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A research group led by the well-known ichthyologist Dr. Luiz A. Rocha has succeeded in collecting and identifying four specimens of a previously unknown deep-water damselfish species using hand nets at mesophotic depths at Maafilaafushi, Faadhippolhu Atoll.
Chromis abadhah is only known from the Indian Ocean in the Maldives, and the new species has been found in eight locations within a radius of 180 km (from Faadhippolhu to Dhaalu Atoll), so the researchers assume that it is widespread throughout the Maldivian archipelago.
The type specimens were collected on a steep slope between 101 and 118 meters depth off Maafilaafushi island, and additional specimens were observed at other sites between 80 and 120 meters depth.
Habitat complexity was medium to high (small crevices and caves), but low in relief, with an apparently large diversity of encrusting sponges.
Short description.
The body of this new deep-water damselfish species is pearly white with pale blue undertones, darker on the back, with light gray pigmentation, especially between the lateral line and dorsal fin.
The belly and cheeks are bright white, with a row of scales under the lower half of the eye that is highly reflective.
A bright silvery-blue circle surrounds the darker, central part of the iris. The area on the head between the eyes and above the iris is greenish-silver. The lips are pale blue.
The anterior two-thirds of the anal fin is black, while the distal parts of the soft dorsal and caudal fins and the posterior third of the anal fin are transparent.
A small black spot can be seen at the upper edge of the pectoral fin insertion.
The pelvic fins are pale blue to pearly white.
Etymology:
The work leading to the discovery of this species was funded by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative through a Rolex Award for Enterprises to LAR.
To honor this initiative, we are naming this species “abadhah” (pronounced aa-BAH-duh), which means “eternal” in Dhivehi, the local language of the Maldives.
We also hope that this species and its habitat will be preserved forever.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Chromis abadhah is only known from the Indian Ocean in the Maldives, and the new species has been found in eight locations within a radius of 180 km (from Faadhippolhu to Dhaalu Atoll), so the researchers assume that it is widespread throughout the Maldivian archipelago.
The type specimens were collected on a steep slope between 101 and 118 meters depth off Maafilaafushi island, and additional specimens were observed at other sites between 80 and 120 meters depth.
Habitat complexity was medium to high (small crevices and caves), but low in relief, with an apparently large diversity of encrusting sponges.
Short description.
The body of this new deep-water damselfish species is pearly white with pale blue undertones, darker on the back, with light gray pigmentation, especially between the lateral line and dorsal fin.
The belly and cheeks are bright white, with a row of scales under the lower half of the eye that is highly reflective.
A bright silvery-blue circle surrounds the darker, central part of the iris. The area on the head between the eyes and above the iris is greenish-silver. The lips are pale blue.
The anterior two-thirds of the anal fin is black, while the distal parts of the soft dorsal and caudal fins and the posterior third of the anal fin are transparent.
A small black spot can be seen at the upper edge of the pectoral fin insertion.
The pelvic fins are pale blue to pearly white.
Etymology:
The work leading to the discovery of this species was funded by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative through a Rolex Award for Enterprises to LAR.
To honor this initiative, we are naming this species “abadhah” (pronounced aa-BAH-duh), which means “eternal” in Dhivehi, the local language of the Maldives.
We also hope that this species and its habitat will be preserved forever.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
