Scientists at the University of Washington have classified a newly discovered frogfish found in the waters off the coast of eastern Indonesia as a new species.Initially discovered a year ago, this fish has the fins typical of frogfish on either side of the body that it uses to push itself along the bottom of the shallow waters. However, it also has a few features not found in other frogfish, such as expelling water from gills each time they push off with their fins to jet themselves forward and an off-centered tail that causes them to bounce around in a bizarre and unpredictable manner.
Formerly named Histiophryne psychedelica for its psychedelic swirling tan and peach zebra stripes, the new species also has two forward-facing eyes, unique among the frogfish. The position of the eyes leads researchers to believe it may possess binocular vision, something rare among fish species. DNA analysis confirmed it as a member of the Histiophryne family but its particular traits merited distinction as a new species.
These results were released on February 24th by the University of Washington and will be published in the next edition of Copeia.
Source: Yahoo!
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