50 New Marine Species Discovered in Indonesia

[omard]

National Geographic News

50 New Marine Species Discovered in Indonesia

"...Fifty new marine species, including this epaulette shark that "walks" on its fins, were recently discovered by a team of scientists in northwest Indonesia's Papua province..."

Read full coverage:

"'Walking' Sharks Among 50 New Species Found in Indonesia Reefs")

(Watch video of the "walking" sharks and other new species in the region.)

FYI

"Om"

"Reef on"

[geekdafied]

Wheres the list of species? I looked all through that and the links on it, and all I found was the count of what was found

In addition to the two types of walking epaulette sharks, the researchers discovered 22 species of other fish, 20 species of hard corals, and 8 kinds of shrimp all believed new to science.

[omard]

Originally Posted by geekdafied

Wheres the list of species? I looked all through that and the links on it, and all I found was the count of what was found

Here was best reference to study I could find. Guess if they are new species, they don't have names yet.

Conservation International


Unmatched Findings for Marine Biodiversity


Led by CI's Mark Erdmann, the team of scientists set out to complete the study of the Bird's Head area which began five years ago. In less than six weeks, they recorded a total of eight mantis shrimp species, 24 fish species, and 20 species of coral that are new or likely to be new to science. Many are believed to be endemic to the seascape, meaning that they are found nowhere else on Earth. Among the new species were two kinds of epaulette shark – small, slender-bodied bottom-dwellers that use their pectoral fins to "walk" across the seafloor.

Also discovered were several new species of "flasher" wrasses – named for the brilliantly colored displays the normally drab males flash to entice females to mate – along with fairy basslets, damselfishes, and a new jawfish. The scientists recorded a total of 1,233 species of coral reef fishes, at least 23 of them endemic.

Of more than 600 known species of coral in the region, nearly all were found within the team's survey sites. Six sites surveyed proved to have the highest diversity of hard corals ever recorded, each with more than 250 species within a single hectare.

"That's more than four times the number of coral species of the entire Caribbean Sea in an area roughly the size of two football fields," says Erdmann. "These reefs are literally 'species factories' that require special attention to protect them from unsustainable fisheries and other threats so they can continue to provide benefits to their local owners."



Scott

[aquaboy]

I like the wrasse