Eclipse-spot razor wrasse

The eclipse-spot razor wrasse (Iniistius bakunawa) is a species of wrasse native to the Indo-Pacific.[1][2]

Eclipse-spot razor wrasse
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Iniistius
Species:
I. bakunawa
Binomial name
Iniistius bakunawa
Sorgon, Tea, Meren & Nañola 2023

Discovery

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The species was written from seven specimens obtained from public fish markets from the Philippines, and two specimens from deep channel trawls from Western Australia.

Appearance

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The new species is highly distinctive in having a pale jade green body with a large black and white concentric ellipsoid ocellus on the posterior edge of its dorsal fin.[3]

Naming

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The species was named Bakunawa, referring to a draconic creature in Visayan mythology that would have caused an eclipse by devouring the moon. The name was given in reference to the eclipse-like mark on the dorsal fin, which resembles a total solar eclipse.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "FAMILY Details for Labridae - Wrasses". fishbase.mnhn.fr. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  2. ^ "CAS - Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes". researcharchive.calacademy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  3. ^ a b Sorgon, Kent Elson S.; Tea, Yi-Kai; Meren, Jasmin C.; Nañola Jr., Cleto L. "Iniistius bakunawa, a new species of razor wrasse (Teleostei: Labridae) from the Philippines and Western Australia". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 71: 511–519.
  4. ^ "Iniistius bakunawa". fishesofaustralia.net.au. Retrieved 2023-10-13.