Identifying Rhinopias Species

One of my pet peeves is the misidentification of members of the scoprionfish genus Rhinopias. There are 3 members of this genus that are commonly seen by divers in South East Asia - Rhionpias aphanes, R. eschmeyeri and R. frondosa. Actually geography plays a much greater part in the identification of them that people realise.

Rhinopias aphanes / Lacy Scorpionfish - is endemic to the Coral Sea area of Papua New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. They differ in habitat preference from the other two species as a result of the predominant environ

mental conditions in the Coral Sea. They are found on rich coral bommies and walls sitting out in the
open, mimicking crinoids. The patterning on the body is made up of a network of line rather than spots and colouration is quite variable as with the other species.

Rhinopias eschmeyeri / Paddle Flap Scorpionfish - This is the easiest species to identify. The body is generally only one colour with very few other markings. There are also ha

rdly any filaments on the skin and the dorsal fins are completely lacking in skin filaments or indentat

ions adjacent to the spines, hence the common name. I have seen red, pink and purp

le individuals. The range is throughout much of the tropical Indo West Pacific. It prefers 'muck' dive sites with black sand and algal beds.

Rhinopias frondosa - Weedy Scorpionfish - Basically this is the only species of filame

ntous Rhinopias that is found in Indonesia and Philippines but is often incorrectly identified as the Lacy / R. aphanes species. It shares the same habitat as R. eschmeyeri and the two often co-occur. This species is found in white, yellow, purple, red and all manner of other colours. It has circles rather than lines covering the body. It is also found throughout the Indo West Pacific as far west as Mozambique. It can therefore occur in the Coral Sea but habitat type and body patterning easily distinguish it from R. aphanes.

Wakatobi Final Blogs

My final weeks at Wakatobi Dive Resort flew by and I seem to have forgotten to post the links to my last two FiNS blogs:

Week 7

Week 8

Since my focus is so specifically about the pygmies, it is easy to get caught up in all the adventure of that, but I would like to make a point of thanking all the staff and owners of Wakatobi for their support and enthusiasm for my project. Without them it would have never been possible.

Wakatobi Dive Resort really is one of a kind, an oasis, with every feature of a 5 star resort and more! The resort has maintained pristine reefs and an ethos of sustainable management, whilst other reefs in Indonesia are systematically destroyed.

If you ever have opportunity to visit Wakatobi don't pass it up! You won't regret it!

Working/Planning!

As Christmas draws ever closer I am trying my best to remain focused on the work at hand rather than become distracted by exciting times ahead!

I am currently working on the final draft of a scientific journal submission provisionally called 'Extreme habitat specialisation and unusual population structure in two gorgonian-associated pygmy seahorses'. This is based on the work I have been doing at Wakatobi Dive Resort over the past few years. I have also begun reading for my next journal article/PhD chapter about the behavioural and reproductive observations I made on Denise's pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus denise) also at Wakatobi.

It is only two weeks until I head to Maluku Divers in Ambon for Christmas and New Year and from there I am headed to Raja Ampat aboard the Peter Hughes vessel Paradise Dancer. I will be aboard the Paradise Dancer for two trips from 5-16th and 18-28th January, during which time I will be taking promotional shots of the boat and UW creatures as well as giving presentations about pygmies, conservation and biodiversity (if people are interested!). Of course I'll be taking the opportunity to look for the newly described Satomi's pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus satomiae) and searching for the stunning red and white colour morph of Denise's pygmy which appears restricted to the Raja Ampat region.

Meanwhile back to reading about seahorse operational sex ratios, potential reproductive rates and sex role reversal! All in a day's work for a marine biologist!

Asian Diver Article: issue 105

Check out the new issue of Asian Diver (105) where you can find a whole issue dedicated to sharks!

I have an article entitled 'Sharks Demystified' explaining that there is more to sharks than meets the eye!

Becoming an EcoAsia Advisor

I was lucky enough to meet Christina Ngiam, who is the founder of EcoAsia, recently whilst working at Wakatobi. It was great to meet someone who has a passion for conserving our natural resources whilst also realising that this can occur along side development and everyday living.

Christina has since asked me to act as a Marine Advisor for EcoAsia so hopefully together we can encourage conservation of the amazingly biodiverse and globally important marine ecosystems throughout Asia.

Check out the EcoAsia website at: www.eco-asia.info

Check out my run down of 10 fascinating facts about pygmy seahorses that you may not know. I found out these facts during my time at Wakatobi Dive Resort.

Sport Diving Issue 136 Article: Apex Predators in Peril

The new issue of Sport Diving Magazine (136), available throughout Australasia contains my article 'Apex Predators in Peril'. No prizes for guessing it's about sharks! These amazing and graceful creatures are being caught at such alarming rates that many species may well become extinct if measures aren't taken soon to protect them. There is good news from Palau that they have created a shark conservation area in their waters to forbid sharks being caught there.