity could cause the marine mammals to attack their trainers.

"He is a monster, he is a product of captivity. He hates people. All he wants to do is kill you," Rector told AFP. "If this was a big cat or a bear, it would have been put down after its first kill."

Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with The Humane Society, suggested Tilikum, known simply as "Tilly," be released in an open ocean sea-pen the size of a football field.

"He could be trained to adjust to going out into the open ocean to exercise and get more choices and then maybe his stress would be reduced," she said.

A full release might be complicated for Tilikum, who has been captive for nearly 27 years and whose name means "friend" in the Chinook Jargon language spoken among native Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

"You can't just put Tilly back out into the wild," renowned animal expert Jack Hanna told AFP. "It takes months and years of planning to do that."

[kueytoc]

Kudos to REBORN !!!

Lipogramma klayi Pair Captured on Film

Lipogramma klayi is one of the most coveted species in the Lipogramma genus and the greater Basslet family. So how about a pair? Shown here is a pair of L. klayi that made their way to Singapore shop Reborn Aquarium.

The fish were collected by Forrest Young’s Dynasty Marine crew in Curacao, at depths of nearly 300 ft. The cost and risk of this trip translates to a fish that is rarely seen and fetches a price north of $1,500.

This is believe to be one of the first videos of L. klayi on internet, let alone a pair.

A special thanks to Elvin for sending us this clip and the photos shown above. Enjoy.

[kueytoc]

Next Rarity Stop...Lipogramma evides

Rare Fish | The Lipogramma Basslets

The Lipogramma genus is a small group of 8 Basslets that are relatively unknown by most aquarists due to their deep water homes. Like Prognathodes aya, these are rare and beautiful fish from the Western Atlantic.

•L. evides

•L. flavescens

•L. trilineatum

•L. klayi

•L. anabantoides

•L. regia/regium

•L. robinsi

•L. roseum

The Banded Basslet (Lipogramma evides) is a deep water species that is unlikely to make it’s way to the US market. This is a sought after fish by the top collectors in Asia and with a price tag of $3,000USD the few that are collected will likely continue going there. Lipogramma evides is found between 40 and +350m deep making it a difficult fish to collect. Most often this fish inhabits waters deeper than 100m.

The specimen shown below was capture at 130m! [Photo via Koji Wada] Not wanting to needle the fish, the acclimation was a slow one taking 3 days in total to bring it to the surface. The first day the fish was brought from 130m to 70m, the second from 70m to 30m and the third 30m to the surface. After that it was on it’s way to Japan where is quickly sold for $3K. The metallic blue in it’s fins is not captured well here, but it’s a beautiful and subtle touch to it’s otherwise black and white body.

During this trip the extremely rare Lipogramma flavescens was also collected with the same acclimation procedure. For those of you who attended Koji Wada’s presentation at MACNA saw this fish, that unfortunately did not acclimate well to the pressure changes and lived only one night in captivity. L. flavescens generally inhabits waters of 180-300m deep. If and when available expect to see it go for 3 times as much as L. evides, ~$10K.

The Bicolor Basslet (Lipogramma klayi) is occasionally overlooked as an overpriced Gramma loreto… which it certainly is not! A more vibrant coloration, smaller size, and missing black dot separate this fish which is found at +45m occupying reef slopes and walls. Although still a rare fish, it pops up in the trade now and then. This specimen was collected at 130m in Curacao.

The Threeline Basslet (Lipogramma trilineatum) also occasionally pops up. A beautiful fish, but less desirable to some than L. klayi.

Charles Delbeek states L. klayi and L. trilineatum adapt well to aquarium life, but can be very shy at first:

Once acclimated to the tank and their tankmates, they will show themselves more frequently, eventually spending a great deal of time in the open (Thresher, 1980). Lipogramma klayi tend to be aggressive among themselves and should not be kept in large groups in small aquariums (Thresher, 1980). Being planktonic feeders, they will eat almost anything and are quite hardy.

The Lipogrammas are a unique group of deepwater fish that many do not know about. L. klayi has quickly become a favorite of mine and is always welcome in the glassbox!

