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World of teeth and big appetites amongst marine species
- From:The Daily Telegraph
- July 03, 2012
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Pteroidichthys amboinensis - an unusually coloured specimen of the Ambon scorpionfish, a bizarre-looking fish with giant "eyebrows". Picture: Roger Steene Source: Supplied
THE vast majority of biologists would be ecstatic if they discovered one new species in their career - Gerry Allen has found so many he's lost count.
"Probably about 400 new species of fish. I think," he said.Gallery: Meet the colourful under-sea creatures
And he has found almost all of them by diving in the waters of the East Indies, considered one of the richest marine environments on Earth.
His work, and that of fellow veteran biologist Dr Mark Erdmann, has now been collected in a three-volume set of books, Reef Fishes of the East Indies, which spans more than 60 years of effort by the pair to document the biodiversity of those waters.
As for the favourite fish Dr Allen, 70, discovered, he named the little male flasher wrasse.
"It's about 7cm long and like clockwork almost every day ... about an hour before sunset it starts doing its courtship dance to attract a female."
Credit: http://www.underwatertimes.com/fish/fish.php
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