It has been baptized as fairy fish with a rose veil ( Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa) and lives in the twilight zone of the ocean, under the waters that surround the Maldives.
It is the first fish described by a Maldivian scientist: Ahmed Najeeb , co-author of the study published in the journal Zookeys and a biologist at the Maldives Marine Research Institute.
“It has always been foreign scientists who have described species found in the Maldives without much input from local scientists, even those that are endemic to the Maldives,” Najeeb said in a statement. “This time it’s different and being a part of something for the first time has been really exciting , especially getting the opportunity to work alongside the best ichthyologists on such an elegant and beautiful species.”
These fish differ from many other members of their family in the way they swim. Not only do they use their pectoral fins and tail to propel themselves forward, in a characteristic way, but they also swim by undulating their dorsal fin.
First described by researchers in the 1990s, the species was originally thought to be the adult version of a different species, Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis. We now know that these are two totally different species.
“What we previously thought to be one widespread fish species is actually two different species, each with a potentially much more restricted distribution. This exemplifies why the description of new species and taxonomy in general is important for conservation .” and biodiversity management, ” says Yi-Kai Tea, a doctoral student at the University of Sydney and co-author of the paper.
Adult male C. finifenmaa have unique colors that include bright magenta, peach, orange-pink, and deep purple-red.
“Although the species is quite abundant and therefore currently not at high risk of overexploitation, it is still disturbing when a fish is already commercialized before it has a scientific name,” said Luiz Rocha, a researcher at the California Academy. of Science in San Francisco.
The twilight zone of the ocean in which this species has been observed exists at a depth of between 35-70 meters, where there is enough light for some life to exist before the water turns into a dark abyss.
Referencia: Y.-K. Tea et al. 2022. Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa (Teleostei, Labridae), a new species of fairy wrasse from the Maldives, with comments on the taxonomic identity of C. rubrisquamis and C. wakanda. ZooKeys 1088: 65-80; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1088.78139
