This colorful fish has a new name. Meet the rose-veiled fairy wrasse! There are more than 500 species of wrasse. Many are brightly colored. Researchers recently identified this species while studying coral reefs near the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean.
© YI-KAI TEA
© YI-KAI TEA
Until recently, scientists mistook the rose-veiled fairy wrasse for a close relative.
JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN ®
Since the 1990s, the fish was mistaken for a close relative, the rosy-scales fairy wrasse. The two species are similar in size and color. It’s difficult to tell them apart in the low light of the deep sea where they live. Last year, scientists analyzed the anatomy, or physical structures, of the fish. They noticed that as the fish age, their fin lengths and coloring differ.
Researchers will keep exploring life in the Maldives region. The more we learn about these animals, the better we can protect them, explains Ahmed Najeeb, a biologist from the Maldives Marine Research Institute.
Activities
(1)
Skills Activities
Quizzes
(1)
Answer Key
(1)
Text-to-Speech