A special thanks to Koji Wada for sharing his stories and photos on L. evides and L. flavescens.

[kueytoc]

Seeing the light: LED optics explained

Posted on January 27th, 2010 by Brian Blank

LED lighting is beginning to take hold in the aquarium hobby and it can be a very complex subject to master when trying to make an informed purchase decision as a consumer. We touched on the topic of underdriving or overdriving LEDs with coralSkys Jeff Littlejohn earlier and were fortunate enough to get a hold of some great information on LED optics by Jeff from his forum post at coralSky to share with our informed readers.

Typically, when we think of LED optics, what comes to mind in a plastic lens of some sort used over the LED itself to focus or disperse the light. We need to take a step back and realize the LED itself has a protective casing called the primary optic. The primary optic serves two purposes: to protect and to shape the light output of the diode.

Manufacturers will use the spatial distribution (or shape of the light) when describing the LED, referring to the spread of the light from the central axis of the unit. In the aquarium setting, LEDs are mounted facing down and into the tank and if we imagine a line running vertically from the center of the LED, the spatial distribution of the light is measured in degrees from this central axis. For example, a 120-degree LED will extend the beam 60-degrees to either side.

This is one of the reasons why LED lighting is more efficient than metal halide or fluorescent light sources, which emit light in a nearly spherical pattern, says Littlejohn. This means that most of the emitted light is directed away from the intended subject, and a reflector must be used to redirect this light to a useful direction. Since there is no such thing as a perfectly reflective surface, this results in a loss of efficiency.

But just because an LED is rated at 120 degrees, it doesnt mean you get the lighting punch of the LED across the entire spectrum. Just like any other point of light source, its going to be stronger the closer you travel to the center. Along the central axis the LED emits 100 percent of its relative luminous intensity and will lose intensity the farther you move away from the central axis.

For simplicitys sake, if a 100 lumen will produce 100 lumens of light at the center and a measurement taken 25 degrees from its central axis, the output of the LED will appear to drop to only 80 lumens. Continuing on the path away from the center axis a measurement taken 45 degrees off axis will yield only 40 lumens, and so on, until at 60 degrees, only 10 lumens or so are emitted.

Now that we have a better understanding of the primary optic, lets delve into secondary optics. The secondary optic are separate components that are usually made from optical-grade acrylic or polycarbonate mounted over the primary to help further shape the beam of light. The purpose of the secondary optic is to increase the relative luminous intensity. An example Littlejohn uses is the Fraen 8 degree optic that can actually increase the intensity of the LED 27 times.

2,700 lumens out of a 100 lumen LED sounds great, right?, notes Littlejohn. Not so fast. All of this extra intensity is still only achieved directly under the central axis of the LED. In the case of a narrow optic, there is a SEVERE drop off in light intensity only a few degrees from the central axis. A narrow optic creates a pencil of high intensity light, and almost no light is emitted outside of this very narrow beam.

The numbers sound incredible but in your typical aquarium lighting application the light would have to be mounted so high above the tank to get any usable spread off the LEDs making them unusable from a practical standpoint. There are some more practical secondary optics for use in the hobby, Fraen wide beam or the Ledil Rocket W for example, that do increase the light output of the LED but at a much smaller scale. The Fraen wide optic increases output 2.4 times and directs it into a 58-degree come.

Besides the obvious advantage of achieving more light from the same number of LEDs, for deeper tanks, the addition of a secondary optic will greatly benefit the light penetration through the water column, he adds. In my opinion, for tanks up to 24-inches deep, LEDs do not require a secondary optic to reach the bottom with a significant amount of light energy intact. For tanks over 24-inces deep, the extra light penetration provided by the secondary optic overrides enough of their disadvantages to warrant their use.

So why arent optics used everywhere then? According to Littlejohn, there are disadvantages of secondary optics with some of them being pretty significant:

1.They can be expensive. They typically add between 25%-50% to the cost of each LED.

