To the uninitiated, the mesophotic coral reefs would seem like an unlikely place to find vibrant fish life. Antonymous to the ebullient habitat of shallow water coral gardens, the mesophotic zone is a gloomy contrast of seemingly endless dread and forlorn landscapes. Except not quite. This realm straddles the divide between light dependent and light independent organisms, serving as a transition between two highly disparate dimensions. This “twilight zone” in return offers the world a glimpse of some incredible reef life, hidden behind the facade of this funereal bleakness.
Earlier this year, Brian Greene, Luiz Rocha and the California Academy of Sciences sampled the mesophotic reefs of the Philippines, returning with great yields in terms of new, scientifically unrecognized species. Amongst the incredible haul was aGrammatonotus sp带有令人惊叹的叶状尾鳍；一条席卷了数字鱼类世界的鱼。
就在上周，布莱恩·格林（Brian Greene）又深入研究了暮光区的沉闷领域。这次他陪伴博士。理查德·皮尔（Richard Pyle）和索尼亚·罗利（Sonia Rowley）；在各自的鱼类学和戈贡研究领域的两个当局。这项调查在密克罗尼西亚联邦州内的塞雅文群岛的一部分Pohnpei进行。在他们的整个探险中，Brian和Sonia一直在滴水的短片和潜水的照片，其中包括一些令人难以置信的，较少见的物种的镜头原位如Chromis Fraraureaandcirrhilabrusearlei.
What wasn’t shown, however, was a taxonomic deluge of undescribed fish species that rivals some of Brian’s best trips to date. The collection comprised significantly of Anthiines and Callanthids from the genusOdontanthiasand语法尽管分别来自Pseudanthiasand evenTosanoideswere documented.
属Odontanthias在水族馆贸易中遭受相当令人困惑的分类历史。长期以来，该属要么被同义holanthias，，，，or spelled incorrectly asodanthias。应该知道holanthias是由两种物种组成的Anthiines属，它们都严格限制在大西洋内。
两个相当令人兴奋的，可能未描述Odontanthiaswere sampled and collected by Brian in Pohnpei. The first phenotype is characterized by having an elongated, filamentous extension on the third dorsal spine. This characteristic is quite unique, with only one species sharing this feature. It isOdontanthiasflagris。The new PohnpeianOdontanthias但是，有很大的不同。
The ground coloration is a bright orchid purple and remains relatively unmarked, sans a few nondescript yellow striae. The dorsal, pelvic and anal fins are bright yellow, invading slightly into the facial region where it forms a vestigial mask. The caudal lobes are rounded and the fin is entirely purple. Like the soft dorsal fin, the caudal fin is threaded with soft, filamentous extensions.
这种表型是收集了从430 - 450英尺t Atoll, along the Southeastern side of Pohnpei. It is quite likely that this species turns out to be a distinct species, but whether or not it shares a cladistic relationship withO. Flagris从ryukyus出发是另一个受到较高研究和测试的问题。
一秒Odontanthiaswas recovered from the same location as the preceding. This fish draws a more familiar resemblance to the JapaneseO. Katayamai，尽管着色和生物地理学上的略有差异表明该物种在遗传学和分类学上可能是不同的。收集了这种表型的两性。在女性中，尾鳍是燃叶的，在大型雄性中似乎变成了浓郁的镉橙色。
The ground coloration is a diffused blend of maraschino and magenta, with a series of yellow dots arranged in a horizontal linear fashion across the body. These dots converge towards the dorsum and bleed into the facial region forming a more complete mask. A streak runs along the lower orbital limit across the operculum and into the pectoral fin base. Its pelvic fins and all median fins are embellished with filamentous extensions.
This phenotype was also collected from 450 ft in Ant Atoll, along the Southeastern side of Pohnpei. It shares the same habitat as the preceding species. Above is an image ofO. Katayamai来自冲绳。尽管Pohnpeian表型和日本类型的物种之间的相似之处是不可思议的，但中位鳍中有主要差异。特别是尾鳍。在O. Katayamai，，，，this fin is flag-like and trimmed in yellow. In the Pohnpeian phenotype, this fin remains unmarked.
A pair ofPseudanthias类似于P. rubrolineatus也收集了。P. rubrolineatushas an unusually wide but scattered distribution across the Pacific. The type specimen was known from New Caledonia, but the species is most often seen and documented in Japan, where it can be found in relatively shallower depths at 200ft. This species, phenotypically at least, resemblesP. fasciatusvery closely in having a horizontal medial stripe. InP. rubrolineatus，，，，this stripe emerges from an operculum band at a 45° angle before tapering horizontally into the upper caudal peduncle.
