An amazing talk on mesophotic fish given by @kaithefishguy.bsky.social 😱 at #IPFC12 in Taiwan. So many new records for Australia from the deep(er) sea😍

Pseudojuloides edwardi Quite possibly the most beautiful wrasse in existence

Black background fish photography are MY NACHOS.

Blimey! Now THIS is a great goby! Oxymetopon cyanoctenosum, the Blue-banded Ribbongoby.

Yes I use all my annual leave every year to risk it all for pictures of literal INSECTS. And I love it!

Trogonoptera brookiana, Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing. Malaysia’s national butterfly is quite a thing of beauty. Its black wings with emerald green feather-like markings, bright red head, and blue wing accents isn’t even its most remarkable feature. It’s probably the fact that it measures close to 15 cm

Gonna deep fry the holotype of NEMO

Im posting dome dank sci comm memes on my insta story! Available only for 24 hours. Go there and see!!

PhD opportunity: I am looking for a PhD student to study taxonomy and systematics of labrid fishes and other coral reef taxa. Successful applicants will be jointly based at the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum Research Institute.

This is one of the most exciting loans I’ve ever unpacked. There are only seven specimens of Prognathodes guyotensis known from collections worldwide; three specimens in the type series, all from the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, and a further four from scattered localities across the Indo-Pacific.

Last weekend I was fortunate to encounter two female Yellow Jewel butterflies (Hypochrysops byzos) along a creek line about 45 minutes from Canberra. This is a very elusive and one of the more difficult of the Australian Jewels to find, so finding bro one but two was an extra special treat.

Watching The Boys and there’s a fish I named in one of the scenes! Cirrhilabrus cyanogularis, the Blue-throat Fairy Wrasse. I described this species in 2018!

October 2021 > January 2025

Merry Christmas Wrasses! Clockwise from top left: Halichoeres cosmetus; H. ornatissimus; H. melanurus; H. claudia

Hypochrysops delicia, the Moonlight Jewel I’ve spent many unsuccessful summers over the last few years trying to find this species around the Sydney area. Turns out they’re around, but only at the top of the tallest peaks, in the furthest corner of the Blue Mountains, and only appear after 4 pm.

Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus, the Monsoon Fairy Wrasse Two in two days! I’m feeling generous. Ok I’m gonna speed run this one. Hygro = wet Xeros = dry Wet + dry = monsoon = weather profile of Darwin = type location of this species

Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus, the “Deepwater Wrasse” This is a really beautiful species native to northeast Australia, New Caledonia, and southern Vanuatu. It belongs to a small lineage of very distinctive fairy wrasses with only two other species.

How’s this for a STUNNER! Cirrhilabrus cyanogularis, the Blue-throat Fairy Wrasse! I described this species in 2018. One of the most beautiful fairy wrasses. This one is native to only a small part of the Coral Triangle, namely southern Philippines and northeast Borneo.

Today’s #EtymologyEpithet is a double whammy! The first is Pseudojuloides Pluto from Ogasawara, Wake Atoll, and the Mariana Archipelago. The specific epithet is given after Pluto, god of the underworld, in reference to the sinister coloration of the males.

Nemateleotris lavandula Tea & Larson, 2023 “…named lavandula, after the genus of flowering plants which includes the ornamental herb lavender, in reference to its beautiful colouration in life.” Location: Palau 🇵🇼 #FishFriday #EtymologyEpithet

Ok I’m gonna need you all to repost today’s #EtymologyEpithet far and wide because this is one of my fav fishes I’ve ever described.

Marine gobies are the best. My new shirt with artwork by Courtney Hildebrandt,

Christmas is around the corner and for years I’ve advocated that THIS fish should be the official FISHMAS mascot. The Peppermint Angelfish, Paracentropyge boylei, is a deep water coral reef species endemic to French Polynesia. Does it not look like a peppermint candy cane? #TeamFish

It’s been a crazy couple of hours on BlueSky! I’ve felt more invigorated on here than I’ve ever been in the last two years on Twitter. I’m so glad I made the change. Enjoy this gorgeous Pomacanthus navarchus, the Majestic Angelfish. I photographed this on my recent trip to Raja Ampat.

This beautiful fish is Synchiropus sycorax, the Ruby Dragonet. This was the second species I described, and it’s endemic to the Sulu Archipelago in Philippines. I gave it the name Sycorax after the Sycorax warriors from the BBC Sci-Fi series Dr Who, after the big red capes and white skeletal masks

I've been waiting for Kai the Fish Guy to show up.

I’m so pleased to see everyone’s excitement and response to me joining blue sky! To everyone who’s asked for alt texts: I got it, and will try to remember to include them in the next time I post.

I don’t quite yet have the same reach on here as I did on Twitter, so I’m going to start a new fish game called #EtymologyEpithet, where I explain the etymology (the meaning behind a name) for all of the fishes I’ve described, starting with Cirrhilabrus isosceles, the Pintail Fairywrasse.

Hi everyone. I felt really dejected for a long time about the state of science communication on Twitter, and was reluctant to give things a try on yet another new platform. I’m so touched by the support everyone has shown so let’s give this one last go, as KaiTheFishGuy on Blue Sky!