11 up, 1 down & a slug to celebrate

An intertwined couple of Nudibranchs (sea slugs - Chelidonura amoena from the family AGLAJIDAE) were found 'doing their thing' off Sapi island back on 19th March 2007. Nice, but not the main story.

4th January 2009 brought loads of modifications to my TARP fish list. So much so that I am only here reporting back on the new ID panels I've created; I have yet to update my checklist or the combined one for TARP. My total of fish species now lies at 399; the total I am aware of in TARP is now 529 identified (and another 12 unidentified - 2 of which are known to be undescribed). So what have we got?

First off, a new colour morph to be added for Goby Amblygobius albimaculatus and new ID panels for the Adults of Wrasse Halichoeres prosopeion and Damsel Pomacentrus burroughi, as well as for the Juvenile phases of Fusilier Caesio teres and Damsel Dischistodus perspicillatus. Alongside these are better photos for Wrasse Halichoeres melanochir (Initial phase) and Damsel Neoglyphidodon oxyodon (Juvenile).

Next up: the realisation that most of my sightings of Cardinalfish Apogon trimaculatus are in fact a previously unlisted species - Apogon rhodopterus; similarly that a couple of examples of Shrimpfish Aeoliscus strigatus are in fact another rarer species in TARP - Centriscus scutatus; furthermore that I was probably mistaken in assigning an unique sighting of Pomacentrus vaiuli as P. armillatus (which I will be removing from the checklist).

Lastly, a good list of totally new species for a single day when I was already 389 up at the start: Wrasse Anampses meleagrides (Initial phase), Damsels Chrysiptera oxycephala and Neopomacentrus filamentosus and Pomacentrus philippinus, Trevally Gnathanodon speciosus (skitting around me and my buddy as though we were cruising sharks which it likes to hang with), Rockskipper Istiblennius edentulus, inch-long Dartfish Parioglossus philippinus, Grouper Plectropomus maculatus (particularly pleasing to see large Groupers in the Park), and Parrotfish Scarus forsteni including also the striking Initial phase morph.