February
25, 2009—A recently discovered "psychedelic"
fish (shown in a January 2008 picture) is bouncing
into the books as a new species, a new study says.
With
a swirl of beige and peach stripes stretching
from its blue eyes to its tail, the newly named
Histiophryne psychedelica was initially discovered
by scuba diving instructors working for a tour
operator a year ago in shallow waters off Indonesia.
The
operator contacted Ted Pietsch, lead author of
a paper published in this month's edition of the
journal Copeia, who submitted DNA work identifying
the psychedelic fish as a new species.
Like
other frogfish—a subset of anglerfish—H.
psychedelica has leglike fins on both sides of
its body.
But
it has several traits not previously known among
frogfish, wrote Pietsch, of the University of
Washington.
Each
time the fish strike the seabed, for instance,
they push off with their fins and expel water
from tiny gill openings to jet themselves forward.
That and an off-centered tail cause them to bounce
around in a bizarre, chaotic manner.
Mark
Erdman, a senior adviser to the Conservation International's
marine program, said, "I think people thought
frogfishes were relatively well known, and to
get a new one like this is really quite spectacular.
... It's a stunning animal."
The
fish, which has a gelatinous, fist-size body covered
with thick folds of skin that protect it from
sharp-edged corals, also has a flat face with
eyes directed forward, like humans, and a huge,
yawning mouth. |