2.With few exceptions, they create a harsh transition from bright to dark. In other words, the edges of the cone-shaped light pattern can be very distinct. This creates a flashlight effect, where everything within the light beam is very bright, and everything just outside the beam is very dark.

3.They hinder color blending. Since most of us like the actinic effect of all blue lighting, and since most of us prefer a cooler color than the coolest white LED available, we must use a combination of royal blue and white LEDs in our systems. When secondary optics are added, you may see obvious white and blue spots in your tank. This effect can be reduced by reducing the center to center spacing of each LED, so that the cones effectively overlap, but it may still be very apparent as our corals grow towards the top of the tank. Also, our rock formations and corals cast shadows, which may be distractingly blue or white under secondary optics.

So what is the bottom line from all of this? For Littlejohn, there are two significant takeaways from his post.

On shallower tanks, Im a proponent of using straight LEDs without secondary optics, he states. Ive found that achieving a sufficient amount of light for high-light corals is possible, there will be no flashlight effect, no spotting, and more uniformly colored shadows.

What exactly is a sufficient amount of LED lights for light-intensive corals you may ask? Littlejohn recommends a LED density of around 24 LEDs per square foot for 10- to 12-inch deep tanks, 36 per square foot or 12- to 18-inch tanks and 48 per square foot for tanks 18 to 24 inches deep using a nominal drive current he outlined in the previous post here at Reef Builders.

On deeper tanks over 24 inches, I like to add a mix of secondary optics to the LED array. Ive observed that a relatively small number of secondary optics can provide enough extra light penetration while minimizing spotting and colored shadows, he says. It may take some trial and error, but I believe a good starting point is to cover 15 to 25 percent of the LEDs with a good secondary optic, and LED densities of 54 or even 60 LEDs a square foot may be required, at a nominal drive current.

We see great potential in the hobby over the upcoming years with LEDs and other advanced lighting and we will continue to bring you more quality information on the advances in this promising technology.

[kueytoc]

Maybe can find exotic corals & rare wrasseys !

Tiny Tokelau declares 11th Pacific whale sanctuary

By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer - 39 minutes ago

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – The three-island territory of Tokelau declared itself a whale sanctuary Wednesday, adding a huge patch of sea to the total protected area of more than 7 million square miles that is off limits to hunting in the Pacific Ocean.

The isolated group of coral atolls with a land area of just 5 square miles (12 square kilometers) has outlawed whaling in its 116,000-square-mile (290,000-square-kilometer) exclusive economic ocean zone, spokesman Foua Toloa said.

Sanctuaries have only moral force, but are seen by supporters as helping support the recovery of decimated whale populations like the humpback and southern right whale.

Toloa made the announcement at a conservation meeting in New Zealand that condemned continued whale-hunting by countries such as Japan.

"Whales don't recognize national boundaries, and Tokelau would be remiss if we failed to support our Pacific island neighbors in the quest to help recovery of the whales in our region," Toloa said.

About 1,500 people live in Tokelau, a U.N. protectorate that remains a colony of New Zealand and lies about 300 miles (500 kilometers) north of Samoa.

Tokelau's new whale sanctuary takes the number of protected areas in the Pacific to 11, and together they cover some 7.2 million square miles (18 million square kilometers).

The territory's declaration came as whale researchers and conservationists began a meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium in New Zealand. The grouping was formed by independent scientists to investigate the status of humpback and other whale species in the region.

The group noted that despite a global moratorium on commercial whaling being in force since 1986 and an international whale sanctuary established in 1994 in the oceans around Antarctica, more than 3,000 whales are hunted and killed for their meat each year.

Japan alone kills hundreds of whales each year in Antarctic waters.

Consortium member, Scott Baker, associate director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, said whale sanctuaries send "very strong messages to the global community and particularly to the whaling nations ... that they are in a minority."

The sanctuaries also help endangered whale populations return to their pre-exploitation numbers, he said.

Sue Taei, co-chairwoman of the research group, said Tokelau was joining other Pacific nations in calling on whalers to respect sanctuaries, including the southern oceans' sanctuary where Japan hunts each year.

