The rose-veiled fairy wrasse lives on reefs as far as 150 metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean and was first recorded in the 1990s — but scientists have only just discovered it is a new species
A rainbow-coloured fish that lives on "twilight zone" reefs off the Maldives has finally been recognised as a new species, more than two decades after its discovery.The rose-veiled fairy wrasse was first discovered in the 1990s but was thought to be a different fishIt is the first new species to be formally described by a Maldivian researcher
The wrasse, which can grow up to 7 centimetres long, lives on reefs found 50 to 150 metres beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean.Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamisAs part of an initiative called, University of Sydney, Maldives Marine Research Institute , and the Field Museum collaborated on the discovery. "This exemplifies why describing new species, and taxonomy in general, is important for conservation and biodiversity management."Despite only now being formally described, there are fears the fish is already being exploited through the fish-owning trade.
"Though the species is quite abundant and therefore not currently at a high risk of over-exploitation, it's still unsettling when a fish is already being commercialised before it even has a scientific name," he said.The rose-veiled fairy wrasse is also the first new species to be formally described by a Maldivian researcher.Study co-author and MMRI biologist Ahmed Najeeb said the study was a major success for scientists from the country.
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