Grammatonotus brianneis the latest species of deepwateranthiasbasslet to be described, having been discovered from profound depths in one of the epicenters of the Coral Triangle. The new spade-tailedGrammatonotusbriannewas collected by expedition members of the California Academy of Sciences and the Bishop Museum while surveying deep mesophotic reefs in the Philippines.
The uniquely colored and shaped fish was instantlyrecognized as a new species, with a big, beautiful tail that is more reminiscent of a South AmericanApistogrammadwarf cichlid than a marine fish. The newly describedGrammatonotus briannehas a delicate lemon-yellow coloration over most of the body and fins, with a vivid magenta shading to the upper half of the body alone.
There are only a few other species in the genusGrammatonotus, all of whom are restricted to very deep waters, usually beyond 300 feet and sometimes as deep as 1,000 feet.Grammatonotus briannewas collected at a depth of 150 meters, 492 feet, off the coast of Batangas in Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines.
四个标本的描述中使用new basslet species ranged in size from 72 to 84 mm, 2.75 to 3.25 inches standard length, although the elongated tail fin adds significantly to the total length of this fish.Grammatonotus brianneis named in honor of Brianne Atwood, and is described by Anderson, Greene & Rocha in the most recent volume ofZooTaxa.