Baker said Japan was breaking two agreements by hunting whales in the southern oceans _ contravening both the 1994 agreement to set up the sanctuary and the 1986 majority vote in the International Whaling Commission setting up the moratorium on commercial whaling.

Japan classes its annual hunt _ mostly of nonendangered minke whales _ as scientific whaling within the commission's rules, but opponents regard it as illegal commercial whaling under the guise of science.

The 11 Pacific nations and territories that have established whale sanctuaries within their ocean economic zones are: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Papa New Guinea, Samoa, Tokelau, American Samoa and Vanuatu.

Two nations, New Zealand and Tonga, and two territories, Guam and the Northern Marianas, have passed laws banning the taking of whales from their economic zones but have not declared sanctuary areas.

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PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish

In March of 2010, a maroon clownfish was sustainably collected by a SEASMART-trained fisher from Fishermans Island, which is a short boat ride from Papua New Guinea’s capital city. After its collection, this fish began a remarkable journey that would capture the spotlight of the North American marine aquarium hobby and embody the spirit of a sustainable and equitable trade in marine ornamentals. This is the story of the so-called lightning maroon clownfish.

Rare Maroon Clownfish from Papua New Guinea

In late March, Steven Paul, a SEASMART-trained fisher, and resident of Fisherman’s Island, saw a very unique looking maroon clownfish swimming on the reef near his home. This fish, unlike most maroon clownfish, possessed white bars that, instead of presenting as solid, took on a spidery pattern. One other fish collected from the same reef in 2008 also possessed a similar pattern, earning this variation of maroon clownfish the common name “PNG lightning maroon clownfish.”

The value of the animal to marine aquarium hobbyists was immediately recognized by SEASMART’s Port Moresby export facility staff, who only purchase fish from SEASMART trained fishers. Given the central mission of the SEASMART Program to support immediate socio-economic development in the villages where the SEASMART-trained fishers live, the facility staff immediately authorized a payment to the fisher commensurate with the fish’s value. Such an action is, unfortunately, still rare in the marine aquarium trade, especially when the collector is a trained local fisher who is net-collecting fish in shallow water.

©Photo Courtesy of Ret Talbot

Most Expensive Clownfish Ever Sold?

The PNG lightning maroon clownfish was subsequently sold to Pacific Aqua Farms (PAF), a respected importer and wholesaler in Los Angeles. “PAF, owned and operated by Dave Palmer, has been an early and frequent supporter of the SEASMART Program,” says Mark Schreffler, manager of the SEASMART export facility in Port Moresby, PNG. “We were happy to get this fish into Dave’s very capable hands, as we knew he would ensure that the fish made it to the right retailer and, ultimately, the right aquarist.”

Who is the right aquarist for a fish such as this? “We wanted to see this fish go to a respected independent breeder,” says Mark Martin of Blue Zoo Aquatics, the retailer that would ultimately execute the sale of the fish to an aquarist. While offers exceeding $5000 were made, Blue Zoo’s commitment to the hobby and, specifically, to this very special fish meant that the PNG lightning maroon clownfish did not simply go to the highest bidder.

“In the final equation, the ones who made out the most,” says Martin, “are the fisher and the SEASMART Program.” That’s exactly as it should be, he is quick to explain, given how valuable this fish may be to the hobby if the variation can be replicated in subsequent generations. In addition, the breeder who ultimately purchased the fish offered Blue Zoo the right of first refusal on at least the first couple batches of offspring produced from the fish. “Beyond the market here in the States,” Martin also points out, “it’s heartening to know that this trade can, in fact, provide real, traceable economic benefit to the fishers upon which this hobby depends.

Breeding a Wild-Caught PNG Designer Clownfish

On the last day of March, the fish was shipped to Matt Pedersen, a well-known breeder living in Duluth, Minnesota. Blue Zoo Aquatics also sent Pedersen a large, female “normal” maroon clownfish collected from the same reef in an effort to provide Pedersen with the best mate. Plans are in the works to also obtain two more juveniles from the same reef in the event that the initial pairing is unsuccessful. “PNG is also working on developing the capacity to breed these striking offerings from their reefs,” says SEASMART Program Director David Vosseler. “The future is filled with exciting breeding possibilities through the back and forth exchange of “PNG” gene pools with international sources.”