在examining numerous specimens online, it appears that the fish generally possesses hyaline caudal and pelvic fins. A single specimen from Tokara, 650ft, however, displays an unusual amount of erythrism on these fins. Its unclear if this red is a direct correlation to sexual maturity, or simply a post mortem artefact. In Brian’s Pohnpei specimens, only the male possesses the red fin pigments, suggesting that this might indeed be sex linked.
如前所述，由于其深水性质，该物种的范围很广，但记录得很差。尽管米其裔，新的喀里多尼亚和日本标本之间存在表型均匀性，但看看所有这些标本是否都有任何遗传连接，这将是很有趣的。看到这三个地点在各自的生态区中都有独特的动物群岛，因此有可能伪rubrolineatusis a complex of cryptic species that are in the incipient stages of genetic divergence. But for now, whether or not this Pohnpeian specimen represents a simple range extension or a possible new taxa is subjected to more scrutiny.
The specimen was collected one mile off Palikir Pass, Pohnpei, at 350ft. Brian reported seeing dozens at this location.
同一礁石记录的另一个令人兴奋的amthiine是一个新的Tosanoides。这是一个由两个物种组成的小属。T.黄素范围andT. filamentosus。Tosanoides是非常深水，主要是日本分布；虽然T.黄素范围has been found outside of Japan in Palau. It is very likely that both species have larger distributions than currently thought.
未描述的pohnpeianTosanoides在着色中的两个已知物种明显不同。它的地面颜色是紫色的，完全未标记。颈背装饰有两个金色vev，整个背鳍为黄色。尾鳍是明亮的紫色，并且存在明显的黄色花梗条纹，可倾斜至下尾叶。
Unfortunately, no specimens were collected and the fish is known only from a few原位photographs and videos. It shares the same habitat and depth range as the firstOdontanthias，在Pohnpei的蚂蚁环礁430英尺处。它的外观不像已知的两个Tosanoides在他们的任何生活阶段，很可能代表了该属的第三个潜在成员。
Finally, three stunning new语法在前面的物种侧面收集。该属高度类似于anthiinae的身体形式，但被分类为一个单独的家庭Callanthidae。整个属几乎完全局限于中间的礁石，很少原位照片。最著名和经常观察到的物种是日本G. Surugaensis，有时会发生在200英尺处，并在拖网网中偶尔出现客串。
第一个未描述的物种是带有令人惊叹的尾鳍的属的华丽代表。在里面原位photo above, the fish is roughly two-toned, being grape purple anteriorly before suffusing into yellow posteriorly. A closer inspection of the species post mortem reveals a more delicate appearance, with silver edged scales running horizontally along the dorsum. The caudal fin is a remarkable rhombus with a further elongation of the central rays forming two short filamentous extensions.
这种未知的表型是在与假人cf.rubrolineatus，，，，one mile off Palikir Pass, Pohnpei, but at a deeper depth of 450ft.
一秒语法with a different tail shape was also collected. This specimen shows remarkable variation in its caudal fin, possessing filamentous extensions on the upper and lower lobes instead. When fanned out, this gives the fin a crescentic appearance quite unlike the preceding.
该标本是在同一礁石中收集的，但在497英尺处更深。
The final语法是微不足道的美丽。在仅两英寸长的情况下，该物种装饰有许多垂直条纹，固定在黄色的地面颜色上。这个标本很可能只是一个少年，很好奇地看到随着年龄的增长，尾鳍的形状会出现什么样的。
它是从438英尺的Pohnpei的蚂蚁环礁的东南侧收集的。
For such a small genus,语法在其形态上具有如此广泛的差异，这是显着的。通常在具有多个物种群的较大属中更常见，例如Pseudanthiasandcirrhilabrus。这些可能的启示可能语法phenotypes foreshadows a richer, more complicated phylogeny within the genus with numerous species yet to be discovered. Could the different tail shapes represent distinct clades in the genus? With more deepwater exploration into the mesophotic zones across the Pacific, it’s only a matter of time before these miasmic uncertainties are elucidated.
我们离开你的视频被布莱恩之一his deep dives at Ant Atoll, Pohnpei. Some of the undescribed species we’ve discussed here make their debut in this film. Take note of the largely monotonous habitat made up of deep 45° slopes replete with small caves and ledges. Temperate ranges between a frigid 59-63°F (15-17°C). This depressing habitat seemingly lacklustre in life hides a remarkable cornucopia of colourful fish. Just goes to show that our quest to understand the ocean’s reef has only just begun.
布莱恩·格林（Brian Greene）将于今年在华盛顿特区举行的2015年MacNA上发表讲话，在那里他将详细介绍自己的探险过程，并更多地谈论深水鱼类。如果您是鱼类的书呆子，那么您就不想错过。因此，将其作为预告片来实现更好的事情。
