A new fish species?

Is this the first photograph of a new fish species from Irian Jaya? This may not be the first, what I’d like to know is if anyone else out there has seen this fish anywhere else in Indonesia, more than likely, if at all, it would have been in the Raja Ampat area?

Gerry Allen certainly reckoned it was somethign he had never seen before. I photographed this one in the Pisang Island group, which is an area rarely dived, it's SE of Misool for those who know the area. I am not sure if any dive operators taking trips around the Raja Ampat get this far away from Misool and I’ve yet to speak with anyone who has dived this area, please let me know if anyone else knows anything about this area or this fish?

Gerry Allen says that its more mimicking a very common blackbar damsel fish, C. retrofsciata, why it is mimicking, no idea! Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas why a dottyback would be mimicking a damselfish?

Sorry -- I know it's a very poor photo, but you can certainly see the fish and it's colouration!

Hi Graham,

In their Caribbean fish behavior book, Ned and Anna Deloach suggest that the black, blue, and butter hamlets may be mimicking the dusky/longfin damsel, blue chromis, and 4-eye butterflyfish. I don't find the latter one convincing but the other two are clearly possible. The idea is that a piscivore mimicks a non-piscivore so (s)he can sneak up to other fish without being as rapidly recognized as a potentical threat. Kind of a wolf in sheeps clothing.

Can't help you with your other questions as I have yet to taste a drop of pacific water.

Bart

The area is in the middle of the so-called "Coral Triangle", containing the most diverse coral reefs in the world, if you will find new species it is there.

If Gerry Allen says it's new, then it's new! He is the authority in Indonesia reef fishes...

The mimicry explanation above is perfect, they get close to their prey by looking like an innocent herbivore.

Thanks for info on the mimicry behaviour. In all honesty I am only just starting to get into watching behaviours, in the past it has been more about finding animals for others. Now I am starting to get more and more divers who are keen to slow down and watch animals more closely.

I am sure it is a new species, but has it been reported before is what I am most keen to find out. Has anyone else out there seen it anywhere or even better photographed it?