“My vision is to not develop any strain behind closed doors,” says Pedersen. “I intend to document and share the work.” Pedersen expects the first offspring (the F1 generation) to look like normal maroon clownfish. “It will be pairings of those

F1s that have the greatest hope for recreating the variation in the F2 generation,” explains Pedersen, who plans to spread out the F1 offspring to breeders and hobbyists around the country. “By pooling resources in this way,” he says, “we can increase the odds that someone gets lucky.”

The Lightning Project

In reality, this is just the beginning of the story of a fish from a reef off an island off the coastline of Papua New Guinea. “It’s truly remarkable,” says Vosseler, “that a small fish can be such an effective ambassador for Papua New Guinea, not to mention a beautiful example of a sustainable and equitable marine aquarium trade. While we pride ourselves on the quality of every animal shipped from PNG, I must admit it is fun when, every once and a while, we can provide the hobby with a fish like this PNG lightning maroon clown.”

To follow the story of this fish, please feel free to visit its very own website at www.TheLightningProject.com hosted by Matt Pedersen.

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LED SPS TANK from TAIWAN

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Twenty Six Thousand litre Marine Pond !!!...Tiger Angelfish, Apolemichthys kingi found living in a South African pond !!!

[Terryz_]

Twenty Six Thousand litre Marine Pond !!!...Tiger Angelfish, Apolemichthys kingi found living in a South African pond !!!

:groupwavereversed: :groupwavereversed:

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Masked Angelfish, Genicanthus personatus caught spawning on video for the first time

Congratulations to Dr. Chung (HK) for being the second person to spawn the extremely rare masked angelfish.

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Move Over Chalice, Australomussa rowleyensis is Here

Australomussa rowleyensis is the latest colorful coral import that is sure to become as desireable as Acans of the past and Chalices of the present.

While aquarists will likely lump Australomussa rowleyensis into the “chalice” category alongside the watermelons and mummy eyes of Echinophyllia, Mycedium, and Oxypora– it’s clearly a different animal. When looking at the coralites A. rowleyensis looks remarkably like Scolymia vitiensis. Veron writes that specimens from south-east Asia can exhibit unique color combinations including intense reds, yellows and greens.

“Corallites are subcerioid or have short, shallow valleys 8-20 millimetres wide, separated by thick walls. Tissue over the septa is usually distinct in colour and/or texture from tissue over the costae. Septa and costae are sturdy, with large blunt teeth. Colour: In north-west Australia, colonies are a uniform blue-grey or valleys may have concentric cream and green colours. In south-east Asia colonies have a much wider range of colours including bright red, yellow and green.”

- Excerpt from Glassbox

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Coming liao...heh heh

Labridae Fishes: Wrasses by Rudie Kuiter, the ultimate wrasse book only available on demand

June 28th, 2010. By Jake Adams

Labridae Fishes: Wrasses looks like the ultimate wrasse book, the Wrasse bible written by one of the masters of reef fish books Rudie Kuiter. Stacked on top of some of Rudie Kuiter’s great works is the new wrasse book which appears to be twice as big as his previous fairy & rainbow Wrasses. The older wrasse book by Kuiter is still a very important work for identifying the wrasses of the aquarium trade it mostly only covers the flashers, fairies and smaller sized labrids. We’d be surprised if Labridae Fishes: Wrasses didnt get really close to covering nearly all of the 500-something wrasse species, at least all fo the tropical ones. We’re not sure yet when or where this book can be special ordered but with it’s heft and a-la-carte availability, we estimate this book will land in the hands of fish nuts all over the world for no less than the equivalent of $175-250. That is unless a big player works out some deals to get the book printed by the dozens at which point it’d still cost a pretty penny. If Rudie Kuiter’s current bibliography is any indication of what this book will be like, it’s likely that Labridae Fishes will be a seminal volume on wrasses for a long time to come.