Raja Ampat FiNS Blog

My blog on the FiNS website about my recent trip aboard the Paradise Dancer to Raja Ampat in west Papua, Indonesia has just been posted so check it out.

An amazing destination with mind-blowing diving! Heaps of pygmy seahorses which is obviously a major draw for me but the reefs really are out of this world.

New Species of Velvetfish

Whilst on a night dive aboard the Paradise Dancer in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesia recently I came across this unusual velvetfish. Having consulted an expert, who had never seen it before, it may well be a new species. Hence forth it shall be known as Richard's velvetfish!

Check out my Raja Ampat gallery for more images of this amazing fish!

Sport Diving Issue 138 Article: Pygmy Species Explosion

The new issue of Sport Diving has just been published and contains my article Pygmy Species Explosion. It explains some of the work that is part of my PhD, focusing on the ecology of pygmy seahorses, as well as quick run down of the species that have recently been described such as Hippocampus pontohi, Hippocampus waleananus, Hippocampus severnsi and Hippocampus satomiae.

Asian Diver Article: issue 106

The second article in my Species Crash Course series has just been released in Asian Diver Magazine Issue 106. It is about the exciting species of scorpionfish that can often be found on the muck dive sites of Asia such as Lembeh, Alor, Milne Bay and Anilao. It has already hit the stands in Singapore and should soon be available in Australia too! Keep your eyes peeled!

Shark Savers Billboard Campaign!

I have recently donated to an innovative campaign by Shark Savers and Wild Aid who have been asking for US$100 which will buy two billboards in China that aim to educate people on the plight of global shark populations. Shark finning is decimating the world's shark populations and is primarily fueled by demand from China and other Asian countries. Hitting demand at its source I consider to be the way forward!

Shark Savers recently reached their target of 1,000 billboards to be displayed for a year. This is brilliant but they can always benefit from further donations to continue this project. They plan to expand into a third city in China to reach an even greater audience.

This would be a brilliant Christmas gift, they'll send a certificate as evidence! Often we buy gifts that are never to be seen/used again after a few weeks. This gift will literally keep on giving. Maybe there will be sharks left in fifty years. With current trends this might be unlikely but fingers crossed Shark Savers can make a difference.

Follow this LINK to donate!

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.